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Quick Answer
Jalar means to pull in Mexican Spanish, and from there it does several everyday jobs: something that works jala, ¿jalas? asks whether you are coming along, and no te jales means do not overdo it. A door marked JALE wants pulling, and el jale means a job.
- Jalar literally means to pull, and a door marked JALE wants pulling.
- It is also the casual way to say something works: no jala el wifi, ya no jala el control. Funcionar is the neutral word and is said out loud too.
- ¿Jalas? asks whether you are coming - and no te jales means do not overdo it, which is the same reflexive doing a different job.
What it means
The literal sense is to pull, and it is alive - jala la puerta, jálale a la cadena. Every other use is that picture applied to something else.
The functioning sense is what you will use most. No jala means it does not work, and it covers a router, a remote, a plan, an argument and a relationship without changing shape.
The reflexive does two things and they are worth keeping apart. Nos jalamos al centro is we are heading over. No te jales and ya te jalaste are do not overdo it and you went too far - about a price, a joke, a portion.
The invitation sense is the shortest. ¿Jalas? means are you in, are you coming - and the answer is jalo or a reason.
Literal meaning
Jalar is to pull. The word is written on half the doors in Mexico as JALE, opposite EMPUJE, and it is the first place most visitors meet it.
From pulling comes working. Something that jala is moving under its own steam, and something that no jala has stopped - which is a more physical way of thinking about a wifi router than English manages.
From pulling also comes coming along. Jalarse a un lugar is to head somewhere - nos jalamos al centro - and ¿jalas? is the clipped invitation version of it.
And from pulling too hard comes overdoing it. Te jalaste is you went too far, and se jaló con el precio is he pushed the price past what it should have been.
The forms of jalar you'll hear
- no jalait doesn't workThe everyday one. Objects, plans, arguments - all of them jalan or no jalan.
- ¿jalas?are you in?The shortest invitation in the language. Jalo is a complete yes.
- jálalepull it / head that wayThe imperative. Jálale a la cadena is flush the toilet; jálale para acá is come over here. For hurry up you want córrele.
- nos jalamoswe're heading overThe reflexive, about going somewhere. Nos jalamos al centro.
- no te jalesdon't overdo itThe same reflexive, different job. Ya te jalaste is you went too far.
- jalar parejoto pull your weightAquí todos jalamos parejo. About teams, housemates and anybody not doing their share.
- el jalethe jobLeans northern, and heard in CDMX too. Voy al jale is going to work; chamba is the local default.
How Mexicans use it
About objects it is constant and slightly resigned. No jala el wifi, ya no jala el cargador, esta cosa no jala. The tone is closer to it has given up than to it is broken.
About plans it is the shortest possible ask. ¿Jalas? in a group chat organizes an evening in six characters, and jalo is a complete acceptance.
El jale means a job or a gig - voy al jale is going to work. It leans northern, but plenty of chilangos say it too, so treat it as a tendency rather than a tell. Chamba is the CDMX default.
Jalar parejo is pulling your weight. Aquí todos jalamos parejo is what a boss says about a team and what a housemate says about the dishes.
Jálale is the imperative and it turns up in odd places - jálale a la cadena is flush the toilet, and jálale para acá is head this way. For hurry up the words are córrele, muévele or apúrale.
Examples
- No jala el wifi.The wifi's not working.
- ¿Jalas o no jalas?Are you in or not?
- Nos jalamos al centro después.We're heading downtown afterwards.
- Jálale a la puerta, está atorada.Pull the door, it's stuck.
- No te jales, ya con eso está bien.Don't overdo it, that's plenty.
How jalar looks in a group chat
- vamos al concierto el viernes, ¿jalas?we're going to the concert friday, you in?
- jaloi'm in
- va. te mando la ubicool. i'll send you the pin
- no jala el wifi otra vezthe wifi's down again
- desconéctalo y vuélvelo a conectarunplug it and plug it back in
- ya lo hice dos veces 😩i've done it twice already
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Pushing a door marked JALE. This is the single most common first encounter with the word and it happens to everybody once.
Assuming it is too casual for work. No jala el proyector is a completely normal thing to say in a Mexican office. Funcionar is the neutral word and it is said out loud constantly too - on the phone to Telmex, to a technician, on a sign. Jala is just the more colloquial of the two.
Hearing every reflexive as an invitation. Nos jalamos al centro is come along; no te jales is calm down, you are overdoing it. Same verb, opposite social move.
Don't sound gringo
learn the non-literal senses and you will use this word every day. things jalan or no jalan, and ¿jalas? asks if you are coming.
No jala el wifi, ya no jala el control - that is the casual way to say something works or does not. ¿Jalas? is one of the shortest invitations in the language.
Watch the reflexive, because it does two different jobs. Nos jalamos al centro is we are heading over. No te jales is do not overdo it.
All of them come from the plain verb, to pull - which is also why a door marked JALE wants pulling.
Where you'll hear it
- A router being unplugged and plugged back in by somebody who has stopped expecting much
- A glass door with JALE printed on it, being pushed by a foreigner
- A message that is one word and a question mark and organizes an entire evening
- A remote control that only works if you hold it at one specific angle
FAQ
What does jalar mean?
To pull. From there it means to work or function - no jala el wifi - and to come along: ¿jalas?
What does no jala mean?
It doesn't work. It covers a router, a remote, a plan or an argument, and the tone is closer to it has given up than to it is broken.
What does ¿jalas? mean?
Are you in, are you coming. It is one of the shortest invitations in Mexican Spanish, and jalo is a complete yes.
What does no te jales mean?
Don't overdo it. Ya te jalaste is you went too far, and se jaló con el precio is he pushed it past what it should have been - the same reflexive as nos jalamos, doing a different job.
What does jalar parejo mean?
To pull your weight. Aquí todos jalamos parejo is what a boss says about a team and a housemate says about the dishes.
Why do Mexican doors say JALE?
Because jalar is to pull. JALE is pull and EMPUJE is push, and pushing a door marked JALE happens to every visitor once.
What is el jale?
A job or a gig. Voy al jale is going to work. It leans northern but plenty of chilangos say it, so it is a tendency rather than a tell - chamba is the CDMX default.
What does de un jalón mean?
In one go. Se lo tomó de un jalón is he drank it in one. Un jalón on its own is a tug.
Is jalar too informal for work?
No. No jala el proyector is completely normal in a Mexican office. Funcionar is the neutral word and is said out loud constantly as well - jala is simply the more colloquial of the two.
Where does jalar come from?
From halar, which the DLE traces to French haler. Halar has a silent h - /aˈlaɾ/ - and jalar is what you get when a dialect that aspirates it writes down what it is saying.
jalar vs funcionar, chamba and jalón
jalarvsfuncionar
The plain, neutral verb - no funciona el wifi is correct and slightly flat. Jalar is what people actually say, and it is not informal enough to be a problem anywhere.Page coming soonjalarvschamba
Both mean work, in different senses. La chamba is your job, the thing you go to. El jale is the same idea in northern Mexico, and jalar as a verb is about whether something functions.jalarvsjalón
A tug. Dar un jalón is to yank something, and de un jalón means in one go - se lo tomó de un jalón. In parts of the north it also means a ride, which raite covers in CDMX.Page coming soonjalarvshalar
The older spelling, and the source. Halar is /aˈlaɾ/ with a silent h, from French haler; jalar is what you get when a dialect that aspirates the h writes down what it is saying. Mexico uses jalar for everything except a few maritime senses.Page coming soonjalarvsno te jales
The trap this page would otherwise set. Jalarse also means to overdo it - no te jales, ya te jalaste, se jaló con el precio - so a reflexive jalar is not always about coming along.Page coming soonjalarvsjalar parejo
To pull your weight, everybody chipping in equally. Aquí todos jalamos parejo is what a boss says and what a housemate says.Page coming soon
Related words
Test yourself
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A door says JALE. What do you do?
Your friend texts '¿jalas?' What are they asking?
The one thing
jalar is to pull - and from there, to work (no jala el wifi), to come along (¿jalas?) and to overdo it (no te jales). doors say JALE for pull. el jale is a job, chamba is the cdmx word.
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