How to Say “Cool” in Spanish: 40+ Regional Slang Words

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Guay is one way to say “cool” in Spanish, but mainly in Spain. In Mexico you may hear chido, while chévere covers “cool”, “great” or “lovely” in much of Latin America and the Caribbean.

That regional detail matters. Some of the words below are direct ways to praise something, while others are everyday slang worth recognising rather than translations of “cool”. Slang also changes by age, city and social group, so listen to how people around you use a word before making it your own.

When I first wrote this article in 2020, I was living in New York City, where I heard “mad good” and “deadass”, while Californians might say “hella good”. In Ireland, we use “yoke” for a thing whose name we can’t remember. Spanish slang varies in the same way across a long list of countries.

Treat this as a listening guide, and use the register notes before trying the stronger words. For longer country-specific lists, see our guides to slang used in Spain and Mexican slang.

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How to Say “Cool” in Spain, Plus 9 More Expressions

Es una pasada

In Spain, es una pasada can mean “it’s amazing” or “it’s brilliant”. Here, pasada is a fixed feminine noun, so the phrase stays feminine regardless of what it describes: El concierto es una pasada, “The concert is brilliant”.

Estar como una cabra

Estar como una cabra, literally “to be like a goat”, means to be crazy or eccentric. It can sound insulting when aimed at someone you don’t know, so it’s safer as a phrase to recognise than a casual label for a stranger.

Vale

Vale is the everyday “okay” or “all right” you’ll hear constantly in Spain. It acknowledges or accepts what someone has said, though it isn’t a direct replacement for sí in every sentence.

Molar

In informal Spanish from Spain, molar means to appeal to someone or seem cool. You can say Me mola esta canción, “I think this song is cool”. The person who likes it appears as an indirect object, as in me mola or te mola.

¡Qué chulo!

¡Qué chulo! can mean “How cool!” or “How lovely!” in Spain. Context is important because chulo can also describe someone as cocky or insolent, and the noun has other meanings, including “pimp”.

Venga

Venga is a flexible interjection. With an upbeat tone, ¡Venga, vamos! encourages people to get moving; with another tone, it can show impatience, disbelief or reluctant agreement.

¡Qué caña!

In Spain, ¡Qué caña! can express strong enthusiasm or surprise, rather like “That’s brilliant!” It’s informal, and caña has several ordinary meanings too, including a small draught beer.

No pasa nada

No pasa nada literally means “nothing is happening”, but in conversation it often means “no worries”, “it’s fine” or “nothing’s wrong”. It’s especially common in Spain.

Colega and chaval

Colega can mean a colleague, or informally a friend. Chaval and chavala mean a boy, girl or young person in Spain, rather than another word for a friend.

Estar en pelotas

Estar en pelotas means to be stark naked. It’s a very informal expression, so keep it for relaxed company and don’t translate its individual words too literally.

10 Spanish Slang Words from Mexico

Chido

Chido is a common informal way to say something is cool or good in Mexico. Está muy chido means “It’s really cool”, though the word won’t sound equally natural in every Spanish-speaking country.

Neta

La neta is “the truth”, while ¿Neta? means “Really?” or “For real?” in informal Mexican Spanish. You’ll mostly hear it in relaxed conversation.

Chavo or chava

In Mexico, chavo or chava can mean a child or young person. In some contexts it can also refer to a boyfriend or girlfriend, and its meanings differ elsewhere.

Güey, also written wey

Friends in Mexico may use güey rather like “dude”, but it can also mean a fool or refer dismissively to a stranger. It’s very informal, so don’t assume that hearing close friends use it gives you licence to use it with anyone.

¡Órale!

¡Órale! is a Mexican exclamation whose meaning depends on context and tone. It can express encouragement, agreement, surprise or impatience, covering reactions such as “Come on!”, “Okay!” and “Wow!”

Naco

Naco is a derogatory, class-coded label for someone judged ignorant, vulgar or lacking education. It can carry prejudice about poverty and Indigenous identity, so learners are better off recognising it without using it.

Pedo

Pedo literally means “fart”, and it appears in several vulgar Mexican expressions. No hay pedo can mean “no problem”, while ¿Qué pedo? can mean “What’s up?” or “What’s wrong?” Use both only when you understand the relationship and tone.

Padre

Alongside its standard meaning of “father”, padre is an informal Mexican adjective for something cool or excellent. ¡Qué padre! is a natural reaction to good news.

Buena onda

Buena onda describes a friendly, pleasant person or a positive atmosphere. Depending on context, “good vibes”, “nice” or “cool” may be the closest English rendering.

Fresa

Fresa literally means “strawberry”. As Mexican slang it’s a disparaging, class-coded label for someone whose clothes, speech or behaviour are associated with wealthy or status-conscious young people.

5 Useful Slang Words from Argentina

Bárbaro

In Argentina, bárbaro can mean “brilliant”, “excellent” or “fantastic”. Standard Spanish also uses the word for something barbaric, so the sentence and tone tell you which sense is intended.

Fiaca

Fiaca is laziness or the feeling of not wanting to do something. Me da fiaca levantarme means “I can’t be bothered to get up” or “I feel too lazy to get up”.

Piola

In Argentina, piola can describe someone as friendly, understanding or clever, and a thing or topic as interesting or worthwhile. A flat translation of “cool” can miss those differences.

Laburo

Laburo is informal vocabulary for a job, work or a place of work in Argentina and several neighbouring countries. Tengo mucho laburo means “I have loads of work”.

Quilombo

In Argentina and Uruguay, quilombo can mean a mess, uproar or difficult situation. It has a vulgar older sense of “brothel”, so it’s informal vocabulary to use with care: Esto es un quilombo, “This is a mess”.

4 Expressions from Chile, Plus 1 from Colombia

Fome

Fome is a common way to say “boring” in Chile. A film, party, person or conversation can all be fome.

Al tiro

In Chile, al tiro means “right away” or “immediately”. Hazlo al tiro means “Do it right away”.

Bacán

Bacán means excellent, brilliant or cool in Chile, Peru, Ecuador and Cuba. In other contexts it can describe an attractive or wealthy person, so it isn’t a universal one-word translation.

A todo cachete

The Chilean expression a todo cachete means “splendidly” or “magnificently”. It’s better learnt as a complete phrase than translated word by word.

Tinto

In Colombia, un tinto is black coffee, meaning coffee without milk. It may still contain sugar, so ask for un tinto sin azúcar if you don’t want it sweetened.

3 Spanish Slang Expressions from Cuba

Asere

Asere, also spelt acere, is an informal Cuban word for a friend or companion, often used to address someone directly. It belongs in relaxed conversation rather than formal Spanish.

Chavos

In Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, the plural chavos can mean money. In Mexico, chavo normally points to a child or young person instead.

¿Qué bolá?

¿Qué bolá? is a very informal Cuban greeting among people who know each other, roughly “What’s up?” It isn’t a standard greeting for every setting or every Spanish-speaking country.

6 More Regional Spanish Slang Expressions

Chévere

Chévere is one of the most useful regional equivalents of “cool”. Across much of Latin America and the Caribbean it can describe a thing as lovely, excellent or very good, or a person as friendly and pleasant.

Pura vida

Pura vida, literally “pure life”, is closely associated with Costa Rica. Depending on the situation, it can be a greeting, a response meaning things are good, an expression of thanks or a positive description.

Buenazo or buenaza

Buenazo and buenaza are emphatic forms of bueno and buena. In Peru, Ecuador and elsewhere, they can mean “excellent” or “really good”, with the ending agreeing with the noun.

Calidá

Calidá reflects the informal pronunciation of calidad, “quality”. In Guatemala, it can describe a person or thing as excellent or cool, but it’s a colloquial spelling rather than the standard written form.

¡Choy!

¡Choy! is used in parts of Bolivia to get the attention of someone familiar, rather like “Hey!” It’s useful regional slang, but it doesn’t mean “cool”.

Gufeao or gufiao

In informal Puerto Rican Spanish, gufeao or gufiao can mean excellent, cool or fun. Context matters because gufeado can also describe someone affected by drugs. Nítido, whose standard meaning is “clear” or “sharp”, can also mean “cool” or “excellent” in Puerto Rico.

Use Spanish Slang Without Forcing It

You don’t need to squeeze slang into every sentence to sound natural. Pick one word used where your conversation partners are from, notice who says it and in what setting, then try it when the same sort of moment comes up.

One final trap: guapo usually means handsome or good-looking, not a universal Spanish equivalent of “cool”. If you want the safest neutral praise, ordinary words such as bien, bueno, genial and excelente will travel better than most slang.

For more exposure to everyday Spanish, podcasts can help you hear these differences in context. SpanishPod101 has lessons from beginner level through to advanced conversations, and that link takes you to its current plans with the Fluent in 3 Months discount.