10 Mexican Spanish Phrases You’ll Hear Every Day in Mexico
As a new Spanish learner, even the most basic interactions in Mexican Spanish can be a challenge. It’s not just about remembering what to say, but also understanding the local nuances and expressions.
Learning just a few Mexican Spanish phrases that are commonly used in everyday conversations can make a huge difference in your ability to understand and respond with ease.
After living in Mexico for over 7 years, I noticed that certain Mexican Spanish phrases were used constantly by Mexicans in their daily routines. Many of these phrases don’t translate word by word, and they were never taught in any of the apps or Spanish courses I studied before.
¡Aquí tienes la lista! (Here’s the list)
Spanish You’ll Hear Constantly in Mexico
1. ¿Mande?
Can you repeat that?
Native Spanish speakers speak VERY quickly and it can be difficult to hear what they are saying. A common Mexican Spanish phrase to ask someone to repeat what they said is: ¿Mande?
2. Así está bien
Like that is okay / That’s good
Have you ever wanted to tell your server that you want them to keep the change as a tip? You can just say Así está bien and it will be understood as ‘That’s good’ or that you do not need your change back.
This can also be used when you are asked ‘Do you want a bag?’ and you don’t need one… Just say Así está bien to communicate ‘No, I don’t need one. This is okay like this’.
This is a very versatile Mexican Spanish phrase that you will hear often. You’ll find lots of different situations where you can use it.
3. Aquí tiene
Here you go
This is a perfect Mexican Spanish phrase to use when you are handing something to someone or they are handing it to you. Next time you give the packer at the grocery store a few pesos for a tip, you can say Aquí tiene to say ‘Here you go’.
4. Serían _____ (pesos) / Son _____ (pesos)
That would be ___ pesos / That’s ____ pesos
At the end of every transaction, the person will likely tell you the total price of your order. You will likely hear either:
- Serían $______ (ej. Serían 20 pesos – That would be 20 pesos)
- Son $_______ (ej. Son 20 pesos – That is 20 pesos)
The word ‘pesos’ is often excluded because it’s understood the local currency is the Mexican peso.
Try to listen for it during the next transaction that you go through to start tuning your ear to understand these common Mexican Spanish phrases used in transactions.
5. ¿Todo bien?
Is everything okay?
When you are at a restaurant and the server comes to your table to check if everything is okay, they will ask ¿Todo bien? which literally translates to “All good?”.
You can easily respond with, Sí, todo bien to let them know you don’t need anything else at this time.
6. ¿Algo más?
Anything else?
Algo más is another common Mexican Spanish phrase you will hear when you are either placing an order at a market, restaurant, or when you are shopping at the small corner stores (called Abarrotes in Mexico).
Algo más literally translates to “Something more?” and it is used to find out if you would like to add anything else to your order. For example, if you order 2 chicken breasts (2 pechugas de pollo) and a half kilo of ground beef (y medio kilo de carne molida), the butcher will ask, ¿Algo más? to see if you need to add something else to your order.
7. Nada más
Nothing else.
And to respond to the question ¿Algo más? you need to know how to say Nada más, gracias which means “Nothing more, thank you”.
You can use this Mexican Spanish phrase at restaurants when you are ready for the bill. Just say, Nada más gracias. La cuenta por favor, which means “Nothing more, thank you. The check, please”.
Learn the Spanish You Actually Need for Life in Mexico
Take the 1-min quiz to find the right course to help you understand more, respond with more confidence, and use Spanish in everyday life.
“I was able to speak my first real sentence in Spanish during the first class, something that Duolingo didn't help me with after 1 year.”
— Monica O'Neil-Glenn
8. Un momento más
A couple more minutes please
If you aren’t quite ready to place your order and you’d like a few extra minutes to review the menu, you can ask for Un momento más, por favor which translates to “a moment more, please”.
9. ¡Claro que sí!
Of course!
If you ask for something (an item or a request) and the other person is able to help you with it, you will often hear a common Mexican Spanish phrase Claro que sí which means, “Yes, of course.”
For example, if you ask the taxi driver, “Can you help me carry these groceries bags up to my apartment?”. The reply might be, ¡Claro que sí! (A small tip or “propina” would be appreciated for this extra service).
10. Igualmente
Same to you
At the end of an interaction, you will likely hear many different Mexican Spanish phrases wishing you well, such as:
- ¡Qué le vaya bien! – Let your day go well!
- ¡Que tenga una bonita noche! – Have a pretty night!
As a beginner, repeating back a long phrase like this can be difficult! But luckily, you can just say Gracias, igualmente to say, “Thank you, same to you!”.
Taking a Taxi: Learn to Give Clear Directions with Basic Spanish
Learn basic Spanish to give clear directions to your taxi or Uber driver in Spanish.
Spanish Lessons That Make Every Conversation Easier, Week After Week
Take the 1-min quiz to find the right course to help you understand more, respond with more confidence, and use Spanish in everyday life.
“Expat Spanish seems to have the ‘secret sauce’ to teach this language with a blend of audio, visual and live classes that all focus on speaking and listening. The result is learning quickly, painlessly, and it's fun!”
— Peter Luiciano