🇪🇸 Spain (peninsular) Spanish
How Spain says it — Madrid, word by word
Chaval, Tío, Curro. 27 everyday things and the word Madrid uses for each, beside what Buenos Aires, Santiago, Medellín, Santo Domingo, Madrid, Mexico City, Lima and San Juan say. Click any row for the full comparison and its sources.
Madrid word by word
| In English | In Madrid | Elsewhere |
|---|---|---|
| a kid informal | chaval | pibe cabro chico pelao carajito chamaco chibolo nene |
| a party / going out | fiesta / salir de marcha | joda carrete rumba teteo peda tono jangueo / un party |
| a straw | pajita | sorbete bombilla pitillo calimete popote cañita sorbeto |
| dude | tío | che weón parce manín güey causa pana |
| what's up? | ¿Qué tal? | ¿Qué hacés? ¿Cómo estái? ¿Qué más? ¿Qué lo que? ¿Qué onda? ¡Habla! ¿Qué es la que hay? |
| a T-shirt | camiseta | remera polera franela playera polo t-shirt |
| ok / sure | vale | dale ya po listo ta' to' sale ya dale |
| popcorn | palomitas | pochoclo cabritas crispetas cocaleca canchita popcorn |
| right away | enseguida | ya mismo al tiro de una ahora mismo ahoritita al toque ahora mismo |
| a job | curro | laburo pega camello trabajo chamba chamba trabajo |
| cool | guay | copado bacán bacano chévere chido chévere |
| gas station | gasolinera | estación de servicio bencinera bomba bomba grifo |
| money | pasta | guita plata plata cuartos lana plata chavos |
| the bus | autobús | colectivo micro bus guagua pesero micro guagua |
| a beer with friends | una caña | birra chela una fría chela chela una fría |
| a birthday cake | tarta | torta torta bizcocho pastel torta bizcocho |
| a hangover | resaca | la caña guayabo cruda hangover |
| a pen | boli | birome lápiz pasta lapicero lapicero pluma lapicero pluma |
| a traffic jam | atasco | embotellamiento taco taco tapón embotellamiento embotellamiento tapón |
| beans | judías / alubias | porotos porotos fríjoles habichuelas frijoles frejoles habichuelas |
| a banana | plátano | banana banano guineo guineo |
| eyeglasses | gafas | anteojos lentes espejuelos lentes lentes espejuelos |
| a car | coche | auto auto carro carro carro carro |
| a swimming pool | piscina | pileta alberca |
| an apartment | piso | departamento departamento apartamento departamento departamento apartamento |
| avocado | aguacate | palta palta palta |
| sneakers | zapatillas | tenis tenis tenis |
Each row links to the full eight-country comparison with its sources. Grey = the standard dictionary word is the local word too.
Talk like a Spaniard
The in-app «Talk like a local» guide for Spain (peninsular) Spanish — the words and turns of phrase Madrid's characters use in conversation, so you recognise them when they come at you at speed.
| They say | It means | You'll hear |
|---|---|---|
| coche | car (elsewhere: carro) | Voy a dejar el coche en el parking. In Spain a car is a "coche"; "carro" sounds Latin American (or means a shopping cart). |
| móvil | cell phone (elsewhere: celular) | Se me ha quedado el móvil sin batería. Universal in Spain; "celular" is Latin American. |
| ordenador | computer (elsewhere: computadora) | Trabajo todo el día con el ordenador. Spain says "ordenador" (from French); Latin America says "computadora". |
| zumo | juice (elsewhere: jugo) | Un zumo de naranja natural, por favor. In Spain fruit juice is "zumo"; "jugo" is the juice inside meat/fruit. |
| patata | potato (elsewhere: papa) | Una ración de patatas bravas. Spain "patata", Latin America "papa". |
| piso | flat / apartment (elsewhere: apartamento) | Comparto piso con dos amigos. The everyday word for an apartment in Spain. |
| billete | ticket (transport) (elsewhere: boleto) | ¿Dónde compro el billete de metro? Spain uses "billete" for transport/paper money; "boleto" is Latin American. |
Everyday phrases
- ¡Vale! — OK / alright / got it The single most Spanish word. Agreement, acknowledgement, "OK" — all of it.
- Venga — come on / alright then / let's go Encouragement, wrapping up a call, or a soft "come on". Extremely common.
- ¿Qué tal? — how's it going? The default casual greeting.
- Hombre… — well… / come on (interjection) Used to open a reply regardless of who you're talking to — not literally "man".
- Dígame / ¿Sí? — hello? (answering the phone) Spain answers the phone with "¿Dígame?", not "¿Aló?".
Practise it with someone from Barcelona
Barcelona Spanish is quick, warm and direct: the counter question is «¿Qué te pongo?», the coffee is a cortado, and «venga» ends half the sentences in the room. In Loquala you learn it standing at Jordi's counter — ordering, mishearing, recovering — not from a grammar table.
Meet Jordi in Barcelona →