How to Say "Boyfriend" and "Girlfriend" in Spanish: A Country-by-Country Guide

Saying "boyfriend" or "girlfriend" in Spanish seems simple in your textbook,novio and novia, easy. Then you actually go to a Spanish-speaking country and someone introduces you to "su pololo," another person mentions "mi jevo," and in Mexico you hear an older man affectionately call his wife "mi vieja." None of this is in the textbook.

Spanish has one of the richest collections of words for "partner" of any language. Each country picked its own term,some borrowed from indigenous languages centuries ago, others born on the streets last decade,and each word says something different about how love is lived in that place.

Here's the regional breakdown.

Chile: Pololo and polola

Chile is the only Spanish-speaking country where novio and novia basically disappeared from daily conversation. Chileans say pololo (boyfriend) and polola (girlfriend), and the verb is pololear,to be in a relationship.

The strange part: the word comes from an insect. Pololo in Mapudungun (the indigenous Mapuche language) means "fly" or "buzzing bug," and the idea is that a suitor "buzzes around" the person they like. The metaphor stuck and became the standard Chilean term.

Example: "Te presento a mi pololo" → "Let me introduce you to my boyfriend" Example: "Llevamos pololeando dos años" → "We've been together two years"

Venezuela and the Caribbean: Jevo and jeva

In Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and parts of the Caribbean, jevo and jeva are the everyday words for boyfriend and girlfriend. Jeva also gets used more broadly to mean "young woman" or "attractive girl," depending on context.

The vibe is street and youthful,a 60-year-old probably won't call his wife "mi jeva," but a 20-year-old will say it constantly.

Example: "Mi jevo me llevó a la playa" → "My boyfriend took me to the beach" Example: "Esa es la jeva de Carlos" → "That's Carlos's girlfriend"

Venezuela bonus: chamo and chama

While chamo and chama generally mean "guy" and "girl," Venezuelans also use them in romantic contexts as affectionate terms for a partner. It's the most Venezuelan thing possible.

Example: "Mi chama y yo nos vamos a Margarita" → "My girlfriend and I are going to Margarita"

Mexico: novio, morra, vieja

Mexico has more options than any other country, and context changes everything:

Novio / novia: standard. What you'd say in front of your parents or in any formal situation.
Morra / morro: street, informal, youthful. "Mi morra" is closer to "my girl" with attitude.
Vieja / viejo: literally "old woman" / "old man," but in Mexico "mi vieja" or "mi viejo" is an affectionate way to refer to your partner,especially among adults. It sounds harsh translated literally, but in Mexican Spanish it carries warmth, not insult. Don't try to translate it word-for-word; it doesn't work.

Example: "Voy a salir con mi morra al cine" → "I'm going to the movies with my girl" Example: "Mi vieja ya me está marcando" → "My wife is already calling me"

Argentina and Uruguay: flaco / flaca, viejo / vieja

In Argentina and Uruguay, flaco and flaca (literally "skinny one") are universal affectionate nicknames,used for friends, siblings, acquaintances, and partners alike. When someone says "mi flaco" or "mi flaca," they're expressing a level of affection that doesn't quite translate.

Argentines also use viejo and vieja the same way Mexicans do: a long-term partner you've stopped needing formal labels for.

Example: "Mi flaca me está esperando" → "My girlfriend is waiting for me" Example: "Le tengo que avisar al viejo" → "I have to tell my husband"

And everywhere else: novio / novia

In Spain, Colombia, Peru, and most Spanish-speaking countries, the standard remains novio and novia. It's not boring,it's what the majority actually uses,but it's the most neutral option. If you're traveling and only learn one pair of words, novio/novia will work everywhere.

What's interesting is that in these countries, the word implies an official relationship: there's been a conversation, there's a label. Before that point, people prefer "estoy saliendo con alguien" (I'm dating someone) or "estoy conociendo a alguien" (I'm getting to know someone).

The phrase with no English equivalent: media naranja

This one isn't regional,it's used across the entire Spanish-speaking world,but it deserves a mention because it's one of the most beautiful expressions in Spanish. "Mi media naranja" literally means "my half orange": your other half, the person who completes you.

The image is literal: two halves of an orange that fit together perfectly. Soulmate gets close in English, but media naranja has a tenderness and concreteness that English doesn't quite capture.

Quick reference table

Country	Boyfriend	Girlfriend
Chile	Pololo	Polola
Venezuela	Jevo / Chamo	Jeva / Chama
Dominican Republic, Panama	Jevo	Jeva
Mexico	Novio / Morro / Viejo	Novia / Morra / Vieja
Argentina, Uruguay	Flaco / Viejo	Flaca / Vieja
Spain, Colombia, Peru	Novio	Novia

What these words say about each culture

Beyond vocabulary, these variations tell you something about each country. In Chile, pololear,with its own dedicated verb, describes a relationship that doesn't need to be formalized to be real. In Mexico, calling someone "mi vieja" or "mi viejo" implies an intimacy earned over years. In Venezuela, using jevo or jeva places the relationship firmly in young, casual, everyday territory.

Spanish doesn't have one way to talk about love. It has twenty-something, one for each country, each one carrying its own history.

Want to learn more regional Spanish? Hablaaa is a community-built dictionary of how Spanish is actually spoken across Latin America and Spain.