Paisa Slang and Funny Colombian Sayings You Will Actually Hear in Guatapé

The first time a boat captain called me parce in front of a group of tourists, I watched their faces go through three stages: confusion, mild alarm, and then delight once I explained it just meant "friend." That moment happens here every single day, and honestly, it is one of my favorite things about watching visitors discover Guatapé for the first time.

We are deep in Antioquia, which means we are deep in paisa country. The word paisa comes from paisano, meaning countryman, and it describes people from this region, Medellín, and the coffee-growing areas nearby. Our speech carries that identity in every sentence. Once you understand a few of the expressions, conversations with drivers, guides, restaurant owners, and everyone else become warmer, funnier, and a lot more real.

This is not a textbook. This is what you will actually hear walking our colorful streets, riding out on the reservoir, or sitting at a table waiting for your food. Use it well.

The Words That Will Make Locals Smile

Start with parce, or the longer form parcero. It means friend, buddy, or mate, and you will hear it constantly from the moment you arrive, whether you are talking to a guide on a boat tour, asking directions near El Peñol, or just buying a coffee in the plaza. It is not formal. It is not a performance. It is just how people here talk to each other.

Then there is bacano. If something is good, beautiful, cool, or impressive, it is bacano. You climb 740 steps to the top of El Peñol and look out over the reservoir with its hundreds of islands? Bacano. You try the empanadas for the first time? Bacano. It is one of those words that fits almost every situation, and locals genuinely appreciate when a visitor uses it naturally instead of just saying "beautiful" in stiff tourist Spanish.

De una is the one I use most in daily life. It means yes, sure, let's do it, or right away, all folded into two syllables. Someone asks if you want to go explore the town on a town tour. You say de una. Someone offers you another coffee on a coffee tour. De una. It signals enthusiasm without being dramatic. Paisas like decisiveness, and this word is the sound of it.

The Funny Ones You Need to Know

Qué caja is one of my personal favorites. It means "how funny" or "that's hilarious," and it comes up constantly in conversation when someone tells a ridiculous story or does something absurd. The image is literally of a box, but do not try to make sense of it. Just use it when something makes you laugh and watch the reaction you get.

Que peye is the opposite energy entirely. It means something is bad, disappointing, or low quality. If your food is cold, if the weather turns ugly when you had planned to go paddleboarding, or if your jetski rental gets cancelled for mechanical reasons, that is que peye. Locals use it constantly, and it has a kind of resigned humor to it that is very paisa. Things go wrong sometimes. You sigh, you say que peye, and you move on.

Then there is qué chimba. I am going to be honest with you here because this is the one that confuses tourists most. In the right context and with the right tone, it is an expression of excitement, admiration, or pleasure. Something incredible happens and a local says qué chimba. But this word has a vulgar root, and depending on context, age of the person you are speaking to, and social setting, it can land very differently. My advice is to learn it, understand it when you hear it, but do not use it yourself unless you really know the room you are standing in.

The Safety Phrase Every Tourist Needs to Understand

No dar papaya is less funny and more essential. Literally it means "don't give papaya," but what it actually means is don't make yourself an easy target. Don't flash your phone in a crowd. Don't leave your camera swinging around your neck on a busy street. Don't put your wallet in your back pocket and forget about it. It is friendly advice, not a threat, and when a local says it to you, they are looking out for you.

Guatapé is genuinely a safe and welcoming town. But it is also a popular tourist destination, which means it draws the same opportunistic attention any popular place does. When your driver from Medellín tells you no dé papaya before you step out onto the main street, tuck your phone away and say de una. You will be fine.

This phrase also reflects something deeper about paisa culture. There is a strong current of practical wisdom here, a sense that life requires a certain alertness and that you take care of yourself and of the people around you. It is not paranoia. It is just how people here navigate the world.

How to Actually Use This When You Are Here

The best place to practice is anywhere you are talking to a real person. That might be a guide taking you birdwatching in the early morning when the reservoir sits under mist. It might be the woman teaching you to fold empanadas in an empanadas cooking class. It might be the driver of the motochiva who shouts over the engine as you rattle through the streets around town.

The thing about paisa slang is that it is not a performance. Locals are not waiting to be impressed by your pronunciation. They just appreciate any real effort to meet them in their own language, even one word at a time. Say bacano when something moves you. Say de una when you mean yes. Laugh when someone says qué caja even if you only half understood the story. That is enough.

One word of caution about the stronger expressions: words like gonorrea and marica exist in paisa speech and you will possibly hear them used between close friends in ways that sound casual or even affectionate. But these carry weight, history, and context that takes years to read correctly. As a visitor, there is no reason to go near them. Stick to the safe ones and you will have better conversations than most tourists ever do here.

You can find everything you need to plan your time through our full list of things to do in Guatapé and sort out how you are getting here through our transportation page. Once you arrive, start talking. Say parce to the first person who helps you. Call the view from the rock bacano. Let the language of this place into your mouth a little.

I have lived here long enough to know that the people who leave Guatapé with the best memories are never the ones who stayed behind the glass of their cameras. They are the ones who sat down, stumbled through a few words, laughed at themselves, and let the town talk back. Come ready to do that, and this place will give you something you did not know you were looking for.