What are the meanings of ándale?
Ándale has four everyday meanings in Mexico: "hurry up", "that's it", "OK, all right" and "come on, please". The tone and the situation make it clear which one you're hearing.
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Ándale, que ya nos vamos.
Hurry up, we're leaving.
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¡Ándale! Eso es.
That's it! Exactly.
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Ándale, pues.Speak
All right then.
"All right then": Memo the taxi driver, agreeing to the way you want to go.
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Ándale, acompáñame, ¿sí?
Come on, come with me, please?
Who says ándale in CiaoSpeak's scenes?
In the Speak tab, Mexico City people say ándale the way they do in real life, to agree with you: Don Chuy at the taco stand, Doña Lupe at her market stall and Memo in his taxi.
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Ándale.Speak
All right.
Don Chuy, when you order: "All right."
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¡Ándale, pues!Speak
All right then!
Doña Lupe at the market: "All right then!"
Is ándale rude?
No. Ándale is friendly, everyday Mexican Spanish. Said sharply to hurry someone it can sound bossy, like "come on!" in English, so with someone older or a stranger, ¿Nos vamos? ("Shall we go?") or a por favor is gentler.
| Who you're talking to | Can you say it? |
|---|---|
| Friends, family | Yes, in every meaning |
| Coworkers | Yes |
| Vendors, drivers ("OK, then") | Yes: Ándale, pues, gracias |
| Hurrying an older person or a stranger | Better por favor or ¿Nos vamos? |
Is ándale the same as órale?
Not quite: both can mean "OK!", but ¡órale! also means "wow!" and "let's do it!", while ¡ándale! is the one for "hurry up" and "that's it". Don Chuy uses both when you order:
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¡Órale!Speak
All right!
Don Chuy: another way to say "you got it".
How can you practice Mexican Spanish out loud?
Practice it in short, real exchanges, out loud. CiaoSpeak's Spanish course is set in Mexico City: the lessons teach everyday words like Ándale, pues with a recording and a note on when to use them, and in the Speak tab a taco vendor, a taxi driver or your language-exchange partner Ana asks you one question at a time. You answer by voice (or typing), and the app tells you whether a person would understand you. Lessons are free; in the Speak tab, today's questions (up to five a day) are free too, and CiaoSpeak+ adds practice in any scene whenever you like. More words like this one: the Mexican slang list.
Frequently asked questions
What does ándale pues mean?
Ándale, pues means "all right then" or "OK, fine": a friendly way to agree, often to accept a plan or wrap up a conversation. Mexican taxi drivers and vendors say it all the time.
What does ándale mean in Speedy Gonzales?
In the old Speedy Gonzales cartoons, ¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! means roughly "Come on, come on! Hurry!". Mexicans really do say ándale, in all the ways on this page.
How do you pronounce ándale?
AHN-dah-leh, with the stress on the first syllable; that's why it has an accent on the á.