A little bit of Slang (Mexican) Spanish! 2

¡Hola amigos!, ¿Cómo están? Espero que hayan disfrutado la "A little bit of Slang (Mexican) Spanish part 1!". Here is part 2! If you ever been to Mexico, have talked to a Mexican (specially men) , or even watched a mexican movie, you will notice we tend to say something that sounds like "WAY" at the end of each phrase, sentence or question. ...Well, it isnt actually written "way" but (officially and following spanish grammar) "güey". Also it can be found as "wey", "buey" or simply "we". Güey, is a very mexican adjective and also a word we use to call each other, without having to say the name of the person. The closest equivalent I can think of (At least in american english) is "dude", but, unlike "dude", "Güey" also is an adjective, as I mentioned before. It might have come either from the word "buey" meaning ox or castraded bull. So, the "dude" definition might be easier for a spanish learner , as we can see on the following example: ¿ Qué onda, wey?...Remember the "onda" from the first slang post?..."What's up, dude/buddy/fellow/bro/lad/mate/guy/etc?" The plural would be "güeyes". And yes, women also use it between them, It is my personal opinion but I just dont like the way it sounds when a man reffers to a woman as "wey" or "güey". It is a different story when it's done between women. And also I have rarely been called "wey" by a women, some dudes (algunos weyes) like it, some don't. What I do find almost universal is the usage of "wey" between two..well.."weyes" haha. Although the word is not always offensive nor an insult between friends, its usage is generally considered uneducated. Thus its usage is limited mostly to friends and trusted acquaintances or among young people. It is considered in poor taste for a teenager or a child to refer to an adult as (a) "güey," although among adults it is usually used in a common way. The word is used in any social class, being equally accepted and used in all. It also is used in television and radio in popular entertainment, but not in more formal or objective programs, like in the news. So, how can this word be offensive? Well, remember I told you this is also a adjective? Well, being "muy güey" means that someone is dumb or fool. An example would be something like "Soy un wey! Olvidé hacer mi tarea" (I am so dumb, i forgot my homework) or "Eres muy güey, Cristian" (you are such a fool), "No seas wey" (Don't be a fool/idiot) and so on. In short, you can use it with any mexican, specially among men, you can write it in any way you want, I preffer 'wey" because it's easier, and if you are a guy don't use it with women. It is a great word to call someone you forget his name or when talking about him with other "weyes". Do not use it with your boss (I have done this many times, but outside work), an older person (never done it) or in a very formal ocassion (I have but in a very low voice), even if they use it with you, once you become friends, and in the propper situation, you can call them "wey" anytime. I am 100% even the Mexican presidents calls his friends "wey" when they hang out. I have heard my CEO say it and kids as young as 3 saying "Hola, wey" haha It does sounds funny!. Anyway, now you know another mexican word and the way to use it. If you have any question , please let me know...if for some reason you want to avoid using "wey" you can always stick with the good old word "AMIGO" or "AMIGA"...we have ton of words similar to wey, like "compa", "carnal", "broder (brother)", "cuate", etc...maybe we will learn some of those on a new post. Nos vemos pronto amigos y amigas! Saludos desde Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico! P.S Any suggestions for next posts will be well recieved!

¡Que bueno wey! Or would that be considered inappropriate? We don't know each other and it's posted in an online public forum. We are both men though. I'm not trying to be offensive if that was considered in bad taste. Just asking for clarification. Also would "vato" be used along the same lines as far as the noun usage? Thanks Jeff

Hola Jeff! No offense, no te preocupes, wey! hahaha! Here in the forum we are all amigos, so don't worry. Yes, vato is very similar, but it is not used as much as wey, I've noticed that vato is used a lot by mexican-american/Chicanos and also northern mexican cities (such as mine, vato!). Everytime I say vato, the movie "Blood in, blood out" comes to mind, since the chicano gang in the movie was called "Vatos Locos" (crazy dudes) and it makes me laugh a lot!. Thanks for reading my post, I am preparing the part 3 of slang mexican spanish, any suggestions?!! Saludos amigo Jeff!

Cristian: Una posta muy informativa, ¡Gracias! I suspect that when, whether, and with whom to use this slang name has a lot to do with the person using the word. I think the same is true in English. Take, for example, the word "dude." At one time the word had a negative connotation, as in someone who went to great pains to appear better/smarter/more stylish/hipper than he actually might have been. A Dude Ranch was the name of a place where people went to pretend to be cowboys. Then it, for whatever reason, became a popular name to call one's male friend, in a positive way. It seems like surfers (the real kind, not web surfers) might have popularized the name. Now I think it is overused ad naseum, especially among young people. I even hear girls getting called "dude!" I think it has become one of those filler words that are used when the speaker is mentally forming the rest of his/her sentence. God knows in this day and age we expect everything to be instantaneous, no waiting! No "spaces between the notes" as Miles Davis is credited as saying. I don't think I have ever called another man dude, and I know for certain I have never called a woman a dude. But I am older and tend to be a little more formal in my interactions with others, and as soon as I think a word is becoming overused I avoid it like the plague. But these are just my "random" (the current champion among overused words) thoughts.

Hi Dan! You are right again, also happens with "wey" , some girls use it , but it started with men , and then, the same phenomenon happens in spanish , with the "filler word" example you just gave us. Some men and women often use "wey" almost without noticing, as a filler word. Any slang subject you want me to discuss on the next post? saludos! PS I am not sure if 'post' translates to 'posta', I mean the word "posta" does exists, but I think is something like a small bullet and may have other different meanings. I would choose "publicación" or sometimes we even loan the word in english and say "post"

Cristian: I was unsure of "posta" when I used it, but Bing Translator translated exactly as I had meant. But I am not surprised that it was an error, and thanks for correcting me. These little things are invaluable to learning your language. If you really want to tread on dangerous ground, talk about some of the words like coger that can, in some countries, have sexual meanings. I was studying lesson 11.1 this morning and they used a conjugation of coger, then warned about the possibly offensive meaning in some countries.

Thanks Dan! I will do that!...and yes, coger in Mexico...well, it does have a sexual meaning. This will be discussed on my next "post"

My Filipino friends in the church choir was commenting yesterday how our pastor es muy guapo. I told them that I read somewhere or heard somewhere maybe here in Rocket Spanish that we should not call our priest as guapo. I think the proper words are bonito and hermoso. Please comment.

Guapo simply means handsome, doesn't it? I know that bonito and hermoso are masculine adjectives, but calling a man pretty or beautiful doesn't seem as appropriate as handsome.

Hola amigos y amigas! I will stick with "guapo" for men, which means handsome or good looking, the femenine version is "guapa" . In the case of "hermoso" I think it goes a little above of just a physicall thing, someone can be ugly on the outside but hermoso on the inside, but you can't be "guapo" in the inside, it doesn't make sense to me haha. With "Bonito"...well, it does mean pretty, I either hear it when refering to a cute or pretty lady (bonita) or when describing a little puppy ("Qué bonito cachorro") but not really to describe a handsome men, probably you can say bonito to children, but not grown men, at least here in Mexico. Technically speaking, you can use the 3 of them, but, again, I would choose "guapo" instead. Saludos

Thanks. I wasn't sure what gave me the idea that "guapo" involved some sort of flirting. Maybe when Ann said that that this guy was "guapo" and Mauricio answered saying that the guy was" simpatico". Anyway as a Filipina girl, guapo and guapo are used extensively in our local dialect (Aklanon and Ilonggo), but I think not in Tagalog. I think they use the word "maganda". We use the word guapo for everybody who is good-looking and guapa (feminine) at any age even infants.

Aurora, if I recall that conversation, Amy said the guy Mauricio was describing was guapo, meaning handsome. Mauricio, being a guy and all, could not agree that another guy was handsome, so he said the guy was simpatico...nice...a more neutral thing for a guy to say about another guy. It's a guy thing, you understand! Anyway, this is another example of how words take on different meanings in different cultures and countries.

Speaking of words with different meanings, I still owe you guys my 3rd Slang post. Comming soon (been very very busy at work). saludos!

Mi amiga said that a woman should not say "tu eres guapo" to a man. It could be taken as the woman asking to date the man. Just saying.

Does anyone remember the name of the chief villain in the movie "The Three Amigos"? "El Guapo" :D Sorry, I couldn't resist. Anytime I hear or see the word "guapo" I am reminded of this.