You studied Spanish for years. Then two madrileños start talking at the next table and you understand… “tío”. That’s it. Welcome to Madrid slang. Here are the 20 words that will unlock most bar conversations.
20 Madrid slang words
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mola / molar | It’s cool / to be cool | Este bar mola mucho. |
| Guay | Cool | ¡Qué guay! |
| Flipar | To be amazed / to freak out | Flipé con el concierto. |
| Tío / tía | Dude, mate (not uncle!) | Tío, ¿qué haces? |
| Chaval / chavala | Kid, young guy/girl | Es un chaval muy majo. |
| Majo / maja | Nice, friendly | Tu novia es muy maja. |
| Currar / el curro | To work / work | Mañana curro temprano. |
| Pasta | Money | No tengo pasta. |
| Quedar | To meet up | ¿Quedamos a las ocho? |
| Ir de cañas | To go for beers | ¿Vamos de cañas? |
| Me piro | I’m off | Me piro, que es tarde. |
| Chungo | Dodgy, difficult, bad | El examen estaba chungo. |
| Cutre | Shabby, tacky | Un bar cutre pero buenísimo. |
| Petado | Packed | El Metro iba petado. |
| En plan | Like (filler) | Estaba, en plan, súper cansada. |
| ¡Qué fuerte! | No way! / Wow! | ¿Se han separado? ¡Qué fuerte! |
| Ni de coña | No way, not a chance | ¿Pagar 10 euros? Ni de coña. |
| A tope | Full on, at full speed | Hoy voy a tope. |
| Gato / gata | A born-and-bred madrileño | Soy gata: mis abuelos ya eran de Madrid. |
| Castizo | Traditional, very Madrid | Un barrio muy castizo. |
How to use Madrid slang without sounding weird
Slang is about rhythm. Start with three: tío, mola and vale. Use them with friends, not with your landlord. And listen first: the same word can be friendly or rude depending on the tone. Some of the strongest ones are in my guide to Spanish swear words from Spain.
More real Spanish from Spain: what “vale” means, estar sobao, eres la leche and mala leche.
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What does mola mean in Spanish?
Mola means “it’s cool”. It comes from the verb molar, very common in Spain.
What does tío mean in Spain?
Literally uncle, but in Spain tío and tía also mean dude or mate between friends.
What is a gato in Madrid?
A madrileño whose parents and grandparents were also born in Madrid.
What does ni de coña mean?
No way, not a chance. It’s informal, so use it with friends.
— Monica Bernabe Perez
$20 symbolic price · 30 minutes · with Mónica
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