If I ever teach slang it’s to help avoid embarrassment, not to use it.Įn cambio (on the other hand) I do teach a lot of colloquial language.Įxpressions like, en cambio, are used all over the Spanish speaking world by everyone. Plus, it varies regionally it varies by age groups and it goes in and out of fashion very quickly. The wrong guy in the wrong place might misunderstand what you’re saying about his wife. If you use a word like cabrón, you just might convey something you don’t want to convey. A teenager might say, “this song is the shit”, meaning the song is good but if they say, “this song is shit”, it’s bad.įor us non-native speakers my advice is, don’t touch slang words like cabrón with a ten-foot pole. It makes no sense but the same thing happens in English. In Mexican street language, “eres bien cabrón” is something like saying you’re my man, you’re a dude, or you’re cool.Įsta canción es muy cabrona. So, why the heck would he speak to me like that when we are friends? Even worse, it can mean a guy whose wife cheats on him.

It could be translated as bastard or A-hole. They vary from region to region but they are always derogatory.

It has a bunch of offensive connotations. Literally, it’s a male goat, but it’s meaning goes way beyond that. “What is wrong with this guy.” I thought. Then he slapped me on the back and said, “eres bien cabron”. It reminds me of a time in Mexico when I got called a goat.Īfter a fun night shooting billiards and drinking Tecates my buddies brother-in-law Manolo said to me, “eres bien cabrón.” In fact, I was being ironic because that guy was no geezer.

In my last post I ruffled a few feathers.

What does the slang goat mean