Common terms for streets in Mexico

The most common term seen and used in Mexico is “calle” —street— with calle principal indicating a main route, usually crossing or connecting smaller streets adjacent.  The fancier avenida, or avenue, and even bulevar may also be employed when the need for distinction arises.

Camino, the equivalent of ‘road’ or ‘way’ in English, is less commonly seen and used in Mexico, and is a word that can also serve to describe a person’s journey: va en camino, he’s on his way—or distinctly, va por su camino which translates to ‘he’s making his own way (in life)’.

Callejón indicates a narrow road or alley, and retorno stipulates a dead-end or cul-de-sac, with the Spanish in this case more practical in letting the wanderer know there’s no point going there without a specific reason.  Retorno can also indicate a loop or opportunity to U-turn or double-back over a bridge or under a tunnel to cross-over to the other side of a road; on some roads it could also be a wide space within a camellón (median strip) reserved for that purpose.

Related to retorno is cerrada, which is oftentimes used to describe a private road with a dead-end; privada might also be used in this context.

Another term you’ll come across when driving in Mexico the word crucero which means junction.  Related to crucero is the word entronque, which means to connect, or merge.  Junctions are most often signed when they require additional precautions to be exercised, —for example, Entronque Peligroso— where a road merges with another on the left hand side of the adjoining highway (overtaking lane) instead of the (more-usual) merge lane on the right.

Freeways and tolled highways

Moving onto trunk roads, there are two ways of referring to a highway: carretera and autopista; and these are sometimes referred to (or signed on highways) as ‘Libre‘ (freeway) or ‘Cuota‘ (tollway), respectively.

Carretera is akin to the U.S. freeway and most often refers to the federally-funded interstate roads which connect main towns and cities, but may also refer to a primary trunk road around a town or city.  These are usually not tolled, and most are two-lane highways; some have stretches for overtaking slow vehicles.  You might see these signed as ‘Libre‘ on highways.

Autopista (and its related term, ‘cuota’) are words reserved to describe tolled interstate highways in Mexico—some of which run alongside, or nearby, carreteras federales. You might see these signed as ‘Cuota‘ on highways.

The toll fee is called peaje although tolled highways in Mexico are rarely if ever referred to using that word.

Streets alongside ocean scenes

Seaside resorts, and the roads or highways connecting them, have their costeras, or coast roads.  These describe streets or roads which can vary in size and importance, but which invariably run along the seafront.  Inside coastal towns alongside some costeras you may find el malecón—a pedestrian boardwalk or esplanade facing the waterfront, some of which might also include a lane for pedal-bikers, and those using skates and skateboards.

Miscellaneous street terms in Mexico

Some other related terms you may encounter in journey parlance here include:

• lateral, which refers to a parallel side road that may be situated alongside any main urban road, or carretera, or autopista, and separated by a camellón—a central reservation or median strip;
• libramientos, which can sometimes be part of a carretera or autopista refer to ‘relief roads,’ built specifically to route passing traffic away from, or around, a town or city center;
• periférico refers to a ring road (or beltway) around a town, city, or place;
• in Mexico City, the stretches of tolled elevated beltway raised primarily above the capital’s original beltway (anillo periferico) is colloquially referred to as El Segundo Piso.  You need a ‘Tag’ on your vehicle’s dashboard or windshield to use the electronically controlled gates which give drivers access to the tolled level of roadway;
• for those traveling on foot: footpaths, nature trails, and ancient pathways are commonly described as senderos, whereas formal pedestrian walkways, or shopping streets closed to traffic, are referred to as a paseo peatonal; and
• paseo that means a walk or a drive, and pasear means to go for a walk, or a ride, or a drive. The word pasear is somewhat more versatile than what the average dictionary can accommodate: it can also mean go out with no particular purpose or plan, maybe hang out at the mall, grab a coffee, browse the stores, watch a movie, or just wander about. It’s also used as a term to mean going away, being away, or having been away on vacation—voy/estoy/estuve de paseo.

But Mexican speech is polite even by Spanish or Latin American standards. As with many modern languages, English excepted, Spanish has two forms for the word you: the formal usted and the informal tú.

Most people form their own ideas about when and to whom the polite form should apply, and when the chummier tú is in order.

You may imagine that the difficulties only exist with people you don’t know well, since friends and family will almost always be tú.

But what would appear to be a straightforward matter of categorizing other people —and ultimately yourself— actually turns out to be a rather complex maze in which it’s beyond most people’s ability to be congruent.

There’s no getting away from the class element which lies at the heart of the matter, but it’s not always a case of superior and inferior (although it can be). It’s often a case of like and unlike, and age also plays a role. You may think to address the plumber as tú, except that he may be twenty years your senior and was probably called-in after you flooded the kitchen trying to repair what started out as a simple drip. Usted would be quite correct.

In nearly all the service trades in Mexico, the formal usted is the preferred usage in conversations between the provider and the customer, whether it’s at the corner shop, in a restaurant, a taxi, or at the hairdressers. One’s elders ought to be addressed as usted, at least to start with, so probably ought figures of authority, and grumpy-looking people in general.

Tú is the common form used to children, among teachers and their students, co-workers—and strangers arguing over parking spaces: it’s hard to vent in the polite form.

Children can call everyone tú, so can the outgoing and self-confident; while people just learning Spanish can happily get them mixed up along with their corresponding verb forms. (Usted takes the same verb form as the third person singular, and this can be a source of confusion even among native speakers, particularly when using the imperative which takes a subjunctive form with usted.)

Grammar aside, what happens when you’re calling somebody tú and they’re addressing you as usted, or vice-versa? Often this seems normal and no one is uncomfortable with it, but occasionally it can make a conversation stilted, with each speaker trying to avoid any direct reference to the other as a way out of the dilemma. Anyway, it’s better to start with the polite form and progress to the informal, than it is to go the other way.

No one I know of has ever suffered any serious emotional damage from being wrongly addressed, and so the problem, if there is one, is of perception. And you know you may be going native if someone calls you tú and you think they might not unreasonably have addressed you as usted.

As for the Colombian student, some people politely agreed that he was probably right about the expression mande. Of course there’s no reason for the speaker to ‘command.’  It might have been more in-keeping with the time and place to point out that it doesn’t mean ‘command’ at all, it means ‘pardon?’ Otherwise, why would people who always address each other using the informal tú say ¿mande? when it’s in the imperative polite form?

¿Qué? I hear someone saying.

More about language and social etiquette

More insights about the the use of language and social etiquette in Mexico

• Guide to social etiquette in Mexico
• Articles about local customs
• PinPoint Spanish: learn about the nuances of Mexican Spanish

Speaking Spanish gives you access to the local culture and enables you to engage with people in ways that are simply not possible through third party translation and will enhance every experience you encounter in Mexico.

Conversation is the key to language fluency

It’s the everyday interactions with other people that give us the most value and most pleasure from being able to communicate in another language.  Developing your ability to converse in Spanish requires a regular exercise of your vocabulary, and confidence.

The online course offered by our associate is helpful when

• you visit Mexico frequently and want to converse in Spanish for leisure, lifestyle, or for work;
• you’re already living in Mexico and want to improve your Spanish language conversation skills;
• you plan to move to Mexico and you’d like to arrive prepared to converse more confidently.

You can choose from pricing plans depending on how many lessons you want per week.

Each course is tailored based on your current skill level and language learning goals, and your free assessment also includes a lesson test-run over a video call.

True beginner

When you want to get started speaking Spanish for the first time, a coach will help you to build a solid foundation and get you conversing in Spanish.  You will be speaking Spanish from day one of the course.  This is ideal for those who have never studied Spanish before or those who studied it many years ago but don’t remember much, or anything, from those studies.

False beginner

When you’re someone who’s had previous experiences with trying to learn Spanish but still can’t string a sentence together, this course can help you to retrieve the information you’ve stored over the years, unlock what you already know, and develop new vocabulary and skills while building confidence speaking Spanish in everyday situations.   It’s ideal when you understand more Spanish than you can speak or lack confidence when you need to express yourself in Spanish.

Intermediate learner

When you have a good basic grasp of Spanish, but you sense that you’ve reached a plateau you can’t overcome or need to develop confidence to speak Spanish with strangers or in public, this course can help you to make material advances in your current Spanish language capabilities.  Most language students get stuck in a loop and need some help at some point, and a coach will assess your current level with a view to structuring a course to help you reach your goals.  This is ideal when you’ve tried other courses that don’t seem to work, or sense that your vocabulary and sentence structure need to be sharper or more refined.

Intermediate-advanced learner

When you’re seeking to improve your Spanish language capabilities for specific purposes, for example, as part of a career development plan or due to some other specialized interest, your intermediate-advanced skills can benefit by having the course structured to your more advanced needs or professional goals.   For example, you might need to learn Spanish in the context of medical, scientific, business, educational, or technical disciplines.  This course is ideal for those who have a decent command of the Spanish language, but who want to sharpen their abilities and gain others’ trust when speaking in Spanish, especially in formal or business situations.

Someone who wants to learn Spanish for living in Mexico

If you’re living in Mexico, or plan to make a move here in the future, this online course can also help you to improve your Spanish language skills to face everyday lifestyle situations in Mexico.  Language lifestyle conversations are helpful when you are already living here and want to improve your language skills, or you visit Mexico frequently, or plan to move to Mexico in future—so that you can arrive prepared with language and vocabulary skills that will enable you to converse confidently in lifestyle situations you’ll encounter when you’re here.

Every course is tailored to your current skill level

Every course is tailor-made for each student.

Request a free consultation today and our language associate will take the time to assess your current language skill level on a video call and talk about your goals and intentions in regard to improving your Spanish language conversation skills, with no obligation.

Your free assessment also includes a lesson test-run via video-call, and if you enjoy the format you can choose to sign-up for a course that will be tailored to your current Spanish language proficiency and language learning goals.

Month-to-month coaching plans are available from US$140 per month; and you can cancel anytime.

Book your free consultation and lesson test-run, with no obligation

Ability to use ‘to be able’

It so happens that the equivalent “to be able” is also a cause of many headaches for Spanish speakers learning English, starting with the baffling infinitive, and progressing through the maze of different uses of “could.”

The conditional and imperfect subjunctive of poder are formed in the same way as with other verbs:

• podría, podrías, podríamos, etc., and
• pudiera (pudiese), pudieras, pudiéramos etc.

The tenses apply as they do for other verbs mentioned in the related article.

It could get confusing

The problem lies more in the English word “could,” which can be simple past, imperfect, conditional, or even a sort of implied subjunctive. English speakers usually don’t consider which of these is the case, making the choice of the right Spanish tense more difficult. Here are some examples:

• I could watch that film a dozen times — yo podría ver esa película una y otra vez*
• I would go there every year if I could — iría allá todos los años si pudiera

The simple past and imperfect

Less straightforward is when to use the imperfect “podía“ and when the simple past tense “pude” etc. In some cases the very same expression can have two different meanings.

Usually the imperfect suggests a temporary or ongoing ability to do, or not do, something, while the simple past refers to something that’s finished, for example:

• No pudimos ir a tu fiesta — we couldn’t go to your party; but
• No podíamos ir a fiestas — we couldn’t, or weren’t allowed, to go to parties;
  and
• Él no podía hacer su tarea — he couldn’t do his homework  (because he didn’t understand the subject); but
• No pudo hacer su tarea — because he was sick or didn’t have a pencil.

* No one in Spanish uses the word “docena” for dozen in the figurative sense, only literally, such as una docena de huevos—a dozen eggs. On the other hand, Spanish does use decenas to convey many but not necessarily hundreds, for which “tens” in English would be a poor translation; see also Ordinal Numbers in Spanish

Vowels don’t change their sound in Spanish

By themselves, Spanish vowels never really alter their sound, unlike English vowels, which, to the native Spanish speaker can be quite baffling. Pronunciation of words like determine, waffle, sausage, and names like Ian and Graham, as well as wind (the kind that blows) and wind (as a watch), read (present) and read (past), and differences in the pronunciation of words such as rough, bough, though, thought and thorough, are almost anathema to the logical Spanish mind.

Vowels joined together

Even when two vowels together join to make a single sound, that sound is essentially a combination of the two vowels’ individual pronunciations.

Here are some examples:

• Amainar —to wane or diminish— has the regular ‘a’ sound, (a as in cat) in the first syllable, while the ‘ai‘ is pronounced like the long i in English, as in high.
• If you join the short ‘a‘ and the Spanish i (pronounced as the long ‘e’ in English—like the first ‘e’ in Peter) you get a sound very similar to the English long i. It requires a bit of squashing them together as two vowels are made to fit the space of one, but the basic sounds are kept.
• The ‘au‘ in Spanish is pronounced like the ‘ou’ in the English ‘out’ and is a similar combination of the Spanish ‘a’ sound and the Spanish ‘u’ – which is like the English ‘u’ in flute.
• The ‘o’ in Spanish is pronounced as the short ‘o’ in dog. The ‘o’ combined with ‘i’ or ‘y’ is pronounced as the ‘oy’ in boy, and presents little difficulty.
• ‘Ou’ in Spanish only occurs in foreign words —for example ‘voucher’— and its pronunciation is usually as close as possible to that of the foreign word. the Royal Spanish Academy, the Real Academia or RAE, actually spells it ‘váucher.’ More common in Spanish is cupón or vale.

This holds true for other combinations of strong and weak vowels joined to form a single syllable.

The ‘sharp’ E in Spanish

There is, however, one subtle variation in the sound of the Spanish ‘e’, which is slightly sharper at the end of a word than at the beginning or in the middle.

While the correct pronunciation of the Mexican currency —the peso— is closer to PE’-soh than PAY’-soh, the sound of the ‘e’ at the end of a word (i.e. not followed by a consonant) is slightly closer to ‘ay’ without being quite the same.  Here are some other examples to illustrate the point:

• Perderé — (I will lose) – is approximately pair-de-RAY’.
• Depende — (it depends) – roughly de-PEN-day.
• Impenetrable — EEM-pe-ne-TRA-blay.

Now if there’s one thing that’s liable to get friends and family wound up, it’s talking as if you had been born and bred on the peninsula. The reasons for this could be historical, or cultural, or a bit of both. The point is that applying the preferred Iberian usage of the imperfect subjunctive tense in Mexico is considered pompous at best.

The imperfect subjunctive in Spanish

The imperfect subjunctive is very common in Spanish and it’s easy to mix it up with the conditional tense.

The imperfect subjunctive is formed by taking the root of the past historic tense, and adding the endings iera, ieras, iéramos etc. for “er” and “ir” verbs and ara, aras, áramos, etc. for “ar” verbs.

Also correct are the endings iese, iésemos, ase, ásemos, etc. The conditional tense is formed in a similar way as the future tense. The endings ía, ías, íamos, etc. are added to the infinitive of the verb—with certain exceptions for irregular verbs. In any case, Spanish conjugation tables are readily available online.

The two tenses in practical use

The two tenses —imperfect subjunctive and conditional— are used together when dealing with “if … then …” constructions. For example:

“Si supieras la razón, no preguntarías por qué” – if  you knew (imperfect subjunctive) the reason, you wouldn’t ask (conditional) why.

In Mexico, it’s most common to hear the imperfect subjunctive used instead of the conditional in these cases. Whether or not correctly is probably a matter of taste, since the usage is quite widespread.

So instead of saying “si no hubieras venido, yo habría entendido,” (if you hadn’t come, I would have understood), people will say “si no hubieras venido, yo hubiera entendido.” In fact, the conditional “habría” (from the auxiliary verb haber – to have) is almost always replaced in Mexico with “hubiera.”  This isn’t as often the case with other verbs.

The unconditional imperfect subjunctive

There are also a number of uses of the imperfect subjunctive without the conditional “if,” although the conditional is frequently implicit in the meaning:

“Hubieras hablado antes de venir” means you should have, or ought to have, called before coming;

“Bueno fuera” can be translated as, if only (it were true).

Quisiera (from querer) hablar contigo” means I would like to talk to you. “Quisieras ser rico” can mean you would like to be rich, but more than likely means you wish you were rich (the tone of voice will clarify that).

Implicit caveats in conditional tenses

The conditional tense also has uses beyond the basic “would.” In newspapers it’s frequently used to convey the entire idea of reported fact (or fiction) without needing to specify an origin or source:

“La economía crecería 1%” quite compactly expresses the idea that the economy would grow 1% if whatever reason for assuming so, or whoever says so, is correct;

“Habría más de 40 arrestados tras partido de futbol” means there were reportedly 40 arrests after the football game;

What the conditional tense does is rather neatly add an implicit caveat to the information presented.

Verb tenses and Mexican Spanish

Mexican Spanish plays fast and loose with the different verb tenses, particularly where the conditional and subjunctives are concerned. To learn all the different ways, practice is ultimately better than a thick grammar book, particularly one people speaking the language won’t —or wouldn’t— have read.

See also: Variation on a Theme: The verb “poder”

Describing the places people come from

While in English you would simply ask, “what do you call people who come from Mexico?” In Spanish you would ask, “¿cuál es el gentilicio de México?” “Gentilicio de gente de México” or somewhere else would evidently be redundant.

The adjective to describe a person’s country, city, or region of origin will be the place name, often slightly modified, followed by suffixes such as: és, esa; ano, ana; ino, ina; eco, eca; eño, eña; and ense (masculine or feminine).

Some examples for Mexico include:

• Puebla: poblano/a
• Yucatán: yucateco/a
• Morelos: morelense
• León: leonés/esa
• San Luis Potosí: potosino/a
• Jalisco: jalisciense

Often it’s a case of just having to learn the correct term for each place, although as your Spanish improves you may be able to guess correctly because it just “sounds right.”  And some differences of opinion will always be possible.

Some places have multiple gentilic names

There is some disagreement whether people from the Mexican state of Nuevo León should be called nuevoleoneses or neoleoneses.  Both are acceptable.  People from Chihuahua call themselves chihuahuenses, and say chihuahueño should only be used to refer to the breed of small dog (and then there are the canophiles who insist the breed should be called a Chihuahua, not Chihuahueño).  Fence-sitting in these cases is advised for the interested outsider.

Irregular adjectives and nicknames

There are a number of irregular adjectives for places in Mexico. People from Monterrey are called regiomontanos, often shortened to regios.  People from Guadalajara are usually referred to as tapatíos rather than guadalajarenses and people from Nayarit are more often called nayaritas (ending in “a” whether feminine or masculine) than nayaritenses, although both are correct.  People from Aguascalientes are aguascalentenses (drops the “i”) but can also be called, somewhat scientifically, hidrocálidos.

In addition to correct gentilics, there are nicknames for people from certain places. Veracruzanos are known as jarochos, and most notably, Mexico City denizens are called and often reviled as chilangos.

Special case: Mexicano, Mexiquense, Mexiqueño

There is one case where different suffixes are used to differentiate between places with the same name, specifically Mexico.  Mexicano/a obviously refers to anyone or anything from Mexico the country.  Mexiquense refers to people and things from the State of Mexico, and controversially, mexiqueño has recently been batted about for people from Mexico City, which changed its official name from the ‘Federal District’.

Some grammar notes for gentilics in Spanish

Adjectives, even for people and places, are not capitalized in Spanish.

Gentilicios follow the same rules for masculine and feminine, singular and plural, as other adjectives. Endings in “o” change to “a” for feminine, and add “s” for plural in both cases. Adjectives that end in “e” are the same for masculine and feminine, and add “s” for plural.

Mixed masculine and feminine plurals still take the masculine form, but as noted here, it has become common to precede that with “las y los“.

And gentilicios are interchangeable as adjectives and nouns.  El turismo mexicano (adj).  Las y los mexicanos (noun).  El mexiquense (noun).  Toluca es la capital mexiquense (adj).

Final note: India

A discussion that occasionally crops up with Spanish speakers is the correct gentilicio to describe people from India.  A person from India is commonly referred to in Latin America as hindú, although our favorite Spanish dictionary gives both indio and hindú as the correct word for people from India.

Hindú, you may be told, refers to the principal religion of that country and not the race.  This is sort of confusing things with English, where Hindu refers only to the religion.  To confuse matters, hindú in Spanish also refers to people of that religion, and its use to refer to race is likely related to how Persians pronounced what is known as the Indus River and its original inhabitants.  This discussion, when kept academic, can make for some excellent Spanish practice.

Annex: Gentilics by Mexican State

This wiki page contains a full list of gentilicios for Mexico by state.

The word apparently originated in colonial times and referred to an indigenous servant of the Spanish gentry. In modern times, its use has become more widespread and its application broadened to include anyone deemed to show a lack of education in their use of language, taste in music, food, cars—or anything else.

It can be used as a noun or an adjective, although with members of the middle and upper-middle classes applying it liberally to each other, the adjectival form is now probably more frequent. Its use became so common, that the superlative naquísimo is employed to deal with more egregious lapses of etiquette.

Naco’s social opposite is the dainty fresa—originally applied to the spoiled (usually female) children of the monied classes, who wouldn’t wish to be seen dead on public transport, for example. That has also been extended, and now includes anyone who’s touchy about tastes, and possibly allergic to all known germs. Naco can apply to women in the feminine form naca, and fresa can be applied to males with no change in ending.

Neither naco, nor fresa, has a single equivalent in English. In some cases, “redneck,” or “hick” would apply to the former, and “yuppy” to the latter, but the application is too specific to capture all the Mexican possibilities.

The outburst “no seas naco/naca” (“don’t be naco/naca”) is often preceded or followed by the manifestly fresa and evidently meaningless interjection “o sea.”

Because of the class aspect, a person who happens to have a lot of money, but is still a bit of a philistine, doesn’t escape the epithet of naco, either; and distasteful shows of opulence can merely make one a naco con lana — naco with money.  This expression also says a fair amount about the sensitivities of the fresas and their misunderstanding about the virtues or source of their wealth.

You shouldn’t have to spend too long in Mexico before coming across these words, but if you’re impatient for practical examples, here are some things you can do to prompt someone into uttering them:

To hear “No seas naco”

• Wear the collar of your shirt outside the collar of your jacket;
• Burnout the clutch on an incline rather than use the handbrake;
• Play a lot of norteño music, and tap your foot or even sing along;
• Squeeze into a seat on a Metro train car or bus and start nodding off, leaning to one side or the other and forcing your neighbors to readjust their position every couple of minutes.

To hear “Ay, qué fresa”

• Tell people you have Shakira or Luis Miguel on your Spotify playlists;
• Loudly mention important people you know;
• Break out the hand gel every time you touch anything on the street;
• Fan your face in the elevator even if it’s not hot out.

Some examples include:

• El veloz — “the speedy” one
• La Ventosa — “the windy” place
• Los desesperados — “the desperate” ones

Some English adjectives are also applied as nouns, such as in the rich, the poor, the good, etc., but these are usually general, whereas in Spanish almost any adjective can be used, and the application is specific.

This also lends itself to abuse, as sports commentators will tell you. Inevitably a 90-minute soccer match requires the narrator to refer dozens of times to the ball. There are three words in Spanish for ball:

• balón, used in soccer, basketball, and American football;
• pelota, which is used for tennis or golf balls; and
• bola, used to describe billiards or bowling balls.

Some, but not all, are interchangeable, and soccer commentators can use all three.

Not satisfied with three different words, they also take advantage of the adjective rule, and use “el esférico” (the spherical thing) or “la esférica“—the feminine is allowed because of “pelota.”

The trouble is, after a while it sounds silly even in Spanish. Although no one would question its shape —American football commentators use “el ovoide“— with the number of times “el esférico” is mentioned in a game, it rather defeats the purpose of finding a synonym.

Another word that doesn’t really have many synonyms is “agua” —water— and whenever the rain season starts late giving rise to a temporary drought, the alternative “vital líquido” comes back into vogue, “H2O” (AH-chay-dos-OH) being a bit pompous even for modern-day scribes.

Language opens your access to the culture

Language is a primary instrument that gives you access to a foreign culture, and being able to converse in Spanish —even at a basic conversational level— will make every experience you encounter in Mexico richer, and more meaningful to you.

Spanish is an important language that is widely spoken around the the world, and Mexican Spanish is polite, clear, and easy to understand.  The speed at which the language is spoken in Mexico is not as accelerated as it is Spain and some South American countries, and the pronunciation is softer, which makes the language easier to ‘pick-up’ and easier for beginners to learn.

PinPoint Spanish series shares valuable insights

PinPoint Spanish is an extensive series of articles which help you to study Mexican Spanish language usage and additionally, provide context and nuance of the language as it’s contemporarily spoken and applied in everyday situations across Mexico.

The series is an ideal study resource for beginners who want to get a wider perspective of the language beyond the basic mechanics and grammar, while intermediate and advanced students of the language will particularly enjoy the insights the articles share about the subtle nuances and everyday practical uses of Mexican Spanish.

Spanish language resources on Mexperience

Mexperience offers you knowledge and connections to help you learn and improve your Spanish language capabilities:

• Enjoy dozens of language insight articles through our PinPoint Spanish series
• Connect to our Learning Spanish section for more advice
• Find online Spanish courses to help you develop your conversation skills
• Discover language schools in Mexico where you can participate in a class in-person, or online

Purpose or end use vs motive or reason

The principal difficulty can be illustrated in the following phrases:

• Lo compré para ti – I bought it for you; and
• Lo hice por ti – I did it for you.

The difference is that:

• “para” denotes purpose or end use; while
• “por” expresses motive or reason for something.

Use and meanings of the word ‘por’

Por is also used to mean on behalf of, or because of.

• Hablo por mí – I speak for myself.
• Me apuro por temor a llegar tarde – I am hurrying for fear of arriving late.

Por also means by, through, or about.

• Tres por cuatro – Three by four.
• Caminar por la ciudad – To walk through or about the city.

Use and meanings of the word ‘para’

Para translates as “to” or “in order to” when followed by a verb in its infinitive form:

• Trabajo para ganar dinero – I work to earn money;

but translates to “so that” when followed by que and a verb in the subjunctive:

• Lo digo para que sepas – I say it so that you know.

Sometimes interchangeable

In some phrases, the two words can be interchangeable, such as

• Por siempre and para siempre – both mean forever.
• “Forever and ever” is often rendered por siempre y para siempre.

In use with the question ‘why?’

Both words can also be used with qué to mean “why?” although there is a subtle difference:

• ¿Para qué preguntas? —Why do you ask?— in the sense of: for what purpose do you ask?
• ¿Por qué preguntas? —Why do you ask?— in the sense of: for what reason do you ask?

Breakfast in Mexico

Breakfasts are famously hearty in Mexico, especially at weekend gatherings, whereas the weight and timing of other meals depend more on people’s schedules and eating habits.

Desayuno derives from the Spanish word ayunar —to fast— and thus describes the first meal of the day.

Traditionally, this will include coffee, pan dulce, and the choice of a hearty main course to get the day started: most popular are molletes, chilaquiles and the different Mexican styles of cooking eggs —huevos rancheros, a la mexicana, huevos divorciados— and at family weekend breakfast gatherings this might include a corn-dough huarache topped with beans and chicken or cecina (salted beef), and cream.

While these dishes are traditionally taken at breakfast time, there are no hard and fast rules on what dishes apply to what meals of the day.

Lunch or dinner

Comida is the main meal of the day; in English it translates to lunch or dinner, depending where you’re from.  Traditionally this meal is taken at around 2 p.m. and will include soup, a substantial main course, aguas frescas, a soda or beer, dessert and coffee.

Dinner or supper

Cena —dinner or supper— is taken later in the evening, anytime from 6 p.m. onward.  This tends to be a lighter meal before bedtime, although it may also be more substantial, especially if one’s comida was on the light side.

Other meals throughout the day

There are also meals between meals, or combination meals like brunch.

Almuerzo tends to refer to brunch, i.e. a late heavy breakfast —usually taken on leisurely weekends— that can be substantial enough to tide the diners over until the evening meal.  It can also refer to lunch in the U.S. sense: a light midday meal to be followed by a more complete cena (not comida which is always in the afternoon).

Merienda usually refers to a light afternoon meal between comida and cena. It could be coffee or milk with cookies, or buñuelos, which are sugar coated fritters, or any of Mexico’s selection of sweet bread, pan dulce.  The British would call this “afternoon tea.”  Americans probably just refer to it as an afternoon snack.  Merienda can also be instead of the cena, if the comida was more of a dinner than a lunch.

Corresponding verbs

Each of the meals has its corresponding verb: desayunar, almorzar, comer (which means “dine” and is also the generic “eat”), merendar, and cenar. The verbs are descriptive and don’t come across as pompous, as can be the case with English if you say you “breakfasted” at such and such a time, or “lunched” at one.