open and react
- ¿Qué onda? What’s up?
- ¿Qué plan? What is the plan?
- No manches. No way.
- ¿Neta? For real?
Back to situations 
Photo by Reza Madani on Unsplash 
Photo by Julio Lopez on Unsplash
social life
how mexicans actually talk with friends
Friend Spanish is fast, affectionate, and full of words that are harmless inside the group chat and strange outside it.
Use This First
- Memorize qué onda, güey, sale, va, no manches, neta, chido, and al rato.
- Wait for friends to use güey with you before you use it back heavily.
- Friend-register slang is about intimacy. Context matters more than dictionary meaning.
Memorize these first
keep the flow
- Sale. Okay.
- Va. Okay, works.
- Al rato nos vemos. See you later.
- Qué chido. That is cool.
One-screen cheat sheet
🍻
with friends cheat sheet Screenshot this before you go.
| Spanish | English | Use case | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¿Qué onda? | What’s up? | greeting | local |
| ¿Qué plan? | What is the plan? | making plans | local |
| No manches. | No way. | reaction | friend-only |
| ¿Neta? | For real? | checking truth | local |
| Sale. | Okay. | agreement | local |
| Va. | Okay, works. | agreement | local |
| Al rato nos vemos. | See you later. | goodbye | local |
| Qué chido. | That is cool. | positive reaction | local |
the gringo trap
Do not say this by default
don't say this
Do not sprinkle güey into every sentence with people you just met.
say this
Let Mexicans set the intimacy level, then mirror lightly.
Güey is common, but it is still register-marked. Too much too early sounds like costume Spanish.
safe / local / spicy
Pick your register
safe
¿Qué tal?
local
¿Qué onda?
spicy
¿Qué pedo, güey?
The spicy version is real, but not for bosses, strangers, or your friend’s mom.
How it sounds
group chat plan
Güey, ¿qué onda con lo de hoy? Dude, what is up with tonight?
Sí va, ¿a qué hora caemos? It is happening, what time do we show up?
Como a las nueve. Around nine.
Sale, ahí nos vemos. Okay, see you there.
catching up
¡Neta que no te he visto en un chingo! For real, I have not seen you in forever!
Lo sé, he estado en chinga con la chamba. I know, I have been slammed with work.
Bueno, ya ponte las pilas. Okay, get it together already.
Jajaja, va. Haha, okay.
Practice cards
three fast taps before you try it outside.
A friend tells you something unbelievable.
You need the safest version for with friends. What do you pick first?
Which move avoids the gringo trap?
Words you'll hear
Deep dives
FAQ
What should I memorize first for with friends?
Start with ¿Qué onda?, ¿Qué plan?, No manches., ¿Neta?, Sale.. These cover the fastest moments on the page.
Is this with friends Spanish safe to use as a foreigner?
Yes. Start with the safe phrases, then use the local phrases with friends or people your age. Treat spicy phrases as context-dependent, not universal.
How should I practice this situation?
Read the cheat sheet out loud, run the mini-dialogues once in Spanish and once in English, then answer the practice card before you go out in CDMX.