--- title: "dame chance" translation: "Give me a second. Let me in. Let me try." type: "word" category: "expression" url: "https://consalsa.app/words/dame-chance" canonical: "https://consalsa.app/words/dame-chance" published: "2026-10-27" updated: "2026-10-27" author: "Andrey the Nomad" site: "ConSalsa.App" license: "https://consalsa.app/terms#ip" --- # dame chance URL: https://consalsa.app/words/dame-chance Translation: Give me a second. Let me in. Let me try. Pronunciation: /ˈda.me ˈtʃan.se/ Category: expression Region: Mexico Register: casual, everyday, safe with anyone Variants: ¿me das chance?, dame chancecito, chance, chanza, dar chance Literal meaning: Chance is borrowed straight from English or French and pronounced Spanish - /ˈtʃan.se/, two syllables. In Mexico it means opportunity, permission and a bit of slack, depending on the sentence. Published: 2026-10-27 Quick answer: - 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. Literal meaning: - Chance came in from English, or from French through English, and settled. The pan-Hispanic usage dictionary treats it as an adapted borrowing meaning opportunity, and is explicit that it should be said the Spanish way - two syllables, chán-se or chán-ze - rather than the English one. That second pronunciation is why you will also see it written chanza. - The same dictionary notes the word is only occasional in Spain and thoroughly common across the Americas. It does not go country by country beyond Colombia - the range of senses below is Mexican usage rather than something the dictionary asserts. - Dar chance is the verb underneath. No me dio chance is he did not give me the chance, and dame chance is the imperative you will hear most. 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. 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. 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. Mini dialogue: A: ¿Ya quedó el reporte? B: Dame chance, me falta una tabla. A: Es que lo necesito para la junta de las once. B: Sí, sí. Dame chancecito y ahorita te lo mando. A: Va. Ahí te espero. FAQ: Q: What does dame chance mean? A: 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. Q: How do you pronounce chance in Mexican Spanish? A: Chán-se, two syllables, Spanish vowels. Saying it the English way sounds like code-switching mid-sentence. Q: What does chance mean on its own? A: 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. Q: Is chanza the same word? A: 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. Q: Is chance a real Spanish word? A: 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. Q: What is the difference between dame chance and hazme el paro? A: Size. Dame chance asks for slack or a turn. Hazme el paro asks somebody to actually do something for you. Q: What is dame chancecito? A: 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. Q: What does no me dio chance mean? A: He didn't give me the chance. Dar chance is the verb the whole expression is built on. Related words: hacer-el-paro, me-regalas, ahorita, al-rato, aguanta