First article, with a note: I’m not encouraging you to curse, okay? But you’ll at least want to recognize what’s being said, right?
How to swear in Mexico: Curse words for south of the border
The time has come, my friends: it’s time to talk about cursing and swear words in Spanish, and in Mexico particularly.
Several specific regions of Mexico are well known for their – ahem – colorful language. One of those places is my home state, Veracruz, where curse words flow as freely as the beer from our much-loved caguamas (those liter-sized returnable beer bottles), a mere expansion pack of our casual speech.
Other places, particularly those closer to the center of the country (save Mexico City) tend to be more conservative and proper in their speech, lest they be seen as crass or vulgar. Coastal cultures, particularly ones that became accustomed quickly to receiving “guests,” have by necessity developed a more open and relaxed attitude, pearl-clutching being something that just holds everyone up.
That’s my theory, anyway.
Anyway, let’s get this show on the road! Though before we begin, the necessary heads up: there are very bad words below; don’t read them if you’re easily offended by off-color language. Below each, I’ve given a non-cursing alternative.
Common variations of “chingar.” This is the closest Mexican Spanish equivalent to the word “f*ck” in English. And like its English equivalent, it’s both very rude and very common. Common variants include the insults “chinga tu madre” (“F*ck your mother” – yikes) and “vete a la chingada” (Go f*ck yourself), the exclamation “¡chingada madre!” (Motherf*cker!) and the more tame “chingao”, whose equivalent might be an emphatic “damn it!” in English. “Chin” is closer to “darn it” if you want to use something extra tame but still common.
Honestly, an entire book could be filled talking about just this word…it’s complex and varied, with plenty to unpack culturally. But we’ll let someone else write it.“Pendejo(a).” This is a common insult for calling someone something between an *sshole and an idiot. Incidentally, “idiota” sounds about as harsh to the Mexican ear as “*sshole” does to ours, so careful with that one! If you want to say something like “dummy,” “tonto” or “zonzo” are safe non-curse options, the latter being closer to “silly.”
“No mames.” This is also an exclamation you’ll likely hear pretty frequently that means, basically, “Come on,” or “No f*cking way,” or “You’ve got to be kidding me.” It literally means “Don’t suck,” and you say it when you’re calling someone out on their bad joke or misbehavior, or when you’re in disbelief (usually disappointed disbelief). One way to take the cursing sting out of it is the more tame “No manches” (literally, “Don’t stain”), which means the same thing. “No puede ser” (“It can’t be”) is a good slang-free option. (Funny side-note: my partner, a native veracruzano, saw this list and said, “What? “No mames” isn’t cursing!” It is.)
“Pinche.” This word is an adjective meaning “bad,” and I’d put it somewhere between “damn” and “f*cking” in terms of rudeness. It typically precedes another word (“Pinche comida fea” – “f*cking disgusting food”), and is used to emphasize your distaste for something. Alternatives include any other negative adjective or adverb like “terrible” or “terriblemente,” depending on which part of speech you need.
“Desmadre.” De…mother? Don’t ask me how anyone came up with that. Anyway, a desmadre is a big damn mess or maybe even “sh*tshow,” and can be used both for actual physical messes (“Con la construcción el tráfico está hecho un desmadre” – “With the construction going on, traffic’s just a big damn mess”) or for some kind of big blow-up fight. A tamer way to say it: desorden (literally, “disorder.”).
As I’m sure you know, this isn’t anywhere near a complete list. That said, all the words and phrases above are quite common.
I personally curse quite a lot in both languages — I learned Spanish in Veracruz, after all. I’m neither proud nor ashamed of it; it’s simply part of my vocabulary. Here in Veracruz nobody bats an eye, but I once said “desmadre” to a friend in Querétaro and promptly got a speech about how ladies didn’t talk like that.
Just like in all languages, who is doing the cursing matters, as does the context. Hanging out with friends and having a few beers, fine; in a job interview or with someone’s grandma, not so smart.
So go forth, my fellow compatriots, immigrants, and visitors, and understand more of what people are actually saying!
Just be sure to proceed with caution if you plan to partake.
And, some more memes!
It’s a Saturday, and that means it must be time for the latest Spanish meme review with the newest installment of “but what does it meme?“
This week, find some spicy jokes, steal some laughs about an empathetic burglar and enjoy a staggeringly (ahem) funny confrontation between two jealous lovers. Let’s dive right in!
Meme translation: “Yeah! Let Taylor Swift score a goal!”
What does it meme? In case you were wondering, Taylor Swift-mania hit Mexico, too!
And while the Super Bowl isn’t quite as big of a deal down here as it is north of the border, there are plenty of watch parties because…well, we just like to party! Also, it’s true: many Mexicans actually like “American football,” which I’ll admit is a complete mystery to me.
That said, I think it’s fair to say we’ve all found plenty of amusement in the focus on Taylor Swift, who was responsible for getting more than the usual crowd watching the Super Bowl this year (and apparently a few Very Manly Men upset). Irreverence and desmadre is the name of the game in Mexico, and we are 100% here for it!Meme translation: “Well, well, if it isn’t the consequences of my own actions.”
What does it meme? I’ve seen similar formats to this one in English, and it cracks me up in both languages. I also love it because it’s a humorous mirror to humanity, who would absolutely love to think that any sin committed is “free,” cosmically or otherwise.
My own observation of the culture in this respect is that people are either 100% resigned to this fact or 100% in denial (“How dare the waiter give anything less than stellar service after I was rude and didn’t leave a tip last time!”). There’s not often a whole lot in between.
Meme translation: “Honey, what were you doing online at 3 a.m.?” “And how do you know I was?”
What does it meme? To be fair, services like Facebook Messenger show you are pretty much always online even when you’re not, and I know plenty of insomniacs who are up and scrolling in the wee hours of the morning.
Most likely, though, “conectado” is referring to WhatsApp, Mexico’s most ubiquitous messaging service, which does pretty faithfully let you know when someone is online or not.
Now, for the picture: in Mexico, “ponerse los cuernos” (“to put on horns” apparently? I never really thought about how weird it sounded in English) means to be cheated on.In the case above, it’s clear what each partner is assuming about the other. Who would one be talking to at 3 a.m.?
Meme translation: “Your life or your money?” “What life? What money?”
What does it meme? I might be hugging that poor fellow, too. In the lean, party-free months following the holidays, chances are we’re all feeling a little like him.
Meme translation: “Yesterday I was making lunch and my son said, ‘Mommy, one day I’m going to work and help you with the food and household expenses.’ My eyes filled with tears; my little boy is already 32.”
What does it meme? Young Mexican men have a reputation for never really learning their way around the house, as there’s a tendency for mothers to “baby” their babies — especially their male babies — for much longer than one would think. This isn’t universal, but it’s widespread enough to be firmly entrenched in the cultural imagination; the gender divide when it comes to housework and childcare is still pretty one-sided.
This is very fortunately not the case in my own home, and I hope and sense that a generational change away from this stereotype is afoot!
Meme translation: “Everyone’s talking about how cold it is in the city…but the cold of my body asks for you, and I don’t know where you are.”
What does it meme? This one sounds weird, I know. But the bottom part of this meme is a famous line from an even more famous song, Si No Te Hubieras Ido (“If You Hadn’t Left”).
It’s such a romantic line, and it’s one that everyone knows even if they don’t know all the rest of the words (but they probably do). A karaoke classic!
Meme translation: “When you’re able to generate a molecule that’s an irritant so you don’t get eaten…but you grow in Mexico.”
What does it meme? Poor chiles. Evolution thought it had it all figured out. Unfortunately for spicy plants, a los mexicanos les gusta la mala vida (“Mexicans love the bad life”), as some around here would surely joke.
In any case, I sure am grateful they figured out how to make those spicy plants tasty…mostly, within reason. 😉
A very knowledgeable article! These words are so versatile that many applications are not really curse words. “Andar en chinga” comes to mind. Just another way to say you’re busy.
Or “echar desmadre” which is just another way of saying party hard.
Then there is “pedo.” This word has a literal dictionary full of meanings, many of them of quite recent origin. But even though it means “fart” the vast majority of the uses of this word are pretty harmless. “Que pedo Sarah?” “No tengo pedo con lo que escribiste Sarah porque sé que andas en tu pedo.” “Y no te empedes esta noche porque es mal pedo pararte con cruda el día siguiente de una buena peda!” And that’s just touching the surface of pedismo!!!
A lot of info that I probably don't need to know or say :)