The 27 Funniest Mexican Expressions (and How to Use Them)

Mexican sayings that show the Mexicans love their food

1. Te avienta un choro

A Mexican doesn’t “make up stories”, they “throw a mussel at you” (te avienta un choro).

2. Truena como ejote

A Mexican doesn’t “fail”, they “explode like a green bean” (truena como ejote).

3. Te come el mandado

A Mexican doesn’t “take advantage of you”, they “eat your groceries” (te come el mandado).

4. Le mide el agua a los camotes

A Mexican doesn’t “plan ahead”, they “measure the water for the sweet potatoes” (le mide el agua a los camotes).

5. Te botanea

A Mexican doesn’t “make fun of you”, they “snack” on you (te botanea).

Mexican sayings that show the Mexicans are mother-obsessed

6. Va vuelto madre

A Mexican isn’t “in a hurry”, they “go into a motherly transformation” (va vuelto madre)

7. Te suelta un madrazo

A Mexican doesn’t punch you, they “unleash a big mamma on you” (Te suelta un madrazo).

8. Le vale madre

Mexican doesn’t “avoid responsibilities”, they “make it mother worthy” (le vale madre).

Mexican expressions you can’t use in a polite conversation

9. Se avienta el mañanero

A Mexican doesn’t have “morning sex”, they “throw the morning one” (se avienta el mañanero).

10. Se saca de pedo

A Mexican doesn’t “get scared or surprised”, they “gets himself out of the fart” (se saca de pedo).

11. Te pedalean la bicicleta

A Mexican doesn’t “cheat on you”, they “ride another bicycle.”

Mexican expressions that are useful but brutal

12. Chupa faros

A Mexican doesn’t just “die”, they “suck lighthouses” (chupa faros).

13. Está picándose los ojos

A Mexican doesn’t “kill time”, they “poke their eyes” (está picándose los ojos).

14. Es bien sangrón

A Mexican isn’t “unbearable”, they “bleed copiously” (es bien sangrón).

Mexican sayings that involve animals

15. Te tira el perro

A Mexican doesn’t “flirt with you”, they “throw you the dog” (te tira el perro).

16. Se encabrona

A Mexican doesn’t “get mad”, they “turn into the big goat” (se encabrona).

17. Arma la vaca

A Mexican doesn’t “fundraise”, they “build a cow” (arma la vaca).

18. Se pone pipiris nice

A Mexican doesn’t “dress up”, they “put on some nice pipiris.” (se pone pipiris nice).

19. Se echa una pestañita o un coyotito

A Mexican doesn’t “take a cat nap”, they “go into a little eyelash or into a baby coyote” (se echa una pestañita o un coyotito).

20. Piensa en la inmortalidad del cangrejo

A Mexican doesn’t “get lost in his own thoughts”, they “think about the crab’s immortality.”

Other funny Mexican expressions

21. Te da el avión

A Mexican doesn’t “humor you”, they “gives you a plane” (te da el avión).

22. Hace como que la virgen le habla

A Mexican doesn’t “ignore you”, they “do as if the virgin’s speaking to him” (hace como que la virgen le habla).

23. Le encanta hacerle a la mamada

A Mexican doesn’t “beat about the bush”, they “love doing it the sucky sucky way” (le encanta hacerle a la mamada).

24. Se hace bolas

A Mexican doesn’t “get confused”, they “turn themselves into balls” (se hace bolas).

25. Hace las cosas al aventón

A Mexican isn’t “careless”, they do things “the pushing way” (hace las cosas al aventón).

26. Pide paros

A Mexican doesn’t “ask for favors”, they “asks for strikes” (pide paros).

27. Hace un Pancho

A Mexican doesn’t “make a scene”, they “make a Pancho” (hace un Pancho).

A version of this article was previously published on March 1, 2015, and was updated on January 31, 2022.