You've studied Spanish for years in school and with apps like this one. So why can’t you understand your Mexican friend when he speaks Spanish? It’s likely that he - like many Mexicans - uses so much slang it almost sounds like yet another language to textbook-taught ears.

In this lesson we teach some of the most common Mexican slang words. Some are contractions of words you might already know (pa => para), some come from native languages (chamaco) and some are just used in different contexts (lana).

You can find more Mexican Slang words with our other app, Güey Spanish. Be warned though, they might not all be as abuela-friendly as these.