Someone who emotionally damages the people around them through manipulation, jealousy, constant drama, or behaviors that drain everyone's energy. The go-to word across Spanish-speaking social media to describe relationships and people that do more harm than good.

Expensive: a product or service that costs more than expected or more than the buyer can comfortably afford. Used across most Spanish-speaking countries.

To make a good impression on someone, to be liked immediately, to generate genuine warmth and sympathy in another person from the very first interaction.

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.

To snitch on someone to a teacher, boss, or authority figure, telling what you saw or found out before anyone even asked. In Chile and Peru, the one who sapea runs to report the moment they get the chance.

To "warm the chair" at work: showing up every day without actually contributing anything useful. The classic office dead weight who arrives early, stays late, and somehow keeps their job while producing zero real results. Widely used across Spanish-speaking countries.

To heal emotionally, to work through past traumas and come out the other side healthier. Wellness culture across Latin America and Spain turned sanar into a movement word: everyone is either already healed, currently healing, or being told they need to heal something.

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 sweet, non-alcoholic drink made from purple corn, fruit, and spices. Not fermented at all, it is closer to a flavored soft drink than anything boozy. In Peru it is a daily staple, served alongside lunch the way other countries serve soda or juice.

Tanned animal hide used to make shoes, bags, jackets, and accessories. Leather goods are a status symbol and a craft tradition across Latin America, especially in Mexico and Argentina.

An image, video, or piece of text that spreads across the internet and becomes a shared cultural reference. The basic unit of digital humor: it mutates, adapts to any context, and connects people from all over the world through the same joke.

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.

To want two people to be together romantically, whether they're real people or fictional characters. The favorite hobby of fans who imagine couples and defend them with their lives on social media.

To stand someone up, to not show up for a date or commitment and leave the other person waiting alone. The worst way to disrespect someone who made time to see you.

Bad luck, a streak of misfortune that just keeps piling on. In Peru, leche refers to the condition of someone who cannot catch a break no matter what they do or how hard they try.

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.

Something that was posted on Twitter/X and became public for the whole world to see and judge. Once a message is "tuiteado," there is no taking it back, because the internet never forgets and never forgives. Used across all Spanish speaking countries as the standard verb for tweeting.

A person who desperately seeks approval and attention from the opposite sex by trying to seem different or special. The classic 'I'm not like the others' that everyone can spot from a mile away.

To make the most of a situation, resource, or person. Someone who sabe sacar provecho (knows how to capitalize) never lets a good opportunity go to waste, and can even turn a bad situation into a win.

A grape brandy that Peru and Chile have been fighting over forever regarding its origin. The pisco sour is the flagship cocktail of both countries and the pisco war has no end in sight.

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.

When a program, app, or video game glitches and behaves erratically and unexpectedly. Also used for people who get confused, freeze up, or act weird as if their brain just crashed.

To make a fool of oneself in public by saying or doing something inappropriate, wrong, or clumsy, resulting in visible embarrassment. It is one of the most universal and unavoidable experiences of human social life.

To cost a massive amount of effort, struggle, or sacrifice to achieve. Similar to "it cost me an arm and a leg" but focused on effort rather than money. Used across much of Latin America and Spain when something was brutally hard to pull off.

A sandwich, the local and endearing way they say it in Peru and Argentina. Every Spanish-speaking country adapted this borrowed English word to their own accent and rhythm, and this warm, casual version stuck firmly in everyday speech.

A wooden spinning top with a metal tip that spins when you throw it wrapped in string. It's a classic Latin American toy that requires serious skill to master, real ones can do tricks.

To have an amazing time, an experience so great you describe it as an explosion of fun and happiness. When you 'la pasas bomba,' every moment was perfect and the memory alone makes you smile.

Livestreams on social media where creators broadcast in real time and interact directly with their audience. Across the Spanish-speaking internet, "los lives" are seen as the rawest and most unfiltered side of a creator, far from the polished edited content on their main feed.

A friend, buddy, someone close you've got great vibes and real trust with in Peru. It's one of the most affectionate and uniquely Peruvian ways to refer to a soul friend you share everything with.