“How did your Spanish get so good?” a well-meaning gringa (American) asks me, gaping. She’s been in Roma Norte for six months, taking classes to improve her Spanish. Unsurprisingly, that wasn’t going well.

“It’s a long story,” I shrug. My last four and a half years of romantic date spots and spontaneous hookups flash before my eyes. I remember all the Mexican men who patiently listened to me during my broken-fluency phase, probably because they wanted to get into my underwear. “I’ve found that dating in Spanish helps a lot.”

“Huh,” she says, pulling out her phone as if taking serious notes. Be promiscuous. Sleep around.

“Once people started complimenting me on my speaking and my ego got involved, that’s when I really started perfecting it. It’s nice to impress people, you know? But let’s be real,” I said, leaning in closer. “There’s a lot of words they’re not going to teach you in Spanish class.”

“Really?” she said, looking extra perplexed. “Like what?”

I paraphrased this list of flirty terms for her, and I’m about to share them with you. This list is not comprehensive; it’s organic and random, much like the way language learning naturally happens by “coqueteando y cogiendo” (flirting and fucking) in the day-to-day. Immersion isn’t linear, and neither is fluency. Still, I hope you enjoy these silly, dirty words and phrases, and the honest, embarrassing stories behind how I learned them. Whether you’re having a one-night-stand or hooking up with a longer-term noviecito (lover), these phrases are for you!

What dirty phrases do you know in Spanish? What’s the story behind how you learned them? Share them in the comments!

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My Top 10 Dirty Spanish Phrases (and the embarrassing stories behind them)

1. “¿Te gustan las nalgadas?” 🫱

It was April 2022, and I had just arrived in Mexico City. In my first two weeks, I was already exploring the Barista Man’s body (you know, the one I give the highest praise for eating me out). I had just moved into an apartment in Roma Norte with a lovely gay man and a lovely bisexual man.

A couple of days after I moved in, my housemate, Sebastian, said to me,

“¿Te gustan las nalgadas?”

I looked at him, confused. My Spanish at the time wasn’t very good, and it was almost impossible to understand him in his thick, “Chihuahuense” (person from Chihuahua) accent.

“Tú sabes,” he said, raising his eyebrows, “Nal-gad-as.”

He made a kind of hitting (spanking) gesture.

“Oh!” I cried, laughing awkwardly and blushing, “Nal-gad-as. Sí, I guess.”

That’s when I remembered something: this two-bedroom apartment had been split into three, and Sebastian had a flimsy curtain for a door. The walls were thin, and I’d really made no effort to keep the volume down. Yikes.

Official Tash Translation: “¿Te gustan las nalgadas?” = “Do you like to be spanked?”

Cringe Learning Level: 8/10. It would have been 10/10, but I was too proud and newly falling in love with Barista Man to care.

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2. “Eres bien sabrosa.” 👅

This was one of the first dirty things Barista Man said to me. With his head between my legs, telling me I am so tasty, he somehow stroked my ego and my clit at the same time. There’s something particularly hot about someone professional, who tastes things for a living, telling you that you’re yummy as hell.

I replied,

“¿Tenías hambre?”

As you know from my BDSM test results, I love being a brat, feigning power before I relinquish all control and descend into blissful chaos. I didn’t speak very good Spanish at the time, but this phrase seemed fitting.

Official Tash Translation: “Eres bien sabrosa” (to say it to a girl) or “Eres bien sabroso” (to say to a boy) = “You’re so tasty.”

“¿Tenías hambre?” = “Were you hungry?”

Cringe Learning Level: 7/10.

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3. “¡Qué chica mala!” 🙅‍♀️

Barista Man also said this to me when I’d put his fingers in my mouth to tease him, or when we’d have a particularly sexual text exchange, and I mentioned all the dirty things I wanted to do to him later. Of course, I loved to hear this from him, but it also made me cringe because I have a massive praise kink, so being called a good girl or a bad girl really is my jam.

Official Tash Translation: “¡Qué chico malo!” = “You’re such a bad boy!”

“¡Qué chica mala!” = “You’re such a bad girl!”

Cringe Learning Level: 10/10.

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4. “¡Qué rico!” 🤤

I guess food isn’t the only thing that tastes good in Mexico, or so I learned when I found myself in the arms of a Colombian man. I was trying to suspend judgment about his open relationship and flat personality and just enjoy myself for a second. Jesus Christ, let the girl live! I let him ravage me.

“¡Qué rico! ¡Qué rico!” he said between kissing and biting my cheeks, neck, and nipples. I was extremely turned on, I’m not going to lie. Apparently, he didn’t get this with his long-term partner, but I wasn’t about to ask him about that.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t more articulate or imaginative, because he quickly followed with,

“¡Qué rico! ¡Qué rico!” again. Even though he was cute, his relationship status and lack of interest in anything committed with me stopped me from going any further.

Still, that night taught me about the beauty, richness, and abundance in Latin culture. He helped melt my cold, grey, English heart just a smidge. In Mexico, “rico” isn’t just about wealth or riches. It’s that tasty, irresistible spice of life that tantalizes your senses with pleasure.

I never kissed that man ever again. Whatever.

Official Tash Translation: “¡Qué rico!” = “How rich / delicious / hot / tasty!”

Cringe Learning Level: 7/10.

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5. “¿Estás enculada?” 🤪

Two years into living in Mexico, my Spanish was finally good enough to “chismear con mis amigas” (gossip with my female friends). To this day, I’m convinced that girl gossip is the ultimate test of Spanish fluency. It’s hard to keep up with slang, subtext, and secrecy in a second language!

We were sitting by the pool at our hostel in Bacalar. I told the girls that I had a new “noviecito” (lover), and I was so obsessed with him that when he booty called me at 11pm one night, I got in an Uber immediately and went all the way to the other end of Mexico City, Pedregal to be precise, just to snuggle with him. Yummy.

Official Tash Translation: “¿Estás enculada?” = “Are you head-over-heels-obsessed?”

Cringe Learning Level: 3/10.

Read my article, “The Unattached Woman’s Guide to Sex,” to make sure you avoid becoming “enculada.”

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6. “Coges muy rico.” 😋

The highest praise I ever received from a Mexican man came after we spent the night together! We had been up doing all ungodly things, taking full advantage of “la madrugada” (the hours between midnight and dawn). I have the WhatsApp messages to prove it!

Official Tash Translation: “Coges muy rico” = “You fuck so deliciously.”

Cringe Learning Level: 4/10.

Ay, she is real 🫣 “Coger” is the verb which means “to fuck.” So now you know!

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7. “Tienes tu ganado.” 🐮

I was out to dinner once with a group of Mexican men and foreign women. At one point, we were passing a copy of The Intimacy Journal around the table, and one guy asked me if I was dating anyone. I listed off two current loverboys who had both messaged me, wanting to see me that night. I love a good stroke of the ego. Then he said,

“Tienes tu ganado.”

I nodded vaguely, pretending that I knew what he meant. Then he clarified,

“You know, your cattle?”

I was even more confused, but I laughed. It’s not a tasteful phrase, but I do feel powerful when I lightly objectify my various situationships. Now I use it to tease Mexican men who are flirting with me, but who rudely pick up their phones and start texting in the middle of our conversation.

Official Tash Translation: “Un ganado” = “A herd of lovers”

Cringe Learning Level: 1/10.

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Spanish words that don't mean what you think they mean 👀

8. “Una chaqueta” 🧥❌

If you’re trying to say “jacket,” you’ve got it all wrong, girl. That’s “chamarra.” “Chaqueta” in Mexico means wank. So when you say, “Me gustaría una chaqueta,” make sure you mean it to someone you want to masturbate with, not something that will shield you from the cold or the rain. Stay safe out there! For straight men, beware that you don’t accidentally offer a chaqueta to a lucky lady. And if you happen to want a blowjob, that’s “mamada.”

Official Tash Translation: “Una chaqueta” = “A wank”

“Me gustaría una mamada.” = “I would like a blow job.”

Cringe Learning Level: 11/10 potentially, if you use it incorrectly. 5/10 otherwise.

If you’re curious, I’ve written more about masturbation here and here.

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9. “Me gustas tú.” 💋

A.k.a. the title of an iconic song and recommended listening, “Me Gustas Tu,” by Manu Chao. More than liking a food or an object, when you say “Me gustas tú,” it has purely sexual undertones. I like to say it only when I’m leaning in to possibly kiss someone at the bar over a cocktail, and it’s flirty as fuck!

But if you’re trying to say you like someone in a friendly, nonsexual way, you’re better off saying you get along well with them.

Official Tash Translation: “Me gustas tú.” = “I fancy you.”

Cringe Learning Level: 11/10 potentially, if used incorrectly.

“Me caes muy bien.” = “I get along really well with you.”

Cringe Learning Level: 3/10. A much safer option.

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10. “¿Te gusta eso?” 🍑

Let’s be serious for a hot second. You might also want to genuinely figure out what your partner likes and doesn’t like in bed. Maybe you try out a new “chaqueta” technique and see how your partner responds. Then you ask them this question. The benefit of this phrase is that you don’t need to be very good at Spanish to understand their simple sí-o-no answer, and hopefully, you can start to pick up on their body language so you’re actually pleasuring your partner in a way they enjoy.

Official Tash Translation: “¿Te gusta eso?” = “Do you like that?”

Cringe Learning Level: 7/10.

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More Sexy Spanish Words and Phrases for Flirting

Here are some other typical phrases and verbs you might want to know for flirting.

Me encanta tu… = I love your… e.g., “Me encanta tu onda” = “I love your vibe.” You have permission to steal my favorite pickup line for your flirting in Spanish.

chupar = to suck e.g., Me encanta chupar tu pene = I love to suck your penis

caliente = horny

culo = butt, ass, or butthole. Not to be confused with cuello, which means neck!

orgasmo = orgasm. Simple, but effective, and perhaps more useful if you say, “Quiero darte un orgasmo” = “I want to give you an orgasm”. Or, better still, advocate for your pleasure and say, “Quiero que me des un orgasmo” = “I want you to give me an orgasm.”

Quiero cogerte = I want to fuck you.

Quiero follarte = I want to fuck you, but different.

Mierda = shit. A general curse word may come in handy.

Papi = daddy.

puta = bitch.

verga = a very Mexican word for dick. One of my personal favorite phrases is, “Me vale verga,” which means, “I don’t give a shit about it,” but literally translates to, “I value it as much as a dick.”

chingar = to fuck. An extremely versatile verb in Mexican Spanish that you want to be careful about using.

venir = to come, the orgasm kind.

coño = minge, vag, pussy, or if you’re feeling really dirty, cunt! More of a word used in Spain than in Mexico.

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Never say "Estoy Embarazada" in Spanish

Last rookie error. If you want to say, “I’m embarrassed,” do NOT say, “Estoy embarazada.” That means, “I’m pregnant.” Instead, say: “Tengo vergüenza.” That one’s not sexy, just a life tip so you can avoid cringing yourself to death. Good luck!

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What Dirty Spanish Phrases Do You Know?

So, there you have it, folks: my official, unofficial list of 10 dirty Spanish phrases you won’t learn from your Spanish teacher, abuelita, or Duolingo, unless something is terribly wrong with them.

Which word was your favorite? Do you have any sexy Spanish phrases of your own, and how did you learn them? Comment or reply with your story. We’d love to know!

Also, these all came from a 780+ phrase list I’ve been putting together ever since I arrived in Mexico over four years ago. Would you like to read it? Let me know, and I’ll send it over to you.

¡Viva México, cabrones! 🇲🇽 😈

Lots of love,

Tash

💌 ✍️