Names for people
What Mexicans call each other — friends, family, strangers, the guy outside. Warm or insulting depending entirely on who says it.
Names for people
About names for people
Carnal, compa, jefa, morra, vato, güero, godín, chilango. Almost none of these translate cleanly, because the word is not really describing the person — it is describing the relationship between the two of you.
That is also what makes them risky in a way a dictionary never warns you about. The same word is affection from one mouth and a jab from another, and several of them flip entirely depending on whether the person is standing in front of you. So these pages spend their space on who says it to whom, the warm reading against the rude one, the masculine and feminine forms, and the gap between using a word about someone and using it to their face.
The same word, aimed at two different people
Names for people are the most relationship-sensitive vocabulary in the language, because the word does not describe the person — it describes your standing with them. Calling somebody carnal claims a closeness. Using it before that closeness exists is not incorrect, it is presumptuous, and the difference is heard immediately.
Several of these run on a two-sided switch: warm inside the group, insulting from outside it. That covers the words for outsiders, for class, and for appearance. The dictionary translation is often accurate and completely useless, because the entire meaning sits in who is speaking and to whom.
Which is why the safe approach to this whole category is to understand far more than you deploy. Recognising what somebody just called you, and whether it was affectionate, is the useful skill. Using the words yourself should lag well behind it, and should follow the other person rather than lead.
Names for people — common questions
Can I call a Mexican friend güey or carnal?
Eventually, and after they have used it on you first. Both claim a level of closeness. Following is safe; leading reads as assuming a friendship that has not been established yet.
Which words for people should a foreigner avoid entirely?
Anything about class, race or appearance. Mexicans use several of those among themselves, but a foreigner using them has none of the shared context that makes it survivable.
Is güero an insult?
Usually not. It is descriptive, and often a friendly form of address to a lighter-skinned or foreign-looking person, including from vendors. Tone decides, and the default tone is neutral to warm.
How should I address someone I have just met?
Use their name, or usted with señor or señora if they are older or you are in a service setting. Skip the affectionate vocabulary altogether for the first few conversations.