• Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
logo

855-997-4652 LOGINTRY A FREE CLASS

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
logo

855-997-4652 LOGINTRY A FREE CLASS

  • Programs
    • Preschool
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Adults
    • School Solutions
  • School Solutions
  • Pricing
  • How it Works
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • My Cart
  • Login
  • Try a Free Class
December 3, 2020 by Luis F. Dominguez Spanish Grammar, Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

What Does ‘Mande’ Mean in Spanish?

Have you ever heard someone using the word mande in Spanish? It’s usually a way to reply to a question not understood or to ask what’s needed.

Well, this simple and apparently harmless word has an incredible backstory that strongly resonates in the Mexican past. 

Keep reading to discover why Mexicans reply with a strange mande or mande usted when called. Learn the actual meaning of the term and the correct way to reply to it. 

Why Do Some Spanish Speakers Say ‘Mande’ When Asked a Question?

Let’s do an experiment: ask a Mexican any question and make sure he or she can’t hear it properly. Chances are that in most cases they will reply with a simple mande in Spanish. 

This begs the question, what does ‘mande’ mean in Spanish?

mande in spanish

What Does ‘Mande’ Mean in Spanish? (Grammatically Speaking)

Mande is the second-person conjugation of the verb mandar which means “to order” or “to command.” However, it uses the formal second person (you) which is usted, instead of the informal one, tú. Remember this part, as we’ll see that it’s important to understand this interesting piece of Mexican slang.  

In any case, if you want to translate the term mande in Spanish, its literal meaning is something like “command me” or “give me an order.”

Weird, right? Wait, it gets better. 

A Curious Piece of Mexican Slang

Although this strange way to answer a question in Spanish has its roots in Mexico, its use has extended to some other countries in the Americas. 

That said, you have to understand that when someone replies with a mande in Spanish, they’re not asking you to actually give them an order. As with most Mexican slang, the word has a completely different meaning than its traditional usage. 

Remember that slang is informal language. It is usually spoken rather than written and is unique to particular groups of people. A definition that perfectly fits the term mande in Spanish, except perhaps for the informal part. 

When someone replies to you with a simple mande in Spanish, they are actually asking “What?” As in, “Can you repeat that?” or “What do you mean?”

So, why the mande? 

Historical Origins of the Term Mande in Spanish

Another characteristic of Mexican slang is that most of the time you can trace its roots to Mexico’s conflicted past. In this case, the word in question seems to go back all the way to the colonial era in Mexico, when the country was part of the Spanish empire.

During those times, the indigenous people in la Nueva España or “New Spain,” were basically slaves. Although they were supposed to be free men, indigenous people were forced to work for the Spanish Señor or “Lord,” who after the Spanish conquest became the landowners of most of the territory that had belonged to the indigenous. 

This situation created a society of castes, with the Spanish on top of a complex pyramid based on the purity of blood and mixing of races. 

Anyway, when the Spanish Señor called one person in any of the inferior levels of the pyramid, the expected reaction was one of submission and expediency. Hence the famous (or infamous) mande in Spanish. The indigenous person was expected to receive an order, so the right way for that person to answer was by asking for that order to be given. The meaning was more like “What can I do for you, my lord?” or even “Please give me an order so I can serve you.”

Mande vs Mande Usted 

A second version of the mande reply in Spanish exists: mande usted. Saying mande usted is redundant, as the usted is implicit in the mande. If you were using the informal form of the second person tú, you would say mandas. So, there’s no need to add the usted. 

However, it was a way of highlighting the difference in social positions between the two people engaging in the conversation. Only the person in the lower social position would call the other person usted. A Spanish Señor would have never called an indigenous or mixed-race person usted. 

Imagine a Señor coming out of his comfortable hacienda to the edge of the working fields to call one of his workers shouting:

– ¡Juan!

Juan hears that somebody is calling him, stops whatever he’s doing and runs to the hacienda to report himself with the Señor. 

–  ¿Qué? – Juan would inadvertently ask, only to receive a punch in his face while the Señor shouts angrily at him for answering with such disregard for the difference in social position between the two of them.

– ¡Mande! – the Señor would shout at Juan, commanding more respect. 

– Mande usted. – Juan would say, defeated and with his dignity destroyed once again. 

So, the mande usted form was just a way to underline that submission.

What About ‘Qué’?

¿Qué? or “What?” is the right way to answer in Spanish when you don’t understand a question or you’re not sure about what somebody is asking you. All that background about the origins of mande in Spanish is just an interesting reminder of how languages are living creatures that evolve in amazing ways. 

When I was a child, my mother and every other Mexican mother I knew would educate their children to answer with a mande whenever they were called. Nobody stopped to think about the origin of the word or what it actually meant. It was just a custom that everybody would follow and nobody really knew why or when it had started.

If you ever hear someone replying with a mande in Spanish, understand that this is not a sign of submission, but just a person following an old tradition. 

Say What?

In other words, say ¿qué? to answer when someone calls you. In Mexico the mande is still in use, but once you know the story of its origins, I don’t think anybody would recommend using it.  

Now that you know how to reply in Spanish, book a free class with one of our native Spanish-speaking teachers and answer their questions the right way.

sign up for a free trial class mande in spanish

Looking for more FREE Spanish lessons? Check out our latest posts!

  • A Massive List of Adjectives in Spanish for Beginners
  • A Complete Guide to Spanish Computer Vocabulary
  • Positive Adjectives in Spanish for Any Person or Occasion
  • It’s Time to Do Chores in Spanish! What’s Yours?
  • 50 Useful Transition Words in Spanish for Everyday Speech and Writing
  • Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You)
  • All About Adverbial Clauses in Spanish
  • Top 20 Guatemalan Words and Slang Expressions You Should Know
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow me
Luis F. Dominguez
Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
Luis F. Domínguez is a freelance writer and independent journalist interested in travel, languages, art, books, history, philosophy, politics and sports. He has written for Fodor’s, Yahoo!, Sports Illustrated, Telemundo, and Villa Experience, among other brands of print and digital media in Europe and North America.
Follow me
Latest posts by Luis F. Dominguez (see all)
  • 50 Useful Transition Words in Spanish for Everyday Speech and Writing - January 14, 2021
  • Master the 18 Spanish Tenses (and Take Our Cheat Sheet With You) - January 13, 2021
  • A Guide to Double Negatives in Spanish - January 12, 2021
mande in spanish spanish grammar
0

Related Posts

mission trip

Mission Trip Spanish You Need to Know to Survive!

July 31, 2018
Read More
Spanish Commands Crew

Spanish Commands: How to Form Them and Use Them with Your Crew

February 19, 2019
Read More
human body in spanish

Spanish Body Parts: Vocabulary and Idioms

February 21, 2019
Read More
Spanish greetings fist bump

How Are You? Spanish Greetings

February 6, 2019
Read More

Leave a Comment! Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

A How-To Guide on Spanish Listening PracticePrevious Post
How Do You Study for the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam?Next Post

About Us

HSA offers Spanish curricula for all ages. Schedule classes on any day of the week – you can take them on your own, or share a class and save money! We make it easy to learn at your own pace. LEARN MORE >

Resources

  • About
  • Get a Transcript
  • Take a Free Class
  • FAQs
  • How it Works
  • Partners

Recent Posts

  • A Massive List of Adjectives in Spanish for Beginners
    A Massive List of Adjectives in Spanish for Beginners
    January 15, 2021
    When it comes to creating a list of...
  • A Complete Guide to Spanish Computer Vocabulary
    A Complete Guide to Spanish Computer Vocabulary
    January 15, 2021
    Want to become a Spanish computer whiz? Even...

Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Contact UsSitemap© 2021 HSA. All rights reserved.