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Jerga de Honduras

The 20 words and phrases you’ll hear in Honduras, with friendly pronunciation, 3 examples each, games and dialogues to practice.

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Paso 1

Las 20 · The 20 words and phrases

Hondurans proudly call themselves “catrachos,” and everyday speech mixes voseo (“vos sabés”) with a rich store of hondureñismos documented since Alberto Membreño's 1895 dictionary. Words such as “catracho” (Honduran) and “cipote” (kid) appear in the RAE dictionary with Central American labels.

Tap any word to see its meaning, 3 examples and a cultural note. Pronunciation: the CAPITAL syllable is stressed. 🔊 uses your device’s Spanish voice, so the accent may not match Honduras exactly.

catracho, catracha/kah-TRAH-choh/Honduran (person or thing)

wordcasual, proud [ca-tra-cho]

3 examples

  • Soy catracho, de La Ceiba.I'm Honduran, from La Ceiba.
  • La baleada es comida bien catracha.The baleada is very Honduran food.
  • ¡Vamos, catrachos! Hoy juega la Selección.Let's go, Hondurans! The national team plays today.

Hondurans use it with pride; the national soccer team is often called “la H” or “los catrachos.”

cipote, cipota/see-POH-teh/kid, child; young boy or girl

wordcasual, affectionate [ci-po-te]

3 examples

  • Los cipotes están jugando en la calle.The kids are playing in the street.
  • Cuando era cipota, vivía en Comayagua.When I was a little girl, I lived in Comayagua.
  • Cipote, traé las tortillas, por favor.Kid, bring the tortillas, please.

Innocent in Honduras and El Salvador. Careful: in Spain “cipote” is a vulgar word, so don't use it there.

pisto/PEES-toh/money

wordcasual [pis-to]

3 examples

  • No tengo pisto para el cine.I don't have money for the movies.
  • ¿Me prestás pisto para la recarga del celular?Can you lend me money for a phone top-up?
  • Ahorré pisto para el viaje a Roatán.I saved money for the trip to Roatán.

Also used in Guatemala and El Salvador. False friend: in Spain “pisto” is a vegetable stew.

jaño, jaña/HAH-nyoh/boyfriend, girlfriend; sweetheart

wordcasual, affectionate [ja-ño]

3 examples

  • Mi jaña y yo vamos al cine el sábado.My girlfriend and I are going to the movies on Saturday.
  • ¿Ya conociste al jaño de tu prima?Have you met your cousin's boyfriend yet?
  • Le compré flores a mi jaña por su cumpleaños.I bought my girlfriend flowers for her birthday.

Very common in everyday Honduran speech; the standard words are novio and novia.

alero, alera/ah-LEH-roh/close friend, buddy

wordcasual, affectionate [a-le-ro]

Literally: eave; winger

3 examples

  • Él es mi alero desde la escuela.He's been my buddy since elementary school.
  • Voy al estadio con mis aleros.I'm going to the stadium with my buddies.
  • Mi alera me ayudó con la mudanza.My best friend helped me move.

Literally 'eave' or, in sports, 'winger'; in Honduras it means a close friend.

maje/MAH-heh/dude, bro (between friends)

wordcasual, between close friends [ma-je]

3 examples

  • ¿Qué onda, maje? ¿Vamos a jugar?What's up, bro? Want to go play?
  • Maje, se me olvidó el celular.Dude, I forgot my phone.
  • No sé, maje, preguntale a la profe.I don't know, dude, ask the teacher.

Friendly among close friends, but it can also mean “fool.” Tone matters: never use it with elders, teachers or strangers.

chunche/CHOON-cheh/thing, gadget, whatchamacallit

wordcasual [chun-che]

3 examples

  • ¿Para qué sirve este chunche?What's this thing for?
  • Guardá tus chunches en la mochila.Put your stuff in your backpack.
  • Se me arruinó el chunche del control remoto.The remote-control thingy broke on me.

Heard all over Central America (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador).

pulpería/pool-peh-REE-ah/small neighborhood corner store

wordneutral [pul-pe-rí-a]

3 examples

  • Voy a la pulpería a comprar pan.I'm going to the corner store to buy bread.
  • La pulpería de doña Lety abre a las seis.Doña Lety's corner store opens at six.
  • En la pulpería venden recargas para el celular.They sell phone top-ups at the corner store.

In some areas a small shop is also called a “trucha.”

cheque/CHEH-keh/OK, all right, all good

wordcasual [che-que]

Literally: check

3 examples

  • —Nos vemos a las tres. —¡Cheque!“See you at three.” “OK!”
  • Todo cheque en el trabajo, gracias.Everything's fine at work, thanks.
  • ¿Está cheque si llego un poco tarde?Is it OK if I'm a little late?

False friend: here it has nothing to do with a bank check.

mínimo/MEE-nee-moh/banana (the small sweet kind)

wordneutral, everyday [mí-ni-mo]

Literally: minimum

3 examples

  • Comprá una mano de mínimos en el mercado.Buy a bunch of bananas at the market.
  • Mi desayuno: café y un mínimo.My breakfast: coffee and a banana.
  • Hicimos licuado de mínimo con leche.We made a banana-and-milk smoothie.

A popular (unconfirmed) explanation: bananas too small to export were kept for local use.

encachimbado, encachimbada/ehn-kah-cheem-BAH-doh/really angry, furious

wordcasual, informal [en-ca-chim-ba-do]

3 examples

  • Mi papá está encachimbado por el recibo de la luz.My dad is furious about the electric bill.
  • No te encachimbés, fue un accidente.Don't get mad, it was an accident.
  • La profe se puso encachimbada con la clase.The teacher got really angry with the class.

Verb: “encachimbarse.” Fine among friends and family, but too informal for school or work.

chuco, chuca/CHOO-koh/dirty, muddy

wordcasual [chu-co]

3 examples

  • Tus zapatos están bien chucos.Your shoes are really dirty.
  • Lavá esa camisa chuca, por favor.Wash that dirty shirt, please.
  • Después del partido quedamos todos chucos.After the game we were all muddy.

Also in the famous San Pedro Sula street dish “pollo chuco” (fried chicken over fried green plantain).

chepo, chepa/CHEH-poh/police officer; “los chepos” = the police

wordcasual, slangy [che-po]

3 examples

  • Un chepo nos ayudó a encontrar la calle.A police officer helped us find the street.
  • Hay chepos en la esquina del parque.There are cops on the corner of the park.
  • Mi vecino trabaja de chepo en Tegucigalpa.My neighbor works as a cop in Tegucigalpa.

Slang like “cop.” Don't say it to an officer; use “policía” or “agente.” “La chepa” can mean the police force.

¡Qué macizo!/KEH mah-SEE-soh/How awesome! So cool!

phrasecasual [qué ma-ci-zo]

Literally: How solid!

3 examples

  • ¡Qué macizo tu celular nuevo!Your new phone is awesome!
  • Fuimos a las cascadas de Pulhapanzak. ¡Qué macizo!We went to the Pulhapanzak waterfalls. So cool!
  • El concierto estuvo macizo.The concert was awesome.

“Macizo” alone also means solid, high-quality or sturdy.

¡Qué pepsi!/KEH PEHP-see/Cool! Awesome!

phrasecasual, playful [qué pep-si]

Literally: What a Pepsi!

3 examples

  • ¿Mañana no hay clases? ¡Qué pepsi!No school tomorrow? Awesome!
  • ¡Qué pepsi tus tenis nuevos!Your new sneakers are so cool!
  • Me regalaron entradas para el partido, ¡qué pepsi!They gave me tickets to the game, how cool!

A playful youth expression built on the soda brand; a close cousin of “¡qué macizo!”.

¡Vaya, pues!/BAH-yah pwehs/OK then, all right; bye (to end a call); uh-huh

phrasecasual [va-ya pues]

Literally: go, then

3 examples

  • —Te llamo mañana. —¡Vaya, pues!“I'll call you tomorrow.” “OK then!”
  • Vaya, pues, nos vemos en el parque.All right, see you at the park.
  • —Llegamos a las ocho. —Vaya, pues.“We'll arrive at eight.” “Got it.”

Often clipped to “va, pues” or “vaya pue.” Very common to close phone calls.

¡A la gran púchica!/ah lah grahn POO-chee-kah/Wow! Oh my gosh! (surprise or frustration)

phrasecasual, informal [a la gran pú-chi-ca]

3 examples

  • ¡A la gran púchica, qué calor hace hoy!Oh my gosh, it's so hot today!
  • ¡A la gran púchica! Perdí el bus otra vez.Oh man! I missed the bus again.
  • ¡A la gran púchica, qué rica esta sopa de caracol!Wow, this conch soup is delicious!

A softened exclamation, like “Oh my gosh!” Fine with friends and family; skip it in formal settings. Variant: “¡a la gran pucha!”. Also common in El Salvador.

dar jalón/dahr hah-LOHN/to give someone a ride (in a car)

phrasecasual [dar ja-lón]

Literally: to give a tug

3 examples

  • ¿Me das jalón al centro?Can you give me a ride downtown?
  • Mi tío nos dio jalón a la playa.My uncle gave us a ride to the beach.
  • Si querés, te doy jalón después del trabajo.If you want, I'll give you a ride after work.

Mexico says “dar raite” or “dar aventón”; Spain says “llevar.”

hablar paja/ah-BLAHR PAH-hah/to talk nonsense; to fib, to make things up

phrasecasual [ha-blar pa-ja]

Literally: to talk straw

3 examples

  • No le creás, siempre habla paja.Don't believe him, he always makes things up.
  • Dejá de hablar paja y ayudame.Stop talking nonsense and help me.
  • ¿Viste un tiburón en el río? ¡Estás hablando paja!You saw a shark in the river? You're making it up!

Always use the full phrase: on its own, “paja” has a crude slang meaning in Spain and parts of South America. Also heard in Costa Rica and Venezuela.

estar yuca/ehs-TAHR YOO-kah/to be tough or hard (a situation); to be strict (a person)

phrasecasual [es-tar yu-ca]

Literally: to be cassava

3 examples

  • El examen de mate estuvo yuca.The math test was really hard.
  • Conseguir trabajo está yuca este año.Finding a job is tough this year.
  • El nuevo entrenador es bien yuca.The new coach is really strict.

In most countries “yuca” just means cassava, a root vegetable.

Paso 2

Tarjetas · Flashcards

Say the meaning out loud, then tap the card to check.

Paso 3

Quiz · ¿Lo sabes?

10 quick questions: match each word with its meaning. You get instant feedback.

Paso 4

Diálogos · Dialogues

Three conversations, from beginner to advanced. Together they use all 20. Read and listen first, then press Practicar to fill in the blanks.

Mandado a la pulpería (Principiante · Beginner)

Doña Marta sends her grandson Carlitos to the corner store in a Tegucigalpa neighborhood.

  1. Doña Marta:Cipote, ¿vas a la pulpería?Kid, are you going to the corner store?
  2. Carlitos:Sí, abuela. ¿Qué necesita?Yes, Grandma. What do you need?
  3. Doña Marta:Unos mínimos y queso para las baleadas.Some bananas and cheese for the baleadas.
  4. Carlitos:Cheque. ¿Me da el pisto?OK. Can you give me the money?
  5. Doña Marta:Aquí está. Y comprate una charamusca.Here it is. And buy yourself a charamusca (frozen juice treat).
  6. Carlitos:¡Qué macizo! Gracias, abuela.Awesome! Thanks, Grandma.
  7. Doña Marta:¡Ese es mi catracho favorito!That's my favorite little Honduran!

Un sábado lluvioso (Intermedio · Intermediate)

Friends Josué and Kevin talk on the phone in San Pedro Sula about last Saturday's soccer game.

  1. Josué:¿Qué onda, maje? ¿Cómo te fue el sábado?What's up, bro? How did Saturday go?
  2. Kevin:¡A la gran púchica! Fue un día largo.Oh man! It was a long day.
  3. Josué:¿Por qué? ¿No fuiste al estadio a ver al Marathón?Why? Didn't you go to the stadium to see Marathón?
  4. Kevin:Sí, pero llovió y terminé todo chuco de lodo.Yes, but it rained and I ended up all covered in mud.
  5. Josué:¡Ja! ¿Y cómo regresaste a la casa?Ha! And how did you get home?
  6. Kevin:Mi alero Andrés me dio jalón en su carro.My buddy Andrés gave me a ride in his car.
  7. Josué:¿Y su mamá no se enojó por el carro sucio?And his mom didn't get mad about the dirty car?
  8. Kevin:Sí, se puso bien encachimbada, pero después le lavamos el carro.Yes, she got really mad, but afterward we washed the car for her.
  9. Josué:Bueno, el próximo sábado vamos juntos, ¿va?Well, next Saturday let's go together, OK?
  10. Kevin:Vaya, pues. Te llamo el viernes.OK then. I'll call you Friday.

Noticias en el café (Avanzado · Advanced)

University students Gabriela and Daniela catch up over coffee in Tegucigalpa.

  1. Gabriela:¿Supiste que la jaña de mi hermano consiguió la pasantía en el banco?Did you hear that my brother's girlfriend got the internship at the bank?
  2. Daniela:¡Qué pepsi! Me alegra que la hayan escogido; se lo merece.Awesome! I'm glad they picked her; she deserves it.
  3. Gabriela:Dice que la entrevista estuvo yuca, pero que respondió todo con calma.She says the interview was tough, but she answered everything calmly.
  4. Daniela:Yo en su lugar estaría nerviosísima.In her place I'd be super nervous.
  5. Gabriela:Hablando de nervios, ayer perdí el teléfono en el centro.Speaking of nerves, yesterday I lost my phone downtown.
  6. Daniela:¡No me digás! ¿Y qué hiciste?No way! What did you do?
  7. Gabriela:Fui a preguntar y un chepo me lo devolvió. Lo había encontrado en una banca.I went to ask, and a police officer gave it back. He'd found it on a bench.
  8. Daniela:¿En serio? No estarás hablando paja, ¿verdad?Seriously? You're not making this up, are you?
  9. Gabriela:¡Te lo juro! Si no me creés, mirá: aquí está este chunche viejo.I swear! If you don't believe me, look: here's this old thing.
  10. Daniela:Ojalá siempre pasara eso. Yo le daría las gracias en persona.I wish that always happened. I'd thank him in person.
  11. Gabriela:Eso hice. Le llevé un café y unas rosquillas.That's what I did. I brought him a coffee and some rosquillas.

Paso 5 · Apply it

Habla y escribe: Un mensaje para un amigo

Record a voice note or write a text to a friend from Honduras. Tell them about your weekend and make a plan to meet. Use at least 5 words or phrases from the list.

  1. Open with a greeting from the list (or a friendly ¡Hola!).
  2. Tell 2–3 things you did, using slang to describe them.
  3. Suggest a plan: where, when and what you’ll eat or do.
  4. Close the way a friend from Honduras would.
  5. Now say it out loud, twice: once slowly, once at natural speed.

    Slang detection is a helper and may miss some forms.

    Self-check

    Need ideas? Re-read the advanced dialogue above. Want feedback on your Spanish? Book a free consultation.

    Sources and a note

    Slang changes fast and varies by region, age and social group. These are words and phrases widely used in Honduras today, checked against the sources below. Heard something different? Tell me.