Mexican

Christmas Eve is Nochebuena in Mexico, which means “good night”. The greeting is Feliz Nochebuena.

In Mexico the quick way to ask “what are you doing” is ¿Qué haces? The longer form is ¿Qué estás haciendo?

Waves are olas in Mexico, and one wave is una ola. The word oleaje means the whole movement of waves, what English calls swell or surf conditions.

In Mexican Spanish “jasmine” is jazmín. The word is the same for the fragrant flower and for the plant, and it is also used as a given name.

A crocodile is a cocodrilo in Mexico. In some regions people also say lagarto for the large river reptile. An alligator or caiman is a caimán.

In Mexico the word is vacaciones, almost always plural.

In Mexico a father is papá, with an accent on the last letter. Without the accent, papa is a potato.

In Mexico the green “lime” is called limón. The word lima in Mexico often means a sweet lime or a nail file. In other countries lima is the green citrus.

In Mexico a torta is a sandwich made on a roll, usually a bolillo or telera, filled with meat, beans, cheese, avocado and more.

Wine in Mexican Spanish is vino. Red wine is vino tinto and white wine is vino blanco. To offer a glass you can say ¿Quieres una copa de vino?