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.

An informal hustle or creative strategy to make a living when there's no formal employment available. It's the Latin American art of surviving through side gigs, street vending, or whatever pays the bills.

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.

A person with emotionally damaging behaviors: manipulation, extreme jealousy, control, and constant drama. Being tóxico is the biggest red flag in dating.

To intentionally forget something, dismiss its importance, and actively choose not to carry the burden of it, often as a means of moving on or starting anew.

A very attractive, gorgeous woman. It's a widespread street compliment in Latin America that can be sweet between couples or bold when said to strangers.

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.

A Venezuelan person with aristocratic airs, snob, or upper-class who marks distance from others through how they talk, dress, and behave. "Qué sifrino ese tipo" means how pretentious. Used critically: sifrinos are those living in privileged Caracas zones, speaking with a specific accent and showing disdain for popular things. A word from lower class toward upper class, with a dose of humor.

Tight, voluminous curly hair. Used in Colombia and Venezuela with no negative connotation at all; it is simply a neutral, everyday description of a natural and very common hair type. Crespo hair is celebrated, not stigmatized, in the places this word comes from.

Drama, chaos, a loud messy scene where everyone's yelling and things spiral out of control in Venezuela. It's that situation where people can't stop arguing and fighting until someone calls the cops.

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.

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 get furiously angry, to explode with rage over something that pushed you over the edge. In Venezuela and Central America, when someone se encachimba, everyone notices because their face and voice give it away instantly.

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.

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.

An ice pop on a wooden stick, the most refreshing street treat you can buy in Mexico. From fruity to creamy to spicy, paletas come in endless flavors.

A mobile street food cart on wheels that rolls through the streets selling all kinds of food. From hot dogs to elotes and esquites, the carrito is the mobile kitchen feeding the people at any hour.

To upload or post content on the internet, social media, or any digital platform. Uploading a photo, video, or file is the everyday act of sharing your life or work with the entire world.

A party or celebration in Venezuela with music blasting, nonstop dancing, and drinks that keep flowing. When a bonche gets going, the energy is contagious and nobody wants to leave until sunrise.

The abbreviation for 'what the f***' expressing surprise, confusion, or total disbelief. It's the universal internet reaction when something makes absolutely no sense.

A tip-off or insider information passed confidentially before something happens. Widely used across Latin America, a pitazo gives you the advantage of knowing before everyone else, whether it is a heads-up about an inspection, a job opening, or any situation where timing matters.

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.

To get someone worked up, to push someone until they lose their patience. Used across Latin America as a warning that someone is reaching their limit and is about to snap.

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.

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 lot, tons, a huge amount of something in Venezuela, the intensifier that signals there's more of something than you can handle. 'Burda de' pumps up any noun: burda de gente, burda de trabajo, burda de años. It's enthusiastic, colorful, and distinctly Venezuelan.