Greetings
¡Hola! ¿Bien o qué?
OH-la, bee-EN oh KEH
The classic paisa 'Hi, how's it going?' Reply 'Bien, ¿y vos?' (note the paisa 'vos').
Social
Parce / parcero
PAR-seh / par-SEH-ro
'Mate / dude / buddy' — the quintessential Colombian (paisa) word for a friend.
Bacano / chévere
ba-KA-no / CHEH-veh-reh
Cool / nice / great. 'Qué bacano' = how cool. Endlessly useful.
No dar papaya
no dar pa-PA-ya
'Don't give papaya' — don't make yourself an easy target (e.g. flashing your phone). The core safety mantra.
¡Hágale pues!
AH-ga-leh pwes
'Go for it / alright then / let's do it' — a very paisa expression of agreement.
Listo
LEES-to
'OK / done / ready / sounds good' — the all-purpose Colombian yes.
¿Habla inglés?
AH-bla in-GLES
Do you speak English? (Less common than in other nomad hubs — Spanish really helps here.)
Daily life
¿Me regala...?
meh reh-GA-la
Literally 'will you gift me...?' — the polite Colombian way to order or ask: '¿Me regala un tinto?'
A la orden
a la OR-den
'At your service / you're welcome / can I help you?' — you'll hear it constantly from vendors and drivers.
¿Cuánto vale?
KWAN-to VA-leh
How much is it?
Food
Un tinto
oon TEEN-to
A small black coffee — not wine! The fuel of Colombian daily life.
Emergency
¡Ayuda! / ¡Auxilio!
a-YOO-da / owk-SEE-lyo
Help! — for emergencies (dial 123).
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.