A spectacular soccer move where you chip the ball over a defender's head and collect it on the other side. It's the ultimate humiliation for the defender, you literally put a hat on them.

To search for something on Google, the verb born from the internet that everyone uses as if it were the only way to find information. If you haven't googled it, it doesn't exist in the modern world.

To be completely broke, without a single peso in Chile. When you're pato, you can't afford anything and you're just waiting for money to magically appear.

An offensive insult for a very fat person or someone who eats excessively, comparing them to the animal. It's derogatory, rude, and shouldn't be used, but unfortunately it exists and is heard in popular speech.

Someone from Generation Z, born between the late '90s and early 2010s. Zoomers are digital natives who grew up with smartphones, memes, and TikTok as their natural habitat.

To furiously quit a match because you're losing or something frustrated you beyond your limit. The ragequit comes with slamming the game shut and probably a scream.

The Chilean hot dog taken to the extreme: loaded with avocado, tomato, mayo, and sometimes sauerkraut. It's Chile's quintessential street food and you can eat it at any hour.

Literally "lukewarm," used for someone who is wishy-washy, noncommittal, or half-hearted. If someone is being tibio with you, they are not fully in but not fully out either, giving you just enough attention to keep you hanging. Very common in dating contexts across Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Argentina.

A while ago, but exactly how long depends entirely on context and who's saying it. "Hace rato" can be five minutes, two hours, or three weeks, only the tone of voice gives you the clue.

To ban a player from accessing a game or platform for cheating, being toxic, or breaking the rules. The ban is the ultimate sentence in the gaming world.

The coins or smaller bills you get back when you pay with a larger denomination. Across Latin America and Spain, cambio is a daily negotiation at markets, street food stands, and small shops. Hearing "no hay cambio" when you hand over a large bill is one of the most universally frustrating experiences of daily life.

To mess around, joke aggressively, or waste time doing nothing productive in Chile. A multi-use verb where context determines if it's friendly banter, a serious insult, or just pure laziness.

To deliberately mess with other players to make them angry, whether by intentionally playing badly or doing absurd things. The troll feeds on others' suffering.

Modest, restrained, and classy without overdoing it. The word went viral on TikTok as the aesthetic opposite of excess: showing up with elegance and self-awareness instead of screaming for attention. Spanish speakers adopted it directly from English and use it widely on social media.

A crushing victory in soccer by a wide goal margin that leaves the losing team completely humiliated. A goleada is not just winning, it is a full display of dominance on the field, the kind of result that haunts a team in memes and highlights for weeks across all of Latin America and Spain.

To step on the gas, push harder, or bring more intensity to something. Used all across Latin America, "meterle gas" is the call to stop coasting and start driving: a project near its deadline, a car that needs to speed up, or any effort that needs a real, sustained push.

The English motivational phrase "not giving up" adopted directly into Spanish-speaking social media and casual speech. It pops up in Instagram stories and captions as a declaration of perseverance, often dropped mid-Spanish sentence when someone is in full self-improvement mode.

A restaurant specializing in grilled meats with thick cuts and real charcoal. Churrasquerías are temples of meat in the Southern Cone.

An unexpected turn of events in real life, borrowed straight from movie language. When life throws a plot twist at you, nobody saw it coming and everything suddenly looks different. Used across Latin America and Spain by anyone who watches enough Netflix.

Getting insulted or aggressively criticized by your own teammates in the game chat. Being flamed destroys morale and makes you play even worse.

To be furious and completely out of control in Chile, when the anger takes over and you stop thinking clearly. You are acting purely on impulse because the rage consumed you and nobody can calm you down.

Same meaning as in English: the child of a famous or powerful person who got their career through their parents' connections rather than their own merit. Spanish speakers adopted the term as-is and use it widely on social media to call out celebrities who were born on third base.

To annoy, bother, or ruin something. In Spain, this word is so common that it has lost its impact, but in Latin America, it can be quite strong.

To get on or board a form of public transport like a bus, subway, or pesero (minibus). Boarding public transport during rush hour in Mexico City requires strategy, elbows, and sometimes a bit of luck to find a spot. It's a contact sport that locals have perfected over years of practice.

A minor seismic event, less intense than an earthquake, that slight shake that makes you pause and wonder if it was real. In seismic countries, you learn to tell tremors from the real thing.

An automated account on social media that isn't a real person but a program that posts or comments automatically. Also used as an insult for someone who plays video games so badly they seem programmed.

To send messages on WhatsApp, the verb that defines all modern communication in the Spanish-speaking world. Nobody calls anymore, everything gets wasapeado, from plans to breakups to love confessions.

In a little bit, soon, any minute now, but with zero guarantee of when exactly. 'En un ratito' can mean 5 minutes, 3 hours, or never, depending on the country, the person, and how lazy they're feeling.

Casual athletic footwear, like sneakers or tennis shoes. In Argentina, Spain, and Chile, 'zapatillas' is used instead of 'tenis' (Mexico) or 'championes' (Uruguay) for this type of casual, comfortable footwear.

Negative energy transmitted by a person, place, or situation, that uncomfortable feeling that something just isn't right. When you detect mala vibra, your instinct tells you to get away as fast as possible.