50 Peruvian slang words you'll actually hear in Lima.

You can study Spanish for years and still feel lost the first time someone in Lima says "oe causa, vamos a chambear al toque, después nos tiramos una chelita en mi jato" — a sentence that's perfectly correct Spanish and completely unintelligible if you only learned "textbook" vocabulary.

This is the vocabulary that actually fills daily conversation in Lima. None of it will show up on the DELE exam, and that's fine — but knowing it is what makes Spanish feel like it belongs to the place you're living in, not just a subject you studied.

People & relationships

• Pata — friend, buddy. "Es mi pata desde el colegio." (He's my friend since school.)
• Causa — friend, pal (very Lima). "¿Qué tal, causa?"
• Yunta — close friend, best friend. "Somos yunta desde chicos."
• Flaco/a — casual way to address someone, regardless of build. "Oye, flaco, ven un rato."
• Churro/a — attractive person. "Ese chico es un churro."
• Jerma — girlfriend/wife (informal, a bit dated but still heard). "Está con su jerma."
• Roche — embarrassment, awkwardness. "Qué roche, me equivoqué de nombre."
• Mostro/a — a great, reliable person. "Mi hermano es un mostro."

Everyday life

• Jato — house, home. "Voy a mi jato."
• Combi — minibus (Lima's informal public transport). "Me subí a la combi equivocada."
• Cúster — mid-size public bus, one step up from a combi.
• Chamba — work, job. "Tengo mucha chamba hoy."
• Chambear — to work. "Empiezo a chambear a las ocho."
• Cole — school (short for colegio). "Salgo del cole a las tres."
• Tombo — police officer (informal, mildly irreverent). "Ahí viene el tombo."
• Fercho — cheap, low-quality version of something. "Ese celular es bien fercho."

Feelings & reactions

• Bacán — cool, great. "Está bacán tu casa."
• Chévere — cool, nice (also common). "Qué chévere que vinieras."
• Fregado/a — difficult, complicated, or (of a person) tough/relentless. "Está fregado el tráfico hoy."
• Paja — nonsense, a lie, or "no big deal" depending on context. "Es pura paja lo que dice."
• Jalado/a — failed (an exam, a class). "Salí jalado en el examen."
• Asado/a — annoyed, upset. "Está asado porque llegué tarde."
• Ampay — caught in the act (originally from a TV show, now everyday slang). "Le hicieron un ampay."
• Tirar caña — to flirt persistently. "Le está tirando caña hace rato."

Money & work

• Plata — money (standard Latin American term, used constantly). "No tengo plata."
• Luca — a sol (Peruvian currency), informal. "Me costó veinte lucas."
• Estar seco/a — to be broke. "Estoy seco hasta fin de mes."
• Coima — a bribe. "Le pidieron coima."
• Bamba — fake, counterfeit (product). "Esa cartera es bamba."
• Yapa — a little extra, thrown in for free (from Quechua). "Me dio de yapa un poco más."

Food & going out

• Chela — beer. "Vamos por unas chelas."
• Tirar un lonche — to have an afternoon snack/tea. "Nos tiramos un lonche a las cinco."
• Jato full — a packed house/party. "Estaba el jato full de gente."
• Cabro/a — used regionally with varied meanings — context matters, best learned in person rather than from a list.
• Piqueo — shared appetizers/snacks. "Pedimos un piqueo para todos."
• Tono — a party, a get-together. "Hay un tono el sábado."

Time & agreement

• Al toque — right away, immediately. "Te llamo al toque."
• Ahorita — in a moment (can mean "now" or "soon," context-dependent — famously flexible across Latin America).
• De frente — directly, right away. "Vamos de frente al restaurante."
• Ya pe — "come on" / "alright then," used to close a request or agreement. "¿Vamos? Ya pe."
• Fácil — "probably" / "maybe" (not "easy" in this usage). "Fácil llego tarde."
• De ley — for sure, definitely. "Voy a ir, de ley."
• Habla, causa — casual greeting, "what's up." "¡Habla, causa! ¿Todo bien?"
• Seguro que sí — an emphatic "of course" — common closing agreement phrase.
• Chapar — to make out / kiss (romantic), or "to catch/understand" depending on context. "No chapo lo que dices." (I don't get what you're saying.)
• Mostrar la hilacha — to reveal your true colors/character. "Ahí mostró la hilacha."
• Estar piña — to have bad luck. "Qué piña, se malogró justo hoy."
• Palta — literally "avocado," but used to mean embarrassment/awkwardness, similar to roche. "Qué palta, me olvidé su nombre."
• Tono de a gratis — doing something for no real reason/benefit.
• Estar en la luna — to be distracted, "in the clouds." "Perdón, estaba en la luna."
• Malograr — to break/ruin something (used far more than "romper" in everyday Peruvian Spanish). "Se malogró mi celular."
• Pituco/a — posh, upper-class (can be affectionate or slightly critical depending on tone). "Es bien pituco ese distrito."

How to actually use this vocabulary

A few honest notes from two and a half decades of teaching this to adults:

• Passive recognition matters more than active use at first. Understanding these words when you hear them is more urgent than using them yourself — using slang slightly wrong or in the wrong register can land oddly, especially in professional contexts.
• Register matters. Most of this vocabulary is casual, appropriate with friends, taxi drivers, at the market — not in a business meeting or formal email. Save it for the situations where locals themselves would use it.
• It travels less than you'd think. A lot of this — bacán, jato, al toque — is specific to Peru and won't be recognized the same way in Mexico, Argentina or Spain. See Peruvian vs Mexican vs Spain Spanish for how the varieties differ more broadly.
• It's learned best through exposure, not memorization. A list like this is a starting reference — real fluency with slang comes from hearing it used repeatedly in context, which is exactly what living in and interacting with Lima day to day provides.

Frequently asked questions

What does "bacán" mean in Peruvian Spanish?

"Bacán" means "cool" or "great" — one of the most common positive adjectives in everyday Peruvian Spanish. "Está bacán" means "it's cool" or "it's awesome."

What does "jato" mean in Peru?

"Jato" is Peruvian slang for "house" or "home" — equivalent to "crib" or "pad" in English slang. "Voy a mi jato" means "I'm going home."

What does "pata" mean in Peruvian Spanish?

"Pata" is a very common informal word for "friend" or "buddy" in Peru, used constantly among adults. It's one of the first slang words most newcomers pick up.

Is Peruvian slang understood in other Latin American countries?

Not always. Peruvian slang like "bacán," "jato" or "al toque" is often specific to Peru and neighboring Andean countries. Speakers from Mexico, Argentina or Spain may not recognize these words, even though standard Peruvian Spanish is easily understood everywhere.

Should Spanish learners study slang or focus on standard vocabulary first?

Standard vocabulary first — it's what carries across contexts and is tested on exams like the DELE. Slang is best picked up gradually through real conversation and exposure once the foundation is solid, since using it incorrectly or in the wrong context can sound as awkward as not knowing it at all. See Spanish for expats in Lima for lessons that cover both.

Also in Notes

Language Quechua words in Peruvian Spanish Accent The Lima Spanish accent: a guide for learners Language Peruvian Spanish vs Mexican vs Spain Spanish Service Spanish classes for expats in Lima