Guatemalan Spanish: Speak like a Native!
Think you know Spanish? Think again! The moment you land in Guatemala you will be bombarded by local words, phrases, and sayings that will leave your head spinning. Come with us and discover what they are really saying. ¡Calidá!
Don't settle for generic Spanish
On the images below, slide to the right to see generic Spanish. Then, slide completely to the left to reveal the local Spanish.
Start speaking like the natives
Greetings
¿Qué honda, vos?
To ask a Guatemalan how he's doing in an informal setting, just say: ¿QUÉ HONDA VOS? This means: Hey, how's it going? Or maybe even more like: WHASSSSUP?
Compliments
¡Qué chilera tu chumpa!
For the locals, a CHUMPA is a jacket. And CHILERO means beautiful. When you are happy about something, just give a hearty: ¡QUÉ CHILERO! It's like saying: Great! Wonderful!
Local sayings
¡Muchá!
Need to get someone's attention? Just say this. It means: Hey, guys! Maybe you can get them to HACERTE LA CAMPAÑA, which means, to do you a favor.
What they are saying
C o n n e c t w i t h
17,916,000
G U A T E M A L A N S P A N I S H S P E A K E R S
DIGITAL EDITIONS
Save 40% over print prices with our Kindle version
NEED to save during the crisis? Why not try our our Kindle version? You will save more than 40% off the print price and have the additional advantage of an instant download. Our Kindle versions have hyperlinked references, which allows you to instantly jump to a specific term from our Index or the Table of Contents! Check out our Kindle version today!