Basic expressions: Greeting someone and apologizing for being late

💬 hay means both "there is" and "there are" and never changes. It's pronounced like English "eye" (eye), since the h is silent.

🇲🇽 In Mexico City this usually refers to traffic. Blaming el tráfico "the traffic" is the standard, widely accepted excuse for running late.

💬 tiempo means time as a length or amount, while vez is time as an occasion. Compare mucho tiempo with otra vez "another time".

💬 llevar + time + an -ando/-iendo word says how long you've been doing something. Swap it: llevo una hora trabajando "I've been working for an hour".

💬 Literally "nothing more", but before an amount it means "just" or "only": nada más un café "just a coffee". It's very common in Mexico where other countries might say solo.

💬 Spanish often uses the present tense for planned future actions: llego is literally "I arrive". Same idea: mañana te llamo "I'll call you tomorrow".

🇲🇽 The go-to way to brush off an apology warmly, whether for lateness or bumping into someone. It signals there are no hard feelings.

🇲🇽 A friendly, very Mexican way to say "really" or "honestly", common in everyday speech. Adding it makes reassurance sound sincere.

💬 The "we" form of a verb, asked as a question, works as a friendly suggestion: ¿pedimos? "shall we order?". Swap in another verb: ¿nos sentamos? "shall we sit?".

🇲🇽 va is casual Mexican slang for "okay" or "deal" when agreeing to a plan. It's best kept for friends rather than formal settings.

💬 invitar looks like "invite", but here it means "to treat" or "to pay for someone". Te invito un café means "I'll buy you a coffee".

🇲🇽 Saying yo invito commits you to paying the bill. Offering it is a common way to make up for keeping someone waiting.

🇲🇽 órale is a distinctly Mexican, casual interjection showing pleased surprise, agreement or encouragement. It sounds natural among friends but too informal in formal situations.

💬 qué plus a describing word works as an exclamation, like English "how" or "what a". Try qué rico "how delicious" or qué bien "how great".