10 Colombian slang expressions you should know and use
Are you an Erasmus student? Are you doing your professional internship? Are you a volunteer in a social project? Have you been working in Colombia for a while and haven’t heard about our most sacred phrase: “Don’t give Papaya”? Well, if you have, you might know what it means, if not, read me and discover the weirdest expressions we use in our daily life.
This is a list of the most used Colombian expressions:
1) “Me gustan las cuentas claras y el chocolate espeso”. Literal translation: I like clear accounts and thick hot chocolate. Colombians use this expression meaning we like honesty when speaking.
2) “Durmió conmigo anoche o qué, que ya no saluda?. Literal translation: Did you sleep with me last night? Why don’t you greet? This is a question used when someone enters to a place or conversation without greeting, this is considered disrespectful.
3) “Tengo un filo, que si me agacho me corto”. Literal translation: I have a blade, if I bend over I cut myself. This is very common between students, it means that you are very hungry!
4) “Uyy, ¿quién pidió pollo?. Literal translation: Uyy, who ordered chicken? This is a funny one, because I use it when I joke around with my friends and it’s used to flirt with a handsome/pretty (man or woman) who approaches to you or passes by.
5) “No me abra los ojos que no le voy a echar gotas”. Literal translation: Don’t open your eyes like that, I am not going to put eyedrops for you. We say that when someone looks at us in a very derogatory way.
6) “¿Usted qué come que adivina?”. Literal translation: What do you eat because you always guess? This is an expression when someone guesses what you are thinking or you are about to say.
7) “Mugre que no mata, engorda”. Literal translation: Dirtiness that doesn’t kill you, makes you fat. This is an approval expression, commonly used when someone drops food on the floor and picks it up and want to eat it no matter what; you says this phrase.
8) “El que tiene tienda que la atienda”. Literal translation: The one that owns a store, attend it. This means that you must be in charge of your own things.
9) “Le cuento el milagro pero no el santo”. Literal translation: Tell of the miracle, but not of the saint. People who gossip say this too often, and it means they are going to reveal to you something but you can’t know who was behind of it.
10) “Colgó los guayos”. Literal translation: Hang the soccer shoes. This expression refers to death. In soccer when someone dies, soccer shoes don’t belong to the owner anymore. In normal life, it means you are screwed, or death!
All these literal translations don’t make any sense, but they are funny when you try to say it and apply them in your daily life. If you are traveling around Bogotá and Colombia, make sure to use them so you get into our culture. Next time you hear these phrases you will recognize what Colombians are trying to say and you won’t be lost in a conversation.
Even though Bogotá is a big city full of many different things to do, why stop there?! Colombia is full of many quiet little villages and towns to check out and an abundance of natural parks to explore. Great for you, many are located just an hour or two away from the city. Here are some of our favorite places nearby where you can enjoy for the day and be back to enjoy the nightlife in town!
Imagine the 5th biggest city in the Americas. Now, imagine the number of things you can see in this city. This is Bogotá.
For anyone coming here, you probably have heard of the usual tips and guides, like go to the Botero Museum, the Gold Museum, Plaza Bolivar, etc. We’re not saying that these places aren’t worth a visit, but we understand that sometimes you might want to go somewhere nice away from the flocks of tourists.
In Bogotá, there are tons of underrated places that suffer the injustice of being classified as “ok” or “not worth the trip”, but we are against injustice and therefore here are the top underrated spots in Bogota!
One thing you cannot complain about Bogota is the party scene! Open for all tastes and levels of energies. Whether you are an intense raver or a chill person that just prefers sitting back with a glass of beer, this city has something for your night out plans. We have very different friends, from a lot of different backgrounds, so we have gone out to party in a lot of different places. These are some of our favorite places to go out for our different moods!
