To act like you're the protagonist of a movie and the whole world revolves around you. When someone's being the main character, they live every moment as if cameras are following them with a soundtrack playing.

A swear word or insult in Chile. Garabatos are the vocabulary of rage, surprise, or extreme emphasis. In Chile, letting loose garabatos means dropping expletives with real feeling behind them.

To waste time doing dumb stuff, wandering around, or doing absolutely nothing productive in Chile. It's extremely common and used when someone's slacking off or dedicated to doing nothing useful.

To push yourself to the absolute limit physically or mentally, working or studying without holding anything back. Common across Latin America for that full-throttle effort where you leave everything on the table.

A violent, destructive shaking of the earth that topples buildings and changes lives. In Chile, which has the strongest earthquakes in history, they're a fact of life everyone prepares for.

A traitor who was bought or bribed to act in someone else's favor. In soccer, it's what fans yell at the referee when he seems to be calling everything in favor of the opposing team, accusing him of having taken money to tilt the scoreline. It's a direct accusation, not just a casual insult.

A person who studies obsessively in Chile, always buried in books and getting the best grades. Knows the entire textbook by heart and never fails a single exam.

To twist, bend, or knock something out of its normal position. Can also mean to cheat or do something in a crooked, dishonest way, a multi-use verb for anything that ends up misaligned.

To study intensely, cram nonstop, and burn the midnight oil with your textbooks in Chile. It's what you do when the exam is tomorrow and you haven't opened the book all semester.

To have sex. In most of Latin America "coger" is the most direct colloquial verb for the sexual act. Important cultural note: in Spain "coger" is completely innocent and just means "to grab or take," so mixing up registers between regions causes more than a few awkward moments.

In South American soccer, the winger: the player who runs the flanks and creates chances from the sides of the field. A great puntero has the speed and skill to beat defenders and deliver crosses that change a game.

One thousand pesos in Argentina or Chile. "Una luca" equals a thousand of each country's currency. Used casually in conversations about prices, debts, and money in general.

To wash the dirty dishes with water, soap, and a sponge after eating. It's the household chore absolutely nobody wants to do and that generates more family arguments than any other topic at home.

To be stingy, give very little, or skimp on something in Chile and Bolivia. A pichicatero is that person who gives you the absolute minimum and makes you feel like you're asking for too much.

The hood of a car, the panel covering the engine. You open it when a strange noise starts or the engine overheats, hoping it is nothing serious. In Spain and the Southern Cone it is always "capó"; in Mexico the same part is called "cofre."

A person who spiritually identifies with an animal and believes they share a deep, innate connection with that creature. It's an internet subculture that blurs the line between identity and spiritual belief.

A Chilean particle tacked onto the end of sentences for emphasis or natural flow. There's no direct translation, it's just deeply woven into how Chileans talk, making everything sound unmistakably Chilean.

A sweet cake that's the centerpiece of every celebration in Argentina and other Latin American countries. What Mexico calls 'pastel,' Argentina calls 'torta', same delicious thing, different name.

A major screw-up or monumental blunder that's hard to recover from. Used when someone does something so badly that the consequences are inevitable and extremely difficult to overcome, like a catastrophic mistake with long-lasting repercussions.

Short for 'good game', said at the end of an online match to show sportsmanship. In real life, it's also used sarcastically when something goes completely wrong.

To have a good time and enjoy yourself, the basic goal of any social plan worth showing up for. Used across Latin America and Spain for trips, parties, or everyday hangouts. When someone asks "¿cómo te la pasaste?" they want to know if you actually had fun.

To exaggerate a minor problem to the point of making it seem like a catastrophic issue, often for dramatic effect.

To be romantically hooked on someone you cannot get out of your head, even when you know you should move on. Your heart stays attached long after your brain has told you it is not going anywhere. Used across Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Mexico for that helpless feeling of still being hung up on someone.

A music genre and dance originating from the Colombian coast that conquered all of Latin America with its infectious rhythm. Every country has their own version: cumbia villera in Argentina, cumbia sonidera in Mexico.

To share someone else's content on your own profile, while still giving credit to the original creator. It's the act of digital redistribution.

An exclamation of shock or awe, short for "God damn," that escaped TikTok and became part of Gen Z internet vocabulary across Spanish-speaking countries. You drop it when something hits you visually or just leaves you speechless.

A child's word for "dad" used in Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay. Small children use tata before graduating to the standard "papá." Warm, tender, and the kind of word adults still remember fondly from when they were little.

A player or athlete who chokes in crucial moments, who shrinks when they're needed most and fails right in the finals. It's the opposite of clutch: when pressure rises, their performance drops.

A phrase used to describe someone who promises a lot but doesn't deliver anything, whose only action is talking. This person has a tendency to speak about what should be done without taking any action, often leaving others to do the work.

A party with lots of alcohol, or the act of heavy drinking with friends until the night is over. It is that kind of gathering where booze is the absolute main character and the conversation flows at the same pace as the bottles being emptied. Used in Chile, Mexico, and Peru with the same general meaning of a boozy get together.