Spice level
casual — friends and peers.
Quick Answer
¿Qué onda contigo? means 'what's wrong with you,' 'what's your deal,' or 'what's going on with you' in Mexican Spanish.
- It's casual and direct — adding contigo to ¿qué onda? turns the greeting into a pointed question about someone's behavior.
- Tone decides whether it sounds concerned or confrontational; context usually makes it obvious which one is happening.
What it means
¿Qué onda contigo? is what comes out when you've noticed something is off about someone and you're done waiting for them to bring it up. It can be warm — the kind of thing you say to a friend who's been quiet all night — or it can have an edge, like when someone just showed up to the hike in dress shoes.
The phrase lives in the space between 'are you okay?' and 'seriously, explain yourself.' Which one it is depends almost entirely on how it's delivered. Slow and low means someone is genuinely concerned. Fast and sharp means someone is calling you out.
Literal meaning
¿Qué onda? started as slang for 'what's the vibe' or 'what's going on' — onda means wave in standard Spanish, but in Mexican slang it became a catch-all for energy, situation, and state of things. Adding contigo (with you, from con + ti + the enclitic -go) aims the question at a specific person rather than the room.
The shift from general greeting to personal probe is built into the grammar. ¿Qué onda? is ambient. ¿Qué onda contigo? has a target.
How Mexicans use it
In everyday life it shows up in two main modes: the concerned version ('hey, you've been quiet, what's going on?') and the exasperated version ('I can't believe you just did that, what is your deal?'). Both are common, and both happen in the same households, the same friend groups, the same relationships.
On WhatsApp it tends to show up when someone has been left on seen, when someone did something confusing, or when the group chat is trying to figure out why a friend went quiet. '¿Qué onda contigo? llevas días sin aparecer' is a message almost every Mexican in their twenties has sent or received.
The phrase travels well — you'll hear it in Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexican communities in the US. It doesn't carry the regional edge of something very specific to norteño slang. It's CDMX in origin but understood everywhere.
Examples
- ¿Qué onda contigo? Llevas toda la noche callada.What's going on with you? You've been quiet all night.
- Güey, ¿qué onda contigo? Llegaste con jeans al sendero.Dude, what is your deal? You showed up to the trail in jeans.
- Oye, ¿qué onda contigo? ¿Estás bien?Hey, what's going on with you? Are you okay?
- No manches, ¿qué onda contigo? Te avisé tres veces.Come on, what's your deal? I told you three times.
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
The most common learner mistake is using ¿qué onda contigo? as a straight synonym for ¿qué onda? — basically treating it like a normal greeting. It isn't. The moment you add contigo, you've pointed the question at someone, and that changes the social weight of the whole sentence.
Another mistake is using the confrontational version by accident — saying it in a flat tone when you mean to check in warmly. In person, Mexicans read this instantly from body language. Over text, the contigo lands harder without that softening, so it's worth adding something like 'todo bien?' after it if you're genuinely just checking in and don't want it to read as an accusation.
Don't sound gringo
contigo is the load-bearing part. ¿qué onda? alone is a greeting; adding contigo points it at somebody.
So the tone matters far more than it does in the plain version. When you hear it flat and slow, somebody is not just saying hi.
Where you'll hear it
- in a Roma apartment kitchen, watching your boyfriend put a metal spoon in the microwave along with his mug — '¿qué onda contigo?' comes out before you even think
- your friend shows up to a planned Saturday hike wearing jeans and dress shoes — you lean out the car window and yell it across the parking lot
- on WhatsApp at midnight after being left on seen for three days, finally getting a 'sorry dormí' and typing back '¿qué onda contigo?'
- at a friend's party, a friend pulls you aside because another friend has been acting weird all night — '¿qué onda contigo? llevas horas callada'
- in the back of an Uber with a friend who just made an impulsive decision that affects everyone — the question comes out more tired than angry
FAQ
What does ¿qué onda contigo? mean?
¿Qué onda contigo? means 'what's wrong with you,' 'what's your deal,' or 'what's going on with you' in Mexican Spanish. It's a direct, pointed question about someone's behavior or state of mind.
Is ¿qué onda contigo? rude?
Not inherently. Among close friends it's a normal, direct way to check in or call someone out. The tone and context decide whether it sounds concerned or confrontational — between strangers or in formal settings it would be jarring.
What's the difference between ¿qué onda? and ¿qué onda contigo?
¿Qué onda? is a general greeting — casual, ambient, no real target. Adding contigo directs the question at one specific person and implies their behavior or mood is what prompted the question. It's no longer just hello.
Can ¿qué onda contigo? be affectionate?
Yes. Said with warmth — soft voice, a hand on someone's shoulder — it's basically 'hey, talk to me.' Mexican communication tends to be direct even when it's caring, and this phrase sits right at that intersection.
How do you use ¿qué onda contigo? in a text message?
Mexicans text it the same way they say it in person — often as a standalone message when someone has gone quiet or done something confusing. Over text, the tone is harder to read, so adding 'todo bien?' or '¿estás bien?' after it softens the confrontational edge if that's not what you mean.
What's the difference between ¿qué onda contigo? and ¿qué te pasa?
¿Qué te pasa? is slightly more neutral and understood across Latin America. ¿Qué onda contigo? is more distinctly Mexican and carries more of a specific vibe — it can sound warmer or have more street edge, depending on delivery.
Is ¿qué onda contigo? used for confrontations?
Yes, it can be. When someone does something surprising or frustrating — like showing up unprepared, going quiet without explanation, or acting oddly — ¿qué onda contigo? is the natural Mexican response. It's direct without being aggressive, which is part of why it's so useful.
Don't confuse with
- ¿qué onda?¿Qué onda? alone is a neutral greeting. Adding contigo directs it at someone — it's no longer just hello, it's a probe or a challenge.
- ¿qué pedo contigo?¿Qué pedo contigo? is the vulgar, sharper version. ¿Qué onda contigo? is more versatile — it can be warm or confrontational without crossing into vulgarity.
- ¿qué te pasa?¿Qué te pasa? is more Spanish-neutral and slightly more formal. ¿Qué onda contigo? is distinctly Mexican and carries more street credibility — or more edge, depending on delivery.
Related words
Test yourself
tap an answer.
What does ¿qué onda contigo? usually mean?
Your friend has been quiet and distant all evening at a dinner. Which moment is ¿qué onda contigo? most natural?
Your partner texts you: 'llevo tres horas esperando que me digas algo y nada. ¿qué onda contigo?' What's the vibe?
The one thing
¿qué onda contigo? is the most Mexican way to say 'talk to me, something is off' — warm when you're worried, sharp when you're not.
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