Green plantain smashed and fried until crispy and golden on the outside. It's the perfect accompaniment to Caribbean Colombian and Venezuelan cuisine, eaten with everything from meat to beans.

A purple, bluish, or yellowish mark on the skin caused by a hit that reminds you of your clumsiness or an intense night. The bruise is the physical evidence that tells stories you sometimes prefer not to explain.

A brother or extremely close friend in Ecuador. 'Ñaño' is a warm term of endearment that expresses a real or symbolic bond of brotherhood between people who share a deep trust and affection.

A party or night out, especially one that goes on for a long time with no set end time. "Irse de farra" means committing fully to the night with zero plans to come home early. Classic Río de la Plata slang, still very much alive in Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru.

To passionately kiss someone, to make out intensely with tongue in Peru and Ecuador. It's the most direct, no-nonsense way to describe a passionate kiss that leaves you breathless and wanting more.

A hill, mount, or natural elevation across all of Latin America. In many cities, cerros define the landscape and neighborhoods, especially where informal communities are built on the hillsides.

A built-in wardrobe for storing clothes and shoes in Mexico, the space that's never big enough. No matter how many times you organize it, it always ends up bursting with stuff you don't even wear.

Total disorder, absolute chaos, or a situation completely out of control. A despelote is when everything goes haywire, people yelling, things breaking, and nobody knows what's happening.

The legendary smack delivered with a flip-flop, the iconic Latin American parenting tool and universal symbol of maternal discipline. The chancletazo transcends borders and generations.

A person cursed with chronic bad luck where everything goes wrong, as if they have a permanent dark cloud following them around. Being salado means the universe seems to have a personal vendetta against you.

The paved space on the side of the street for pedestrians to walk safely. It's the pedestrian's sacred zone that cars should respect but in many cities invade without mercy.

Dough stuffed with meat, chicken, cheese, or whatever you can think of, fried or baked to perfection. Every country has their own version and everyone swears theirs are the best.

To stay up all night, either voluntarily or because you can't fall asleep. It's the battle between your body begging for rest and your brain deciding it's the perfect time to overthink everything.

An exclamation of surprise, anger, or frustration in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. It's a moderate swear word that slips out involuntarily when something goes wrong or catches you off guard.

To be hopelessly in love to the point of losing all reason in Ecuador. When you're empanizado, love has you so whipped that you do ridiculous things without caring what anyone thinks.

Fresh or slightly fermented sugarcane juice, typical of tropical regions in Venezuela, Cuba, and Colombia. It's a refreshing, sweet natural drink that tastes like pure Caribbean sunshine.

A spontaneous exclamation of disgust, revulsion, or intense displeasure at something gross. It escapes you automatically when you see, smell, or taste something that instantly turns your stomach.

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.

Deep heartbreak, sadness over a love that left and isn't coming back. It went worldwide with Karol G's song and now everyone knows what it means.

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.

To be completely broke, in total financial ruin with no money at all. When you're 'en la olla,' your bank account is at zero and payday feels like a mirage.

A tiny piece of paper with hidden notes used to cheat on an exam without the teacher noticing. It's the Mexican version of a cheat sheet, a survival tool for the unprepared student.

To blend and crush fruits or food in a blender until smooth. It's the verb behind every smoothie, fruit juice, and salsa that requires turning solid ingredients into liquid deliciousness.

A carbonated, sweetened beverage, what Mexico calls 'refresco.' Gaseosa is the go-to word in Colombia, Argentina, Peru, and most of South America for any fizzy drink.

Flat broke, completely tapped out, without a single peso in your pocket. In Colombia and Ecuador, it's the most direct way to say you're at financial zero.

Money, cash, funds. The everyday word for money across most of South America, from Argentina to Bolivia. While Spain uses "dinero," much of Latin America just says plata, which literally means "silver."

A fermented corn drink of ancient Andean origin that existed long before colonization. Each country makes it differently, in some it's alcoholic, in others it's sweet, but it always has indigenous roots.

A creamy, nutritious green fruit that's the base of guacamole and a staple of Mexican cuisine. Avocado toast made it trendy worldwide, but Latin Americans have been eating it with everything for centuries.

The Andean tuber in all its varieties, a cultural symbol of the entire Andean region. In Peru and Bolivia the potato is the world's most versatile ingredient: over 3,000 varieties, each with a completely different taste.

A corn cob with its kernels still attached, the whole ear of corn in its natural form. It's what you boil, grill, or strip for kernels across all of Latin America.