Dispute with taxi driver (Advanced): Route choice

💬 parado usually means "standing" or "stopped". Said of a road, it means traffic isn't moving at all.

🇲🇽 Viaducto and Periférico are major Mexico City expressways, and at rush hour they can grind to a halt. A driver's local knowledge of traffic is often a legitimate reason to ignore the app.

💬 por with a road or place means "by way of": por el centro "through downtown", por aquí "this way".

💬 dar vuelta means "to turn", so dar más vuelta is "to go the long way round". Dé vuelta a la derecha means "Turn right".

🇲🇽 Handing the decision to the driver keeps things friendly. Pair it with a condition about the fare, so you aren't giving him a blank cheque.

🇲🇽 Many Mexico City street taxis run on a meter, but some quote a flat fare instead. Agree on which one before you set off.

💬 nada más que at the start means "just as long as". The se nos makes the meter running up sound like something that happens to both of you, not something the driver does.

🇲🇽 Asking this as a question rather than an accusation lets the driver explain, which usually keeps the ride calm.

💬 ir en plus an amount tells you a running total so far: vamos en la mitad "we're halfway".

💬 había is "there was" or "there were", and it never changes for plural: había dos choques "there were two crashes".

💬 The me can go before the verb, as here, or attach to the end: Tuve que desviarme means exactly the same.

💬 Spanish often uses the present to talk about the very near future: llegamos here means "we're about to arrive".

🇲🇽 This is a firm but polite way to object. In Mexico, staying calm and courteous gets you much further than raising your voice.

💬 podríamos "could we" softens the request. dejar en plus a number is the usual way to propose a price: ¿Lo deja en cien? "Will you do it for a hundred?"

🇲🇽 Offering a middle figure, rather than refusing to pay, is the normal way to settle a fare disagreement.

🇲🇽 ándele, pues is very Mexican and flexible. Depending on tone it means "okay, deal", "go ahead" or "come on", and it often signals someone giving in.

💬 tenga literally means "have". It's the polite usted way to say "here you go" when handing something over; with friends it's ten.

💬 Prices take son "they are", not es, because the amount counts as plural: son cien pesos. The exception is one: es un peso.

🇲🇽 Saying the amount as you hand over the cash confirms the agreed price. Carrying small bills helps, because drivers often claim they have no change.

💬 Wishes start with que plus a special verb form: vaya, not va. Same pattern: que le vaya bien, que tenga buen día.