{"id":145011,"date":"2023-06-12T21:29:19","date_gmt":"2023-06-13T01:29:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/colombian-slang\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T01:12:58","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T06:12:58","slug":"colombian-slang","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/colombian-slang\/","title":{"rendered":"79 Colombian Slang Words You’ll Hear in Colombia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite being far from the <\/span>motherland<\/span>, Colombians use what is considered to be the “clearest” spoken Spanish dialect<\/a>. <\/span>But while <\/span>t<\/span>he dialect may be clear, the slang is all kinds of colorful.<\/span><\/p>\n

S<\/span>peak cleanly and throw in slang<\/a> wherever it will add flavor and meaning to your sentences:\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>hat’s the way to sound like a true<\/span> paisa<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is a Paisa<\/em> and How to Sound Like One<\/h2>\n

So what’s a paisa<\/em><\/a>, you might ask? Well, it’s a Colombian!<\/p>\n

The name is attributed to a particular region of Colombia (the Paisa region) where their accents are unique to the rest of the country. Some Colombians only use\u00a0paisa\u00a0<\/em>to describe people from this region.<\/p>\n

Nowadays though, almost any Colombian is considered a paisa, <\/em>and this is especially true when Colombians find each other in different parts of the world.<\/p>\n

They like to build that international bond by referring to each other as\u00a0paisas.<\/em><\/p>\n

Paisa<\/em> derives from the Spanish word paisano,<\/em>\u00a0“countryman,” and it’s just one of the many things you can\u00a0call your new Colombian friends\u2014but only after you’ve learned their kooky yet creative colloquialisms first!<\/p>\n

Paisa Phrases for Friends<\/h2>\n

1. Parcero<\/em> \/ Parcera<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>Bro, dude, my man,\u00a0girl<\/p>\n

Parcero\/a<\/em>\u00a0is what you can call a friend or acquaintance in Colombia. Colombians like to say it to anyone they meet.<\/p>\n

2. \u00bfQuiubo, Parce?<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>What’s up, bro?<\/p>\n

Quiubo<\/em> is a contraction of qu\u00e9\u00a0hubo\u00a0<\/em>(what’s been going on?). Parce <\/em>is a shortened version of parcero\/a.<\/em> Colombians will sometimes simply say “\u00bfQuiubo?”\u00a0<\/em>when you want to\u00a0say “what’s up?”<\/p>\n

Note that parce <\/em>can be directed to any person who’s your age or to whom you don’t need to express additional respect. It could be a friend of a friend you’re meeting for the first time or someone you’ll never see again.<\/p>\n

3. Mi Llave \/ Llaver\u00eda \/ Llavero\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong> My key\/key chain<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>My (close) friend<\/p>\n

Colombians call their close friends llaves<\/em>\u00a0(keys). This slang\/dialect is also heard in other Latin American countries,\u00a0like Ecuador. A popular Colombian expression goes like this:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Lo saqu\u00e9 del llavero!<\/em> \u2014 I unfriended him! (I took him off the key chain!)<\/p>\n

4. El Parche<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong> The patch.<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:<\/strong> The crew, the homies<\/p>\n

El<\/em> parche<\/em> is your group of friends. It’s classic Colombian slang that’s only heard there.<\/p>\n

5. Parchando\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Slang meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0Chillin’, hanging out<\/p>\n

I bet you can guess where this word derives from… parchando<\/em> is the action of hanging out with el parche<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Desparchado <\/em><\/strong>is another popular saying that means the opposite: bored, not doing anything.<\/p>\n

Estoy en casa desparchado, esperando al parche.<\/em> \u2014 I’m home bored, doing nothing, waiting for the crew.<\/p>\n

Party Mode<\/h2>\n

6.<\/strong> Polas<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> Beers<\/p>\n

Polas<\/em> is only used in Colombia\u2014and although it has no official meaning in Spanish, it does hold some history.<\/p>\n

La Pola<\/em> was the nickname of Policarpa Salavarrieta R\u00edos<\/em>, a heroine who helped Colombia gain independence from Spain.<\/p>\n

Back in the day, Bavaria Brewing in Colombia created a beer in her honor\u2014 La Pola. <\/em>The beer doesn’t exist anymore, but the name stuck.<\/p>\n

\u00a1P\u00e1seme unas polas, pues parce! \u2014<\/em>\u00a0Well, hand me some beers, dude!<\/p>\n

7. Rumbiar<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>To go out, to party<\/p>\n

There are two ways to spell this word: as shown above, or with an e<\/em> instead of an i<\/em>, rumbear<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rumbiar<\/em>\u00a0may be familiar to other Latino ears; without a doubt, it’s natural and native to Colombian speak.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Vamos a rumbiar!<\/em> \u2014 Let’s go out!<\/p>\n

8. Rumba<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>The party itself<\/p>\n

I know the word looks like Zumba\u2014<\/em>and hey, that’s a great way to remember it!<\/p>\n

Colombians love to dance (not Zumba,<\/em> but close\u2014salsa), so when they say, “La rumba est\u00e1 buena!”<\/em>\u00a0that means, “the party’s good.” They’re dancing and having a blast!<\/p>\n

9. Chang\u00f3\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>To go dancing<\/p>\n

Chang\u00f3<\/em> is only said in Cali\u00a0(Valle Del Cauca), a southern region in Colombia.<\/p>\n

The name comes from a famous salsa club in Cali called\u00a0Chang\u00f3<\/em>. Every Colombian cale\u00f1o‘s<\/em> hobby is dancing salsa, so when they refer to Chang\u00f3<\/em>, they all know that it doesn’t necessarily mean going to the club itself but dancing in general.<\/p>\n

10. Toque\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0Touch<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:<\/strong> A concert, a band<\/p>\n

The verb tocar<\/em> has two translations, “to touch” or “to play” (as in “play” an instrument). In the latter sense, tocar la guitarra<\/em>\u00a0means “play the guitar.”<\/p>\n

El toque<\/em> in Colombian Spanish is “the band” itself, but can also be referred to a concert or gig.<\/p>\n

11. Estar Prendido \/ Prendida<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0To be lit<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>To be buzzed<\/p>\n

In English I think we can agree that “to be lit” expresses a state of being tipsy. It has the same meaning in Colombia.<\/p>\n

Esa pola me prendi\u00f3.<\/em> \u2014 That beer got me buzzed.<\/p>\n

Be careful with this one, as it has a more sexual connotation outside Colombia.<\/p>\n

12. Jincho \/ Jincha <\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> To be drunk<\/p>\n

This word is solely Colombian jargon, and it means to be straight-up “drunk.”<\/p>\n

Est\u00e1 jincha.<\/em> \u2014 She’s drunk.<\/p>\n

13. Guayabo\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0A guava tree<\/p>\n

Slang meaning: <\/strong>To be hung over<\/p>\n

It’s only used in Colombia, but other Latin countries might understand what it means within context:<\/p>\n

Tengo un guayabo que me mata.<\/em> \u2014 I have a hangover that’s killing me.<\/p>\n

Estoy enguayabada.<\/em> \u2014 I’m hungover.<\/p>\n

There’s a curiously wide range of words for “hangover” across Spanish-speaking countries. Learn them all here:\u00a0<\/p>\n

14. Guaro\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong> Fire water<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:<\/strong> Aguardiente<\/em><\/p>\n

Argentina has wine, Peru and Chile have Pisco<\/a>, Ecuador has canelazo<\/em>, and well, Colombia’s got aguardiente<\/em>!<\/p>\n

Aguardiente<\/em> is Colombia’s national alcoholic drink, and different regions within the country have distilled their own versions: Aguardiente Antioque\u00f1o, Aguardiente Del Cauca<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>and so on.<\/p>\n

That’s not to say that other Latin countries haven’t distilled their own fire water\u2014they have, but Colombians truly know how to do it best (and I’m not just saying that!).<\/p>\n

15. Un Chorro<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0A drip<\/p>\n

Slang meaning:<\/strong> A swig (of alcohol)<\/p>\n

You can either take a “swig” of alcohol or in some cases make reference to the “alcohol” itself.<\/p>\n

Reg\u00e1lame un chorro de ese guaro.<\/em> \u2014 Give me a “swig” of that aguardiente<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Or:<\/p>\n

V\u00e1monos a comprar un chorro.<\/em> \u2014 Let’s go buy a little somethin’ somethin’ (referring to alcohol).<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that every Spanish-speaking country has its own party lingo\u2014Colombian expressions will be completely different from, say, Mexican party slang<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Street Slang<\/h2>\n

16. A La Orden\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning:<\/strong> At your service<\/p>\n

When you walk past a store, shop in a market, hail a cab or pay a clerk in Colombia, a la orden<\/em> will be blurted at you either before or after your service.<\/p>\n

If it’s a question: before your service.<\/p>\n

If it’s exclamatory: after your service.<\/p>\n

Vendors will repeat this phrase to grab your attention, in hopes that you’ll purchase something. A cab driver will post up to you, shouting it. It’s just a way to say:<\/p>\n

“Can I help you?”<\/p>\n

“Are you being helped?”<\/p>\n

“Thanks for your business!”<\/p>\n

…and so on!<\/p>\n

17. Lucas<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>Colombian Pesos<\/p>\n

Lucas is obviously a name, but in Colombia, one luca<\/em>\u00a0is one Colombian Peso. 20 lucas<\/em>\u00a0is 20 Colombian Pesos.<\/p>\n

18. Billete\u00a0<\/em><\/h3>\n

Meaning: <\/strong>Dollar bills, money<\/p>\n

Billete<\/em>, “bill,” is a common Spanish word. It can mean a ticket, like boleto,<\/em> or bills, as in, “dollar dollar bill y’all.”<\/p>\n

In Colombian Spanish, “money” is billete\u2014<\/em>period. They don’t pluralize it. They leave it as is.<\/p>\n

No tengo billete.<\/em> \u2014 I don’t have money.<\/p>\n

\u00bfCu\u00e1ntos billetes hay?<\/em> \u2014 How many bills are there?<\/p>\n

19. Plata<\/em><\/h3>\n

Literal meaning:<\/strong>\u00a0Silver<\/p>\n

Slang meaning: <\/strong>Money<\/p>\n

Plata<\/em> is similar to billete<\/em>,\u00a0and used exactly the same way. It’s left as is and not pluralized.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Papi, necesito plata!<\/em> \u2014 Daddy, I need money!<\/p>\n

For more slang words for money in Spanish, check out this post:\u00a0<\/p>\n

42 Spanish Slang Words for Money from Around the World<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n