In this lesson
Why little words matter
When you're learning, the scariest thing in a conversation is silence: you need a second to think and there's nothing coming out. Native speakers have the same problem. They just fill the gap with little words like pues or este, and nobody notices.
These words don't add much meaning. What they add is time and sound: they let you think without freezing, and they make you sound like a person instead of a phrasebook.
This is Mexican Spanish. Some of these words exist everywhere; others, like la neta and órale, are pure Mexico.
Words to buy time
When you need a second
- Pues…Well… (the number one word to buy time)
- Este…Um… (the Mexican "um")
- A ver…Let's see…
- Bueno…Well… OK…
- O sea…I mean… like…
Pues: your best friend
If you only learn one word today, make it pues. It's the Spanish "well…", and it goes at the start of almost any answer while you think:
- ¿De dónde eres? — Pues… soy de Texas.
- ¿Quieres un café? — Pues sí.
- ¿Cuántos años tienes? — Pues… tengo 30.
You can stretch it while you think: pueeees… It sounds completely natural.
O sea: I mean
O sea fixes or explains what you just said, like "I mean" or "like":
- No tengo hambre. O sea, tengo un poco. (I'm not hungry. I mean, I'm a little.)
- Mañana no puedo. O sea, en la mañana no. (I can't tomorrow. I mean, not in the morning.)
Use it now and then. Use it in every sentence and you sound like a teenager from a rich neighborhood in Mexico City.
La neta: the Mexican "honestly"
La neta means "the truth" in Mexican slang. People use it all the time, in three ways:
La neta
- La neta, no sé.Honestly, I don't know.
- La neta, tengo mucha hambre.To be honest, I'm really hungry.
- ¿Neta?Really? Seriously?
- ¡Neta!Seriously! (I swear)
✍️ Quick check
0/3
1.A friend asks you something and you need a second to think. You start with…
2.¿Neta? means…
3.At a job interview, "honestly" is better as…
Short answers that sound native
Answering sí to everything works, but it sounds flat. Here's what Mexicans actually say:
Reacting like a Mexican
- ¡Claro!Of course!
- ¡Va! / ¡Sale!OK! Deal!
- ¡Órale!All right! Wow! Come on!
- ¡Qué padre!How cool!
- ¿En serio?Seriously?
- Ni idea.No idea.
- Más o menos.So-so.
- A lo mejor.Maybe.
Tag questions: ¿no? and ¿verdad?
To check something you think is true, add ¿no? or ¿verdad? at the end, like "right?" in English. Your voice goes up on it:
Right?
- Eres de Texas, ¿no?You're from Texas, right?
- Tienes hambre, ¿verdad?You're hungry, aren't you?
- Mañana no hay clase, ¿no?There's no class tomorrow, right?
When you're lost
Fillers buy you a second. These buy you the whole conversation:
Phrases that save you
- No sé.I don't know.
- No entiendo.I don't understand.
- ¿Puedes repetir, por favor?Can you repeat, please?
- Más despacio, por favor.Slower, please.
- ¿Cómo se dice "spoon" en español?How do you say "spoon" in Spanish?
Common mistakes
✗Quiero… ummm… un café.
✓Quiero… este… un café.
"Um" is English. In Mexico it's este or pues.
✗Yo no se.
✓No sé.
Sé (I know) carries an accent, and you don't need yo.
✗Eres de Texas, ¿sí?
✓Eres de Texas, ¿no?
The tag is ¿no? or ¿verdad?, not ¿sí?
✗La neta, quiero el trabajo. (at a job interview)
✓La verdad, quiero el trabajo.
La neta is slang. Save it for friends.
✗O sea, tengo hambre. O sea, quiero tacos. O sea, ¿tienes tiempo?
✓Tengo hambre. Quiero tacos. ¿Tienes tiempo?
One o sea sounds natural. Three in a row sounds like a parody.
Put it together
Here's the sentence from class:
Pues, a ver… o sea, la neta no sé.
Four fillers and two real words, and it's 100% how people talk:
- pues: buying time
- a ver: "let's see", still thinking
- o sea: "I mean", getting to the point
- la neta: "honestly"
- no sé: the actual answer
And now in a real conversation, making plans with a friend:
Oye, ¿quieres ir al cine hoy?
Hey, do you want to go to the movies today?
Pues… a ver… ¿a qué hora?
Well… let's see… what time?
A las ocho. ¿Puedes?
At eight. Can you?
Este… la neta no sé. Tengo mucho trabajo.
Um… honestly, I don't know. I have a lot of work.
¿Neta? Bueno, ¿y mañana?
Really? OK, and tomorrow?
Mañana sí. O sea, mañana sí puedo.
Tomorrow, yes. I mean, tomorrow I can.
¡Órale! Mañana a las ocho, ¿no?
All right! Tomorrow at eight, right?
¡Sale! ¡Qué padre!
Deal! Cool!
Now make it yours: answer these out loud, starting each answer with a different filler: ¿Dónde vives? ¿Quieres un café? ¿Cuántos años tienes? ¿Por qué quieres aprender español?
Test yourself
✍️ Six quick questions
0/6
1.The Mexican "um" is…
2.O sea is closest to…
3.A friend says ¿Vamos por tacos? You're in. You say…
4.Your Mexican friend answers the phone with ¿Bueno? It means…
5.Tienes sed, ¿___? (You're thirsty, right?)
6."Maybe" in everyday Mexican Spanish:
Cheat sheet
Every word from this class
| Word | Means | Use it | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| pues | well… | to start an answer, to think | everywhere |
| este | um… | while you think | Mexico |
| a ver | let's see | while you think | everywhere |
| bueno | well, OK / hello? on the phone | to start or wrap up | everywhere (phone: Mexico) |
| o sea | I mean, like | to explain or fix | everywhere |
| la neta / ¿neta? | honestly / really? | with friends | Mexico, casual |
| la verdad | honestly | anywhere, even formal | everywhere |
| ¿no? / ¿verdad? | right? | at the end, voice up | everywhere |
| ¡va! / ¡sale! | OK, deal | to say yes to a plan | Mexico, casual |
| ¡órale! | all right! wow! | to agree or react | Mexico |
| ¡qué padre! | how cool! | to react to good news | Mexico |
| a lo mejor | maybe | instead of tal vez | Mexico |