tejanos
/teˈxanos/masculine, plural
The English phrase blue jeans can be translated into Spanish as tejanos. Wiktionary also lists jeans and yines.
Meaning: denim trousers (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tejanos | /teˈxanos/ | masculine, plural |
| jeans | /ˈʝins/ | masculine, plural |
| yines | /ˈʝines/ | masculine, plural |
| bluyín | /bluˈʝin/ | masculine |
| pantalones de mezclilla | /pantalones de meθkliʝa/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /pantalones de meskliʝa/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
masculine, plural, singular |
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase pantalones de mezclilla literally means denim trousers, where pantalones means trousers and mezclilla means denim.
Which one should you use?
bluyín is a colloquial term.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and several other parts of Latin America, pantalones de mezclilla is the standard term. In Venezuela and some parts of the Caribbean, you will hear the colloquial term bluyín. In the Caribbean and the Canary Islands, the term mahones is used to refer to blue jeans.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because jeans is treated as a masculine plural noun, the adjective for blue must be azules to match in gender and number, as seen in the phrase jeans azules.
How do you pronounce it?
/teˈxanos/
Did you know?
- The word bluyín traces its linguistic roots all the way back to the Proto-Indo-European root *bʰel-, which relates to the color white or shining.
- The term tejanos refers specifically to 'Texan' style, linking the clothing directly to the state of Texas rather than the fabric itself.
- While 'blue' is a common color, the term mezclilla used in Mexico refers specifically to the texture of the fabric. It comes from the verb mezclar, meaning 'to mix', because the fabric is made of mixed threads.
Examples in context
- Tom llevaba una camisa azul y jeans azules.Tom was wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe clothing colors.Tatoeba #1794939 by marcelostockle, translation #1092315 by CK
- No sé si su nueva camisa le hará juego a sus jeans.I don't know if her new shirt will go with her blue jeans.This sentence shows how to use the word in a sentence about matching clothes.Tatoeba #1167669 by JJGuzman, translation #249995 by CK
- Quiero comprar unos pantalones de mezclilla.I want to buy some blue jeans.
- Los pantalones vaqueros de María están desgastados.Maria's blue jeans are worn out.
- ¿Dónde compraste esos jeans ajustados?Where did you buy those tight jeans?
Example conversation
Javier and María are shopping for clothes in a mall.
- Javier¿Te gustan estos tejanos?Do you like these blue jeans?
- MaríaSí, pero son un poco caros.Yes, but they are a bit expensive.
- JavierA ti te quedarían muy bien.They would look very good on you.
- MaríaGracias, los voy a probar.Thanks, I am going to try them on.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “blue jeans” translations and entries tejanos, jeans, yines, bluyín, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bluyín, jeans, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
