Greetings
¿Qué onda?
keh ON-dah
What's up? — the all-purpose Mexican casual greeting among friends.
Buenos días
BWEH-nos DEE-as
Good morning — the polite default; switch to 'buenas tardes' after midday.
Gracias
GRAH-syas — reply 'de nada'
Thank you. 'De nada' is you're welcome.
Por favor
por fah-VOR
Please.
Social
¿Mande?
MAHN-deh
Pardon? — the polite Mexican way to say 'what?' instead of a blunt '¿qué?'.
Ahorita
ah-oh-REE-ta
'Right now'… ish — can mean in a minute, in an hour, or never. Context is everything.
Órale / Sale
OH-rah-leh / SAH-leh
Wow / let's go / OK, sounds good — quintessential Mexican filler words.
Food
Provecho
pro-VEH-cho
Enjoy your meal — said to anyone eating as you pass a table; reply 'gracias'.
La cuenta, por favor
la KWEN-ta por fah-VOR
The bill, please.
Daily life
¿Cuánto cuesta?
KWAN-to KWES-ta
How much is it?
¿Dónde está el baño?
DON-deh es-TA el BAH-nyo
Where's the restroom?
Emergency
Ayuda
ah-YOO-da — or '¡Auxilio!'
Help! — for emergencies.
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