¿Qué onda, che? I’m Nico, and in this post , I want to talk to you about one of the strangest and most versatile words in Argentinian Spanish: pedo.
Literally, pedo means «fart» — but trust me, in Argentina, it’s used in a ton of everyday expressions that have absolutely nothing to do with that meaning. If you’re learning Spanish from Argentina, you’re going to hear these phrases all the time — so let’s break them down one by one.
1. Estar al pedo
Meaning: To be doing nothing / To be idle
This means you’re free, bored, or not doing anything productive.
Example:
Hoy es domingo y no tengo nada que hacer. Estoy al pedo.
«It’s Sunday and I have nothing to do. I’m just chilling.»
Translation:
I’m not doing anything / I’m free right now
2. Estar en pedo
Meaning: To be drunk
Totally different from al pedo. Estar en pedo means you’re drunk — maybe even wasted.
Example:
Ese pibe siempre se pone en pedo cuando sale.
«That guy always gets drunk when he goes out.»
Translation:
To be drunk / Wasted
3. Ni en pedo
Meaning: No way! / Not even drunk!
This is a strong way to say “absolutely not” or “hell no”. The idea is: “I wouldn’t do that even if I were drunk.”
Example:
¿Volverías con tu ex? — ¡Ni en pedo!
«Would you get back with your ex? — Not a chance!»
Translation:
No way in hell
4. Tener un pedo
Meaning: To have a weird idea or be on a “trip”
This one’s more figurative. It refers to someone having a weird obsession, delusion, or personality trait that’s kind of «out there».
Examples:
Tiene un pedo místico.
«He’s into some mystical trip.»
Tiene un pedo mesiánico.
«He thinks he’s some kind of messiah.»
Translation:
To have a strange obsession / delusion / attitude
5. Ir a los pedos
Meaning: To go super fast
This one is fun — it literally means “to go at the farts”, but what it really means is to go very fast, like zooming.
Example:
El colectivo venía a los pedos.
«The bus was going crazy fast.»
Translation:
To go really fast / To rush like crazy
How I Can Help You Speak Argentinian Spanish
If you’re serious about traveling, moving to Argentina, or just finally learning the language that you’ve always wanted to speak — I’m here to help.
I’m Nicolas G. Miño, Spanish teacher, owner of the YouTube Channel “Spanish with Nico”, the founder of Spanish Mindset Academy – Learn Argentinian Spanish and the author of Mini Stories to Learn Spanish for Beginners, available on Amazon.
In my YouTube Channel “Spanish with Nico”, with +600 subscribers, I teach Spanish language and our dialect -Argentinian Spanish- and I explain everything about Argentinian history and culture.
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Did you already know these expressions? Which one surprised you the most? Leave a comment and feel free to share other weird or funny phrases you’ve learned in Argentinian Spanish. ¡Nos vemos!
Learn Argentinian Spanish: Slang & Culture | Spanish Mindset 