Quick Answer
Dame chance means give me a second, let me in, or let me have a go, depending on the situation. Chance is a borrowed word pronounced the Spanish way - chán-se, or chánze in the north - and on its own it also means maybe.
- Dame chance means give me a second, let me in, or let me try - the sentence decides which.
- Chance is borrowed from English and pronounced Spanish: chán-se, two syllables.
- Chance on its own is a different job: it means maybe. Chance llueve is maybe it'll rain.
What it means
A request for a little room. Not a favor and not an object - time, space, a turn, or the benefit of the doubt.
Which of those it means comes entirely from the situation. In traffic it is let me in. Standing over somebody working it is give me a second. Before an attempt it is let me try.
Buying yourself a minute at work
Them¿Ya quedó el reporte?
Is the report done?YouDame chance, me falta una tabla.
Give me a second, I'm one table short.This asks for time, not help. Asking for help would be hazme el paro.
ThemEs que lo necesito para las once.
The thing is I need it for eleven.The pushback is normal and is not annoyance.
YouChancecito y te lo mando.
One more minute and I'll send it.The diminutive makes the ask smaller. It is the polite gear of the same phrase.
How Mexicans use it
In traffic it is constant and mostly hand-signaled. A palm out of a window and dame chance asks to be let into a lane, and the answer is a flash of the headlights or nothing at all.
At work it buys a minute. Dame chance, ahorita te lo mando is a real sentence with a real meaning, and the ahorita is doing its usual work.
Before an attempt it asks for the benefit of the doubt. Dame chance, yo lo arreglo is let me try, and it is what somebody says when the alternative is being replaced.
The adverb is the odd one out and it is everywhere. Chance llueve, chance no viene, chance y sí alcanzamos - with or without the y, nothing is being requested. It just means maybe.
Examples
- Dame chance, ahorita te lo mando.Give me a second, I'll send it to you shortly.
- ¿Me das chance de pasar?Can you let me through?
- No me dio chance de explicarle.He didn't give me the chance to explain.
- Chance llueve, mejor llévate paraguas.It might rain, better take an umbrella.
The forms of dame chance you'll hear
- dame chancegive me a second / let me inThe workhorse. In traffic it comes with a palm out of the window.
- ¿me das chance?can you let me?The question form, and a shade more polite.
- dame chancecitojust a momentThe diminutive, for genuinely small asks.
- no me dio chancehe didn't give me the chanceThe underlying verb, dar chance.
- chance llueveit might rainThe adverb, and the y is optional - chance y llueve is the same thing.
- dame chanzagive me a secondThe northern spoken variant. Same word, second pronunciation.
How dame chance looks in a group chat
- ¿ya casi?nearly there?
- dame chance, 5 mingive me a sec, 5 min
- vacool
- ¿crees que sí venga?do you think he'll actually come?
- chance sí, pero no le apuestesmaybe, but don't bet on it
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Pronouncing it English. Chance is /ˈtʃan.se/ in Mexico, with two syllables and the vowel at the end - saying it the English way is the single fastest way to sound like you are code-switching mid-sentence.
Reading the adverb as a request. Chance viene is not somebody asking to be let in - it is somebody hedging, and the y is optional.
Don't sound gringo
chance is english, pronounced spanish: chán-se, two syllables. dame chance asks for slack, a turn, or a shot - and the sentence decides which.
The word is a borrowing that settled in properly. The RAE's own usage dictionary files chance as an adapted foreign word meaning opportunity, notes it should be pronounced Spanish rather than English, and says its use is sporadic in Spain and widespread in the Americas. The extra Mexican senses below are not in that entry - they are what you will hear.
Three of those senses cover almost everything you will hear. Let me in, said in traffic with a hand out of the window. Give me a second, said when somebody is rushing you. And let me have a go, said when somebody doubts you can do it.
Then there is the odd one. Chance on its own works as a plain adverb meaning maybe - chance llueve, chance sí voy, chance mañana. Chance y does the same job with a y in it. Nothing is being asked for and nobody is giving anything; it is just Mexican for perhaps, and it catches learners because it looks like the same word doing the same job when it is not.
The diminutive is the polite gear. Dame chancecito is warmer and smaller than dame chance, and it is what you say when the thing you are asking for is genuinely minor. And in a lot of Mexico - the north especially - the whole word comes out as chanza: dame chanza, chanza y sí. Same word, spoken variant.
Where you'll hear it
- A hand out of a car window, asking to be let into a lane that is not moving
- Somebody standing over your desk while you finish one more thing
- A first attempt at something in front of people who have already seen it done better
- A plan being hedged on a forecast nobody trusts
Spice level
Works with anyone, anywhere.
FAQ
What does dame chance mean?
Give me a second, let me in, or let me try. It asks for a little room - time, space, a turn or the benefit of the doubt.
How do you pronounce chance in Mexican Spanish?
Chán-se, two syllables, Spanish vowels. Saying it the English way sounds like code-switching mid-sentence.
What does chance mean on its own?
Maybe. Chance llueve is it might rain - and chance y llueve is the same thing with a y in it. It is an adverb there, and nothing is being asked for.
Is chanza the same word?
Yes - a spoken variant, common in the north and heard beyond it. Dame chanza, chanza y sí. The RAE gives chánse and chánze as the two pronunciations.
Is chance a real Spanish word?
Yes, as an adapted borrowing. The RAE's usage dictionary files it as a foreign word meaning opportunity, and notes it is sporadic in Spain and very common in the Americas. It does not itemise the Mexican senses - those are usage.
What is the difference between dame chance and hazme el paro?
Size. Dame chance asks for slack or a turn. Hazme el paro asks somebody to actually do something for you.
What is dame chancecito?
The polite gear. The diminutive makes the request smaller and warmer, and it is what you use when what you are asking for is genuinely minor.
What does no me dio chance mean?
He didn't give me the chance. Dar chance is the verb the whole expression is built on.
dame chance vs chance (on its own) and hacer el paro
dame chancevschance (on its own)
The adverb, and the sense that catches learners. Chance llueve means maybe it'll rain - nothing is being asked for and nobody is granting anything. Chance y llueve is the same thing with a y in it.Page coming soondame chancevshacer el paro
Asking for a favor, which is bigger. Dame chance asks for slack or a turn; hazme el paro asks somebody to actually do something for you.dame chancevsme regalas
The polite way to ask for a thing. Dame chance asks for room, time or a shot rather than an object.dame chancevschanza
Not a different word - a spoken variant of this one, common in the north and heard well beyond it. Dame chanza, chanza y sí. The RAE gives both pronunciations, chánse and chánze, which is exactly this.Page coming soon
Related words
Test yourself
Tap an answer.
A driver puts a palm out of the window and says 'dame chance.' What do they want?
Your friend texts 'chance sí viene.' What are they saying?
The one thing
dame chance asks for a little room - a second, a lane, a shot. chance is english said the spanish way, chán-se or chán-ze. and chance on its own just means maybe.
Sources
- DictionarychanceDiccionario panhispánico de dudas, RAE-ASALEThe adaptation, the Spanish pronunciation, and the note that Mexico carries the widest range of senses.
- ResearchAnglicismos, mexicanismos y cómo traducirlos en un cuento de fronteraLingüística Mexicana, El Colegio de MéxicoHow borrowings like this one behave once they settle into Mexican Spanish.
- ContextAnglicismos in Mexican SpanishNa'atik Language & Culture InstituteA teaching-side view of which English borrowings Mexicans actually use.
- DictionaryDar chanceDiccionario MéxicoThe Mexican senses the DPD entry does not itemise - permission, opportunity, a moment.
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