Mexican

An elephant is elefante in Mexican Spanish, and the word is the same everywhere. A female elephant is elefanta. Use elefante for the animal.

The Spanish word for “oil” is aceite, and Mexicans use it for cooking oil and motor oil. You ask for aceite de oliva for olive oil.

The general word for “slang” is jerga. In Mexico street and neighborhood slang is also called caló, and set expressions are modismos.

Magic is magia in Mexican Spanish, the same as in other Spanish-speaking countries. As an adjective it becomes mágico or mágica.

In Mexican Spanish “pencil” is lápiz. The plural is lápices, and a pencil sharpener is un sacapuntas. Lápiz is masculine: el lápiz, un lápiz.

In Mexico “hi” is Hola.

In Mexico the polite word for an older person is adulto mayor, plural adultos mayores. The more formal phrase is persona de la tercera edad.

Busy in Mexican Spanish is ocupado, or ocupada for a woman. Mexicans often say ando ocupado or estoy ocupado to say they have a lot going on.

In Mexican Spanish a rainbow is an arcoíris, the same word used across the Spanish-speaking world.

The general word is utensilio, and it is the same in Mexico as elsewhere. For knife, fork and spoon at the table, Mexicans say cubiertos.