Colombian Slang: 12 Words You'll Hear Every Day in Medellín

My first week in Medellín, a guy at a bakery asked me ¿Qué más, parce? and I had no idea what he wanted. Turned out he was just saying hi. Colombians speak a clear, musical Spanish that teachers love to praise, and then they wrap it in slang that no textbook mentions.

These 12 words are the ones you will actually hear every day in Medellín, and most of them work in Bogotá, Cali and the coast too. For each one you get the meaning, a line you can steal, and a warning when the word means something else across the border.

Greetings and people

1. Parce / parcero

Your friend, your buddy, the person you are talking to. Parce is the short form and the most common word you will hear in Medellín. Bogotá leans more toward parcero.

¿Qué más, parce? ¿Todo bien? (What's up, dude? All good?)

2. ¿Qué más? / ¿Quiubo?

Both mean "what's up," not "what else." ¿Quiubo? is a squashed version of ¿qué hubo? (what happened). You answer with bien, ¿y vos? or todo bien.

¿Quiubo, mijo? ¿Cómo va todo? (Hey, man, how's everything going?)

3. Mono / mona

In Colombia this means a blond or light-haired person, and it is used as a friendly nickname. In Mexico mono means monkey or something cute, and in Spain it also means cute. Being called la mona in Medellín is normal. Do not panic.

¿Dónde está la mona que trabaja aquí? (Where is the blonde girl who works here?)

Saying something is great (or terrible)

4. Bacano

The safe, everyday word for cool, nice or great. You can say it to your boss, your girlfriend's parents and the taxi driver.

El concierto estuvo muy bacano. (The concert was really cool.)

5. Chévere

Also cool or great, a bit softer than bacano. Shared with Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru, so it travels well.

Qué chévere que viniste. (How nice that you came.)

6. Chimba

Here is the tricky one. ¡Qué chimba! means "awesome" among friends. Una chimba de carro means an awesome car. But me importa una chimba means "I don't give a damn," and the word itself is vulgar, so keep it for people your age who use it first.

¡Qué chimba de fiesta, parce! (What an awesome party, dude!)

7. Berraco / verraco

A person who is tough, hard-working or impressive, or a situation that is difficult. Estar berraco can also mean being angry. Context tells you which.

Mi mamá es una berraca, trabaja doble turno. (My mom is a fighter, she works double shifts.)

Food, drinks and the morning after

8. Tinto

In Colombia a tinto is a small black coffee, usually sold for a few coins on the street. In Spain tinto is red wine. Order a tinto at 8 a.m. in Medellín and you get coffee. Order it at 8 a.m. in Madrid and you get a look.

¿Me regala un tinto, por favor? (Can I get a black coffee, please?)

Notice regalar there. In Colombia it does not mean "give for free," it is just the polite way to order.

9. Pola

A beer. The word comes from an old Colombian beer brand and it stuck.

Vamos por unas polas después del trabajo. (Let's grab some beers after work.)

10. Guayabo

A hangover. In Mexico it is cruda, in Spain resaca. In Colombia it is this fruit-sounding word, and enguayabado is the adjective for the state you are in.

Tengo un guayabo terrible, no me hables duro. (I have a terrible hangover, don't talk loud to me.)

Plans and street smarts

11. Parche

Your group of friends, or the plan you have with them. Hacer parche means to hang out. Desparchado means bored with nothing to do.

¿Cuál es el parche para el sábado? (What's the plan for Saturday?)

12. Dar papaya

Literally "to give papaya." It means to make yourself an easy target: flashing your phone on a crowded bus, leaving your bag on a chair. Every Colombian grandmother will tell you no dé papaya.

Guarda el celular, no des papaya. (Put your phone away, don't make yourself a target.)

Test yourself

Read each line and pick what the Colombian speaker actually means.

Colombian slang cheat sheet