How to Say ‘Excuse me, please!’ in Mexican Spanish
¡Joven, por favor!
HOH-ben pohr fah-BOHR
[HOH-ben pohr fah-BOHR]
🇲🇽 In Mexico: joven "young man/woman" is the polite, standard way to call a waiter in Mexico, whatever their age. A raised hand or eye contact works alongside it, but snapping your fingers doesn't.
Phrase Breakdown
¡Joven,
HOH-ben
Young man,
In Mexico, people politely address waiters or service staff as 'joven', whatever their age. The 'j' is a raspy 'h' sound: HO-ven.
¡Joven, la cuenta!
Excuse me (young man), the check!
Words in this phrase
Joven
[HOH-ben]
young man (polite address)
Literally 'young'; in Mexico a common friendly way to address a man, even a not-so-young one.
Gracias, joven, ¿cuánto le debo?
Thanks, young man, how much do I owe you?
por favor!
pohr fah-BOHR
please!
The standard way to say 'please'. Tap the 'r' lightly in both words: por fa-VOR.
Un café, por favor.
A coffee, please.
Words in this phrase
por
[pohr]
for
Common preposition used to indicate reason, motive, or thanks.
Te escribo "Por" tu apoyo durante la feria de empleo.
I’m writing to you for your support during the job fair.
favor
[fah-BOHR]
favor (please)
With 'por', forms the polite word 'please'.
Agua, por favor.
Water, please.
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