A short vertical video on Instagram inspired by TikTok, lasting between 15 and 90 seconds. The format every platform copied because it's addictive, great for viral content, and hooks you instantly.

Bombarding someone with excessive attention, gifts, and sweet words at the start of a relationship to manipulate and control them. When it seems too good to be true, it probably is and comes with hidden intentions.

Information that ruins the surprise of a movie, series, or book by revealing key plot points before you experience them yourself. Spoilers are the fastest way to make enemies online.

The invisible system that decides what content you see on social media, which videos pop up, and which posts disappear. The algorithm is the modern god that controls your feed without you even noticing.

Close friend, someone you trust. In Venezuela, it's as common as saying 'mano' in Mexico, implying a strong bond between friends.

The common cold with coughing, runny nose, sore throat, and general misery that catches you when you least expect it. According to every Latino mom, you get a resfriado from going out with wet hair or walking barefoot.

To make a good impression or fulfill what's expected of you in social situations. It's about looking good in front of others, bringing a gift to a party, dressing well, or saying the right thing.

To throw something in the trash or discard what's no longer useful in Chile, Colombia, and the Caribbean. It's the everyday verb for getting rid of stuff you don't need anymore.

Someone went too far, overdid it, or crossed a line they shouldn't have. 'Se pasó' works for good and bad: from 'went overboard with generosity' to 'crossed the line', it all depends on context and tone.

A ticket to access an event, concert, movie, or show in Spain and other countries. It's what you need to buy and have in hand so they'll let you through the door without any issues.

Butt, backside, or rear end. In Chile, poto is the completely standard, everyday word for buttocks, neither vulgar nor particularly polite, just the normal term used by everyone from kids to grandparents.

An upper-class person who acts the part, wealthy, polished, and carrying themselves with an air of superiority that the rest of Lima can't miss. The pituco is Peru's version of a snob: private schools, designer clothes, and a social circle that doesn't include anyone who takes public transit.

When someone absolutely kills it, looks incredible, does something spectacular, or just destroys everything in their path. Slay is Gen Z's ultimate compliment: if someone tells you "slay," you nailed it.

Short for 'away from keyboard', the player left their computer and isn't playing. AFK teammates are the bane of every online game, leaving their team short-handed.

A multicolored rainbow flag representing the indigenous Andean peoples. In Bolivia, the wiphala is an official state symbol and a marker of indigenous identity that no law can erase.

A sly trick using native cunning to gain an advantage over others. In Peru and Colombia, a criollada is a move that seems brilliant if it benefits you but totally unfair if it affects you.

A pen for writing, used in Peru, Colombia, and Central America. The everyday writing instrument that every Spanish-speaking country decided to call something different: lapicero, bolígrafo, pluma, birome. Same object, endless naming debates.

Red in many Latin American countries. It also describes someone who's blushing, either from embarrassment, sunburn, or anger, depending on the situation.

When someone says something you totally agree with and it's objectively true beyond any debate. It's like saying 'you're absolutely right' but in Gen Z fashion, quick, direct, and final.

A thunderous, powerful shot on goal in football, the kind the goalkeeper doesn't even see and that makes the net shake. When a player unleashes a cañonazo, the entire stadium jumps to its feet screaming.

To be enrolled in and attending a course or degree program at university. When you're actively going to classes and putting in time and effort to get through your studies.

An exclamation of respect and admiration for someone who did something impressive without complaining. In Colombia and Peru saying macho with admiration means acknowledging that someone just pulled off something really tough.

A flirt who goes from person to person without committing to anyone seriously, like a hummingbird going flower to flower. They're charming with everyone but loyal to no one.

A person dedicated to criticizing, hating, and trash-talking someone or something without any constructive purpose. Haters are fueled by envy and the need to bring others down.

An inseparable friend you're always with, your loyal adventure partner who never lets you down. In Bolivia and Peru, your yunta is that ride-or-die friendship that lasts a lifetime unconditionally.

A pencil sharpener in Peru and Colombia. The tool for sharpening your pencil when it gets dull and stops writing properly, essential in every school pencil case.

An urban music genre with heavy beats, introspective lyrics, and autotune that came from the US and got completely Latinized. It's the sound defining the current generation of Latin urban artists.

In football, a long and powerful pass or shot that travels through the air from one area to another. The 'pelotazo' is the strategy of the team that lacks technique but has strength.

The United States, a colloquial, somewhat mocking way to refer to the country up north, playing on its 'gringo' inhabitants. Used with humor, not malice.

To study intensely, to burn the midnight oil with your books until your brain cannot take any more. In Peru, "chancar" is the verb of every university student during exam season, pulling all nighters and cramming everything into one desperate, coffee fueled session.