35 Funny Spanglish Words and Example Sentences
Spanglish words are a must for language learners who want to sound native!
Can you think of the weirdest and funniest Spanish expression you have ever heard?
Throughout your Spanish journey, you’ve likely heard unusual Spanish words that sound similar to English. These quirky and unusually common words come from the blend of Spanish and English—known as Spanglish.
Spanglish phrases are unique and easy to remember. Although many don’t make sense at first, as you become more familiarized with them you’ll start using them naturally in conversation.
Add some pizzazz and humor to your conversations with this selection of 35 funny Spanglish words and Spanglish phrases.
What Is Spanglish?
The blend of Spanish and English has existed for a long time, it might even date back to when the United States and Mexico had a territorial dispute and the exchange between both countries took force.
Read about the fascinating history behind the dispute on How The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Changed the World Map.
The general proximity of the United States to Latin America combined with the large Hispanic diaspora abroad created an entirely new array of Spanglish phrases, expressions, and Spanglish jokes that give and take from both languages.
Many Hispanic and Latino families have first-generation members who speak native Spanish, while their descendants do speak English and understand some Spanish. Both sides of the family use Spanglish simultaneously for communication with each other.
Spanglish is the result of mixing both languages casually in conversation. Spanglish words don’t necessarily follow a standard, and there aren’t any other rules it needs to follow—they just come up!.
Speakers often take Spanish words and combine them with English, or they also take English words and add a touch of Spanish to them.
Spanglish is bound to exist and keep growing as long as English and Spanish coexist together. It’s continually evolving and reaches many people in the United States and abroad.
Learn about The 21 Countries That Speak Spanish.
Funny Spanglish Phrases and Spanglish Words: Nouns
1. La pari
Used by Spanish-speakers to refer to a fiesta (party).
Example
La pari de hoy va a estar buena.
La pari today will be good.
2. El parquing
El parquing is the Spanglish word for estacionamiento or parking lot.
Example
¿Dónde está el parquing del restaurante?
Where’s el parquing of the restaurant?
Parking and parquing only differ on Spelling like some cognates do. Refresh your memory on cognates with this list of Top 40 False Cognates in Spanish.
3. Ese place
The phrase ese place is widely used among Spanglish speakers to refer to a specific location. The correct Spanish expression is ese lugar.
Example
Me encanta ir a ese place.
I love going to ese place.
4. Los confleis
The Spanglish word confleis comes from the English word cornflakes. It’s a highly common word used to refer to any cereal. The actual word in Spanish is cereal.
Example
Mis confleis favoritos son los Trix.
My favorite confleis are Trix.
5. El tiquet
The word tiquet stands for an entrance fee, concert, or movie ticket, among others.
Example
¿Compraste el tiquet, verdad?
You bought el tiquet, right?
6. El maus
The Spanglish expression el maus is used to refer to the computer mouse. The actual world in Spanish is el ratón.
Example
El maus ya no sirve.
El maus doesn’t work anymore.
7. El locker
El locker is widely used among school Spanglish words in the United States and Latin America. The alternative in Spanish is el casillero.
Example
Tengo que limpiar el locker, está muy sucio.
I have to clean el locker, it’s very dirty.
8. Vicks vaporú
The unusual Spanglish words vicks vaporú stands for Vicks Vaporub.
It’s a highly cultural thing to say, as the use of Vicks® Vaporub™ is frequent among Latino families. Some believe it can be used to cure the most random things!
Example
Échale un poco de vicks vaporú y vas a ver como mejora.
Put some vicks vaporú on it and you’ll see how it improves.
9. La marketa
The Spanglish expression la marketa means the market, grocery store, or supermarket.
Example
Compra huevos en la marketa por favor, ya no hay para el desayuno.
Buy some eggs in la marketa please, we don’t have any for breakfast.
10. El rufo del bildin
The expression el rufo del bildin combines several Spanglish words at once.
It stands for the English phrase “the roof of a building”. The quirky resemblance between these English and Spanglish phrases is hard to deny!
Example
El rufo del bildin está resbaloso.
El rufo del bildin is slippery.
Funny Spanglish Words: Actions
11. Taipear un email
The art of typing an email on your computer, keyboard, tablet, or cell phone is known in Spanglish as taipear un email.
These two Spanglish words are easily understood and used by many.
Example
Tengo que taipear un email y ya termino.
I have to taipear un email and I’m done.
12. Janguear
The Spanglish word janguear is derived from the English expression hanging out. It’s common to hear it in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.
In Spanish, the correct words are pasar el tiempo.
Example
¿Quieres janguear después del colegio?
Do you want to janguear after school?
13. Chilearla
The word chilearla is a popular verb in Spanglish vocabulary. It means ”to chill” also letting time pass by doing nothing.
In Spanish, the correct word would be relajarse.
Example
Hoy sólo tengo planes de ir a chilearla a mi casa.
Today I only have plans to go to chilearla at my house.
14. Taguear
Many Spanglish words come from technology vocabulary.
Such is the case of taguear which comes from the act of tagging a person in a social media post, conversation, photo, video, or more.
The word in Spanish for tagging is etiquetar.
Example
Te voy a taguear en este post.
I’m going to taguear you in this post.
15. Googlear
Google is the go to website for asking questions and research. The act of using Google is googlear in Spanglish.
There isn’t a direct translation to googling in Spanish, other than buscar en google (search on google). This makes the Spanglish expression used by most Spanish speakers as it’s shorter and easier to say.
The Royal Spanish Academy recognizes the word guglear before googlear.
Example
No te creo, lo tengo que googlear para ver si es cierto.
I don’t believe you, I have to googlear it to see if it’s true.
Discover more social media Spanglish words in this Complete Guide to Spanish Computer Vocabulary.
16. Chequear
The act of chequear is a Spanglish expression that means “to check.”
People use it widely and understand it everywhere. Its Spanish version would be revisar.
The Spanglish word chequear is accepted by the Royal Spanish Academy dictionary.
Example
Tengo que chequear mis mensajes.
I have to chequear my messages.
17. Machar
When something is the same or shares similarities it means they are machando.
For example, if you and your prima (cousin) are wearing the same outfit, you’re machando! The act of machar means “to match” in English.
The Spanish word would be parear.
Example
¡Tienen la misma blusa, están machando!
You have the same blouse, you’re machando!
18. Watchar
Watchar is another one of those funny Spanglish words you’ll remember easily. It means “to watch” in English.
The Spanish words for watchar are ver, mirar, observar, or vigilar.
Example
Vamos a watchar la nueva película de Spider-man.
Let’s watchar the new Spider-man movie.
19. Tuitear
Tuitear is another one of those memorable Spanglish words from social media.
“To tweet” or the act of sending a tweet is called tuitear. A tweet is also referred to as un tuit.
Tuitear is also part of social media Spanglish words recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy.
Example
Que buen chiste, lo quiero tuitear.
What a great joke, I want to tuitear it.
20. Estar ready
Estar ready is Spanglish for “to be ready” in English.
In Spanish you say estar listo.
Example
¿Estás ready para irnos?
Estás ready to leave?
Funny Spanglish Phrases: Descriptions
21. Bien fresh
These are my favorite Spanglish blended words. Bien fresh is used to describe anything that’s cool, good, pleasant, or enjoyable.
The Spanglish words are also used to describe any situation where it’s all good.
Example
Me siento bien fresh después de ir a la playa.
I feel bien fresh after going to the beach.
22. Muy cripi
The Spanglish words muy cripi mean very creepy. Use them for anything that weirds you out, or makes you feel awkward.
Example
Esa película es muy cripi, yo no quiero verla otra vez.
That movie is muy cripi, I don’t want to see it again.
23. Estar a full
Estar a full are Spanglish phrases that are used to describe when you feel full, when you’re close to your limit, or are super busy.
Example
No me puedo juntar hoy, estoy a full en el trabajo.
I can’t get get together today, estoy a full at work.
24. Lo más top
Lo más top are Spanglish phrases for describing something that is really awesome and out of this world good.
Example
La música fue lo más top de la fiesta.
The music was lo más top of the party.
25. Qué show
The Spanglish words qué show describe when someone makes a scene or causes controversy.
The Spanish expression for que show are qué espectáculo.
Example
Qué show el que hiciste hoy, todavía no puedo creer que vi eso.
Que show you did today, I still can’t believe I saw that.
26. Mi broder
The Spanglish words mi broder are a way to call a close friend, or someone who’s like a brother to you.
Example
Andrés es mi broder, nos conocemos hace años.
Andrés is mi broder, we’ve known each other since years ago.
27. Mi best friend
Mi best friend are the Spanglish words you use to call your dear bestie and closest friend.
Example
Tú eres mi best friend, confío mucho en tí.
You are mi best friend, I trust you so much.
28. Teikirisi
Teikirisi is Spanglish slang that means “take it easy.”
Example
Espérate, teikirisi que no hay prisa.
Hold on, teikirisi that there’s no rush.
29. Bien nice
The Spanglish words bien nice are used to describe something that is very nice and pleasant.
Example
Tu nuevo reloj está bien nice.
Your new watch is bien nice.
30. Muy friki
The Spanglish words muy friki are used to describe something that is very freaky.
Curiously, friki is used more in Spain than in Latin America.
Example
La serie de Netflix que vimos ayer es muy friki.
The Netflix series we saw yesterday is muy friki.
Funny Spanglish Jokes
31. Spanglish: When you can’t find la palabra en un idioma so you fill it with la otra.
32. Sometimes empiezo a sentence in español and termino in English.
33. Benefits of speaking Spanglish:
- You can chismear
- You can watch telénovelas
- You can tell chistes
- You can sing Selena
34. Spanglish is the best of both languages without any rules.
35. What if soy milk is regular milk introducing itself in Spanish?
If you enjoyed these Spanglish memes, you’ll enjoy this entertaining list of 20 Hilarious Spanish Grammar Memes.
Spanglish Leads To Spanish
Spanglish phrases will continue to appear as long as Spanish keeps growing next to English.
In the United States alone, there are close to 53 million people who speak Spanish. According to CNN, there are 41 million native Spanish speakers using Spanish in their homes with their families.
As the population continues to grow, more people will keep combining English and Spanish into new sayings and unforgettable Spanglish words.
If you’re fluent in Spanglish phrases but still struggle with speaking Spanish confidently, you can sign up for a free trial class with our certified teachers from Guatemala.
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