Sunday, September 8, 2013

Órale wey

When it comes to Mexican Spanish, you almost can't get any more Mexican this.

No cabe duda (there's no doubt) that when you hear the word Órale you're either speaking to a Mexican or speaking to someone who spends a lot of time with Mexicans.

Back in the days when I had a tutor, almost every time we talked on the phone she would end the call with:

Órale, chao or Órale, nos vemos

 One day I decided to ask her about it, and she gave me a not so direct  answer (I got this type of answer a lot).  She said "It depends, it can mean a lot things".  Well, eventually everything started to make sense, but let's see if I can save you some heartache by telling you about the most common uses.

Órale, chao
Ok, bye

Órale, nos vemos
Ok, see you later

Here are a few more examples:

Te llamo despues

I'll call you later

¿Quieres ir al cine?
Órale, vamos

Do you want to go to the movies?
Ok, let's go

Voy al super, ahorita vengo

I'm going to the store, I'll be right back

You can use it to tell someone to get the lead out.

¡Órale!, No tengo todo el día
Hurry up, I don't have all day

When you see something amazing, like a super cool car or a huge one punch knockout in a boxing match:


You've really gotta drag it out to get the best effect.

It can also mean cool, great or fantastic.

Saqué un 100 en mi examen

I gotta 100 on my exam
That's great !

You can use it for disbelief:

Estoy saliendo con Selma Hayak
Órale wey

I'm going out with Selma Hayak
Yeah right

It's perfect for when someone surprises you with news you weren't expecting.

Mi novia esta embarazada
Órale wey! ¿Neta?

My girlfriend is pregnant
Seriously dude! Really?

And lastly you can use as with the intention of "please, come on"

Papa, préstame el coche, órale 
Dad, let me use the car, come on

As you can see there a number of ways to use órale.  It's meaning changes based on context and more importantly your tone of voice.  By the way, órale, wey and neta is very informal Spanish.  And just so you know, the correct spelling of wey is güey, but you'll probably see wey written far more than the correct spelling.

While I'm on the topic of Mexican Spanish, many people ask me "where did you learn all this stuff?"  Well, it's time to share my secrets.

OK, I'm busted.  The truth is I don't have any secrets.  Most of my knowledge of Mexican slang and colloquialisms come from partying hard in the bars and streets of Mexico, from talking with my local Mexican friends and my old tutor.  But I did have some extra help along the way from some pretty good books.

All of the books below are about Mexican Spanish and have been pretty useful.  I own them all.  In fact, I have a ton books about learning Spanish, it's an addiction.   Anyway, let's get on with it.

Speaking Spanish Like a Native is really a great book, it's one of my favorites even though it took me a long to realize it.  It talks about greetings, goodbyes, partying, swearing, and all sorts of Spanish for situations you'll need that you probably haven't even thought of yet, like to refresh your memory, to put someone to the test, to be sick of, fed up, kill the mood, be in the same boat, and way too many others to mention.  And the good news a lot of this stuff is actually fairly neutral Spanish you can use with anyone.

Spanish Lingo for the Savvy Gringo is another book dedicated to Mexican Spanish.  And again, even though it targets Mexican Spanish, a lot of it is pretty neutral.  It covers a variety of topics you don't see in other books like groceries, seafood, cooking, housing, housework, driving, the mechanic and a ton more, so if you're an ex-pat in Mexico this book may be what the doctor ordered.

Mexican Slang plus Grafiti.  This book stands out in my mind for several reasons.  Right now the number one reason is because I know I bought it and I can't find it.  That makes me angry, but that's not your problem.  The other reason is because it's also a very good book.  With chapters like sex, drugs, rock and roll and party time, how can it not be a good book?

Any one or all of those books will help you impress your friends and make you sound like you were born Mexican.  I've rambled on long enough, but I'll leave you with one more place you can go to learn Spanish in general, as well as Mexican Spanish. - Learn Spanish with Free Podcasts

I've rambled on enough, so I'll let you click on the link and check it out.  And yes, the podcasts are free, there's no catch involved.  I download them all the time and they help a lot.  It's good stuff.   But like any business, they are out to make a buck.  The podcasts are free, but PDF transcripts are not.  I will say the price is reasonable (maybe $60/yr for a basic subscription) and you get access to a huge library of Spanish lessons that have been built up over several years.  I've been a long time user and customer of that site.  What I find most impressive is it's the only site I've seen that has lessons on regional Spanish...Spain, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and even Argentina.

Órale pues, this has gone on too long.  Go try out what you just learned with your friends and have fun.

¡Hasta la próxima!


  1. Thanks Rodney. Ranman

  2. Thanks for pointing out the many meanings of 'órale.' If you'll be going to Mexico or speaking Spanish with Mexican people in other places, please remember NOT to pronounce 'órale' with the accent on the second syllable, as it was written above quite a few times. That pronunciation might earn you some funny looks from people or even make them think you're trying to say something else entirely. The spoken and written accents are both on the first syllable: 'órale.'

    1. Thank you for pointing that out. This must have been one of those posts I wrote in the middle of the night. I can't believe I let that one slip by me.

  3. Ha this is awesome! I have been wanting to learn Spanish for so long, love your blog. For me it started on a golf course with migrant workers, they taught me all the slang, they would say orale, carnal and simon (sound like "see moan") They pointed me to the movie Blood IN Blood OUT, so much slang, for the longest time I could not wrap my head around when they would use orale vs simon, eventually I realized you can use both almost interchangeably and almost in any situation, all depends on how you say it, what your tone is like, the situation, the speed like you mention... these two words I use daily...I am going to check out your Spanish learning references...I need to actually just start learning for real, no more excuses...your blog has inspired me. Muchas Gracias!!


  4. You blog has inspired me to learn Spanish. I worked on a golf course with migrant workers years ago. They taught me so much slang. Orale, Simon, Carnal - one of them borrowed me a movie called Blood In Blood Out which I know own. This movie is awesome for Mexican slang. For the longest time I could not understand when to use Orale vs Simon, after a while I started realizing they are pretty much interchangeable and depending on your tone, delivery, speed etc they can be used almost in any situation. I use these words daily. I am going to give some of your Spanish references a try. Muchas Gracias!!!!