Colombian Spanish — top 399 words
High-frequency vocabulary for English speakers. Reveal each card, then rate your recall — the schedule adapts (SM-2) and is stored on your device.
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Full word list
| # | Colombian Spanish | English |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | parce | buddy, mate (very common, esp. Medellín/Antioquia, now national) |
| 2 | parcero / parcera | buddy, close friend (m/f) |
| 3 | llave / llavecita | close friend, best mate (esp. Cali) |
| 4 | pana | friend, pal |
| 5 | man | guy, dude |
| 6 | mijo / mija | affectionate address, lit. 'my son/daughter' |
| 7 | cucho / cucha | older person, parent (affectionate) |
| 8 | pelado / pelada | kid, young person |
| 9 | teso / tesa | expert, someone very good at something |
| 10 | vieja / viejo | affectionate address to a woman/man (lit. old woman/man) |
| 11 | chévere | cool, great (shared with Venezuela, Ecuador) |
| 12 | bacano / bacana | cool, great, easygoing |
| 13 | chimba | awesome / rubbish depending on context (versatile slang) |
| 14 | qué chimba | how cool! (exclamation) |
| 15 | nota / qué nota | great, cool / how great! |
| 16 | tenaz | tough, hardcore, impressive (colloquial sense) |
| 17 | berraco / berraca | tough, determined, impressive person |
| 18 | qué berraquera | how impressive! what a big deal! |
| 19 | duro / dura | skilled, tough (lit. hard) |
| 20 | arrecho / arrecha | fired up, intense (context-sensitive; vulgar in some countries) |
| 21 | vaina | thing, stuff (all-purpose filler noun) |
| 22 | qué vaina | what a mess / what a pain |
| 23 | guaro | aguardiente, the national anise liquor |
| 24 | aguardiente | anise-flavored Colombian liquor |
| 25 | tinto | black coffee (small cup, no milk) |
| 26 | guayabo | hangover |
| 27 | enguayabado / enguayabada | hungover |
| 28 | camello | job, hard work (lit. camel) |
| 29 | camellar | to work hard |
| 30 | parchar | to hang out, to chill |
| 31 | el parche | the crew, the hangout group/spot |
| 32 | rumbear | to party, to go out dancing |
| 33 | la rumba | the party, night out |
| 34 | la farra | the party, night out |
| 35 | plata | money |
| 36 | chino / china | child, kid (regional; from Chibcha per encyclopedic sources) |
| 37 | dar papaya | to expose oneself to unnecessary risk |
| 38 | no dar papaya | don't make yourself an easy target |
| 39 | estar en la olla | to be broke / in trouble (lit. to be in the pot) |
| 40 | a la orden | at your service / you're welcome (used constantly in shops) |
| 41 | ¿qué más? | what's up? (greeting) |
| 42 | ¿qué hubo? / quiubo | what's up? (contracted greeting) |
| 43 | ¿bien o qué? | you good? how's it going? |
| 44 | el combo | the group, the crew |
| 45 | la vuelta | the errand, the task, the deal |
| 46 | hacer la vuelta | to run an errand, sort something out |
| 47 | cuadrar | to arrange, set up a plan or meeting |
| 48 | el cuento | the story, the situation |
| 49 | fresco / fresca | relax, don't worry, chill out |
| 50 | estar mamado / mamada | to be exhausted, fed up |
| 51 | mamar gallo | to mess around, kid someone, waste time |
| 52 | vacilar | to joke around, tease, flirt |
| 53 | montar | to tease, mock someone (colloquial) |
| 54 | tumbar | to rip off, cheat someone (colloquial) |
| 55 | sapo / sapa | snitch, gossip (lit. toad) |
| 56 | echar los perros | to flirt with someone |
| 57 | estar prendido / prendida | to be tipsy, buzzed |
| 58 | juepucha | damn! shoot! (mild oath) |
| 59 | qué pena | how embarrassing / sorry to bother you (Colombian sense differs from standard) |
| 60 | qué pena con usted | sorry to bother you (polite apology) |
| 61 | hágale | go for it! sure! let's do it! |
| 62 | no joda | no way! come on! (mild vulgar intensifier) |
| 63 | bobo / boba | silly, dumb (mild) |
| 64 | pandebono | cheese bread from Valle del Cauca |
| 65 | buñuelo | fried cheese ball, Christmas snack |
| 66 | arepa | corn cake, Colombian staple food |
| 67 | ajiaco | iconic Bogotá potato-and-chicken soup |
| 68 | bandeja paisa | large traditional Antioquian mixed platter |
| 69 | chontaduro | peach-palm fruit common in Cali |
| 70 | canelazo | hot spiced aguardiente drink |
| 71 | empanada | fried stuffed pastry, common snack |
| 72 | lulada | cold lulo-fruit drink typical of Cali |
| 73 | chicha | traditional fermented corn drink |
| 74 | changua | Bogotá milk-and-egg breakfast soup |
| 75 | sancocho | traditional Colombian stew |
| 76 | gaseosa | soda, soft drink (general Colombian usage) |
| 77 | sumercé | deferential/affectionate 'you' (Cundinamarca, Boyacá) |
| 78 | vos | familiar 'you' (voseo; Paisa region, Valle del Cauca) |
| 79 | usted (ustedeo) | 'you' used even among close friends/family in many regions |
| 80 | cachaco / cachaca | person from Bogotá (regional nickname) |
| 81 | rolo / rola | person from Bogotá (regional nickname) |
| 82 | paisa | person from Antioquia / the coffee region |
| 83 | costeño / costeña | person from the Caribbean or Pacific coast |
| 84 | llanero / llanera | person from the Eastern Plains (Llanos) |
| 85 | valluno / valluna | person from Valle del Cauca (Cali) |
| 86 | pastuso / pastusa | person from Nariño (Pasto) |
| 87 | opita | person from Tolima or Huila |
| 88 | santandereano / santandereana | person from Santander |
| 89 | gonorrea (¡cuidado, vulgar!) | very strong insult/slang intensifier — vocabulary for recognition only, not polite use |
| 90 | ñero / ñera | streetwise, from a rough neighborhood (context-dependent) |
| 91 | ¡uy! | wow! oh! (surprise) |
| 92 | ¡qué pecado! | what a shame! poor thing! (lit. what a sin) |
| 93 | hasta ahorita | see you in a bit |
| 94 | ahorita | in a little while / right now (diminutive of ahora, flexible timing) |
| 95 | gatico | little cat (regional -ico diminutive after /t/) |
| 96 | momentico | just a little moment (regional diminutive) |
| 97 | de pronto | maybe, perhaps (Colombian usage) |
| 98 | ¿sí o qué? | isn't that right? / well then? (tag question) |
| 99 | ¿cómo así? | what do you mean? how come? |
| 100 | berraquera | toughness, grit, impressive feat |
| 101 | la olla | rough/dangerous neighborhood (colloquial) or 'the pot' |
| 102 | el bus / la buseta | the bus / small city bus |
| 103 | la tienda | the corner store, small neighborhood shop |
| 104 | el man / la vieja (slang couple) | the guy / the woman (very colloquial) |
| 105 | caer bien | to like someone, get along well |
| 106 | mono / mona | blond(e) or light-skinned person (Colombian usage; not 'monkey') |
| 107 | gomelo / gomela | posh, preppy person (slang) |
| 108 | cambuche | makeshift shelter, shanty (regional) |
| 109 | cantaleta | nagging, scolding |
| 110 | chuzo | street food stall / grilled skewer (regional) |
| 111 | pola | beer (colloquial) |
| 112 | levantar | to pick someone up (romantically, colloquial) |
| 113 | verraquera | toughness / impressive feat (variant spelling) |
| 114 | mecato | snacks, junk food (regional) |
| 115 | polas y picadas | beer and appetizers (social gathering) |
| 116 | carrito | little car / any small vehicle (diminutive) |
| 117 | man'itico | just a tiny bit (extended diminutive) |
| 118 | hola | hello |
| 119 | buenos días | good morning |
| 120 | buenas tardes | good afternoon |
| 121 | buenas noches | good evening / good night |
| 122 | ¿cómo estás? | how are you? (informal) |
| 123 | ¿cómo está usted? | how are you? (formal) |
| 124 | bien, gracias | fine, thanks |
| 125 | mal | bad, unwell |
| 126 | más o menos | so-so |
| 127 | gracias | thank you |
| 128 | muchas gracias | thank you very much |
| 129 | de nada | you're welcome |
| 130 | por favor | please |
| 131 | perdón | sorry, excuse me |
| 132 | lo siento | I'm sorry |
| 133 | con permiso | excuse me (to pass by) |
| 134 | sí | yes |
| 135 | no | no |
| 136 | adiós | goodbye |
| 137 | hasta luego | see you later |
| 138 | hasta mañana | see you tomorrow |
| 139 | chao | bye (informal) |
| 140 | ¿cómo te llamas? | what's your name? (informal) |
| 141 | me llamo... | my name is... |
| 142 | mucho gusto | nice to meet you |
| 143 | igualmente | likewise |
| 144 | yo | I |
| 145 | tú | you (informal singular) |
| 146 | él | he |
| 147 | ella | she |
| 148 | nosotros / nosotras | we |
| 149 | ustedes | you all (plural, general in Colombia) |
| 150 | ellos / ellas | they |
| 151 | usted | you (formal, and widely used informally in Colombia) |
| 152 | mi / mis | my |
| 153 | tu / tus | your (informal) |
| 154 | su / sus | his/her/your (formal)/their |
| 155 | hombre | man |
| 156 | mujer | woman |
| 157 | niño / niña | boy / girl |
| 158 | bebé | baby |
| 159 | madre / mamá | mother / mom |
| 160 | padre / papá | father / dad |
| 161 | hijo / hija | son / daughter |
| 162 | hermano / hermana | brother / sister |
| 163 | abuelo / abuela | grandfather / grandmother |
| 164 | tío / tía | uncle / aunt |
| 165 | primo / prima | cousin |
| 166 | esposo / esposa | husband / wife |
| 167 | novio / novia | boyfriend / girlfriend |
| 168 | amigo / amiga | friend |
| 169 | familia | family |
| 170 | agua | water |
| 171 | comer | to eat |
| 172 | beber / tomar | to drink |
| 173 | pan | bread |
| 174 | arroz | rice |
| 175 | frijoles | beans |
| 176 | papa | potato |
| 177 | plátano | plantain / banana |
| 178 | fruta | fruit |
| 179 | verdura | vegetable |
| 180 | carne | meat |
| 181 | pollo | chicken |
| 182 | pescado | fish (as food) |
| 183 | huevo | egg |
| 184 | queso | cheese |
| 185 | leche | milk |
| 186 | café | coffee |
| 187 | azúcar | sugar |
| 188 | sal | salt |
| 189 | desayuno | breakfast |
| 190 | almuerzo | lunch |
| 191 | cena | dinner |
| 192 | uno | one |
| 193 | dos | two |
| 194 | tres | three |
| 195 | cuatro | four |
| 196 | cinco | five |
| 197 | seis | six |
| 198 | siete | seven |
| 199 | ocho | eight |
| 200 | nueve | nine |
| 201 | diez | ten |
| 202 | once | eleven |
| 203 | doce | twelve |
| 204 | veinte | twenty |
| 205 | treinta | thirty |
| 206 | cuarenta | forty |
| 207 | cincuenta | fifty |
| 208 | cien | one hundred |
| 209 | mil | one thousand |
| 210 | primero | first |
| 211 | segundo | second |
| 212 | tercero | third |
| 213 | ir | to go |
| 214 | venir | to come |
| 215 | ser | to be (identity/traits) |
| 216 | estar | to be (state/location) |
| 217 | tener | to have |
| 218 | hacer | to do / to make |
| 219 | decir | to say / to tell |
| 220 | ver | to see |
| 221 | oír | to hear |
| 222 | hablar | to speak |
| 223 | saber | to know (a fact) |
| 224 | conocer | to know (a person/place) |
| 225 | querer | to want / to love |
| 226 | poder | to be able to / can |
| 227 | dormir | to sleep |
| 228 | leer | to read |
| 229 | escribir | to write |
| 230 | trabajar | to work |
| 231 | estudiar | to study |
| 232 | vivir | to live |
| 233 | caminar | to walk |
| 234 | correr | to run |
| 235 | comprar | to buy |
| 236 | vender | to sell |
| 237 | pagar | to pay |
| 238 | necesitar | to need |
| 239 | ayudar | to help |
| 240 | entender | to understand |
| 241 | pensar | to think |
| 242 | sentir | to feel |
| 243 | llegar | to arrive |
| 244 | salir | to leave / to go out |
| 245 | volver / regresar | to return |
| 246 | empezar / comenzar | to begin |
| 247 | terminar / acabar | to finish |
| 248 | buscar | to look for |
| 249 | encontrar | to find |
| 250 | dar | to give |
| 251 | tomar | to take / to drink |
| 252 | llevar | to carry / to take (something/someone) |
| 253 | traer | to bring |
| 254 | poner | to put |
| 255 | bueno / buena | good |
| 256 | malo / mala | bad |
| 257 | grande | big |
| 258 | pequeño / chiquito | small, little |
| 259 | caliente | hot |
| 260 | frío / fría | cold |
| 261 | bonito / bonita | pretty |
| 262 | feo / fea | ugly |
| 263 | rápido / rápida | fast |
| 264 | lento / despacio | slow / slowly |
| 265 | nuevo / nueva | new |
| 266 | viejo / vieja | old |
| 267 | fácil | easy |
| 268 | difícil | difficult |
| 269 | feliz | happy |
| 270 | triste | sad |
| 271 | cansado / cansada | tired |
| 272 | ocupado / ocupada | busy |
| 273 | importante | important |
| 274 | interesante | interesting |
| 275 | ¿qué? | what? |
| 276 | ¿quién? | who? |
| 277 | ¿dónde? | where? |
| 278 | ¿cuándo? | when? |
| 279 | ¿cómo? | how? |
| 280 | ¿cuánto / cuánta? | how much? |
| 281 | ¿cuántos / cuántas? | how many? |
| 282 | ¿por qué? | why? |
| 283 | ¿cuál? | which? |
| 284 | y | and |
| 285 | o | or |
| 286 | con | with |
| 287 | sin | without |
| 288 | pero | but |
| 289 | porque | because |
| 290 | también | also |
| 291 | tampoco | neither, not either |
| 292 | siempre | always |
| 293 | nunca | never |
| 294 | a veces | sometimes |
| 295 | hoy | today |
| 296 | mañana | tomorrow / morning |
| 297 | ayer | yesterday |
| 298 | ahora | now |
| 299 | después | after, later |
| 300 | antes | before |
| 301 | tarde | late / afternoon |
| 302 | temprano | early |
| 303 | noche | night |
| 304 | semana | week |
| 305 | mes | month |
| 306 | año | year |
| 307 | lunes | Monday |
| 308 | martes | Tuesday |
| 309 | miércoles | Wednesday |
| 310 | jueves | Thursday |
| 311 | viernes | Friday |
| 312 | sábado | Saturday |
| 313 | domingo | Sunday |
| 314 | casa | house |
| 315 | apartamento | apartment |
| 316 | puerta | door |
| 317 | ventana | window |
| 318 | mesa | table |
| 319 | silla | chair |
| 320 | cama | bed |
| 321 | cocina | kitchen |
| 322 | baño | bathroom |
| 323 | calle | street |
| 324 | ciudad | city |
| 325 | país | country |
| 326 | mundo | world |
| 327 | escuela / colegio | school |
| 328 | universidad | university |
| 329 | trabajo | work, job |
| 330 | dinero | money |
| 331 | tiempo | time / weather |
| 332 | día | day |
| 333 | carro / coche | car |
| 334 | bus / autobús | bus |
| 335 | avión | airplane |
| 336 | tren | train |
| 337 | aeropuerto | airport |
| 338 | cabeza | head |
| 339 | mano | hand |
| 340 | pie | foot |
| 341 | ojo | eye |
| 342 | boca | mouth |
| 343 | corazón | heart |
| 344 | cuerpo | body |
| 345 | rojo / roja | red |
| 346 | azul | blue |
| 347 | verde | green |
| 348 | amarillo / amarilla | yellow |
| 349 | negro / negra | black |
| 350 | blanco / blanca | white |
| 351 | morado / morada | purple |
| 352 | naranja | orange (color/fruit) |
| 353 | uno mismo | oneself |
| 354 | perro | dog |
| 355 | gato | cat |
| 356 | pájaro | bird |
| 357 | vaca | cow |
| 358 | caballo | horse |
| 359 | cerdo | pig |
| 360 | mar | sea |
| 361 | río | river |
| 362 | montaña | mountain |
| 363 | cielo | sky |
| 364 | sol | sun |
| 365 | luna | moon |
| 366 | lluvia | rain |
| 367 | viento | wind |
| 368 | frío (clima) | cold (weather) |
| 369 | calor | heat |
| 370 | libro | book |
| 371 | papel | paper |
| 372 | lápiz | pencil |
| 373 | teléfono | telephone |
| 374 | computador / computadora | computer |
| 375 | internet | internet |
| 376 | música | music |
| 377 | película | movie |
| 378 | fiesta | party |
| 379 | baile | dance |
| 380 | canción | song |
| 381 | cuidado | careful, be careful |
| 382 | peligro | danger |
| 383 | seguro / segura | safe, sure |
| 384 | médico / doctor | doctor |
| 385 | hospital | hospital |
| 386 | policía | police |
| 387 | iglesia | church |
| 388 | mercado | market |
| 389 | tienda | store, shop |
| 390 | restaurante | restaurant |
| 391 | plaza | town square |
| 392 | parque | park |
| 393 | playa | beach |
| 394 | montañas (Andes) | mountains (the Andes, defining Colombian geography) |
| 395 | café (bebida y cultivo) | coffee (drink and crop, key to Colombian identity) |
| 396 | vallenato | traditional Colombian folk music genre |
| 397 | cumbia | traditional Colombian dance/music genre |
| 398 | salsa | popular dance/music genre strong in Cali |
| 399 | champeta | Afro-Colombian dance/music genre from the Caribbean coast |