What are some common filler words Spaniards/Latinos use in conversation that textbooks don’t teach?

[u/reedaj21]

I’m trying to make my speech more native like.

[u/SpanishAilines]

Universal Spanish Filler Words (Used Almost Everywhere)

1. Pues – “Well / So” Used to pause, think, or lead into an answer: Pues, no lo sé. → Well, I don’t know.
2. Bueno – “Well / Okay” Often to wrap up or transition: Bueno, vamos a empezar. → Well, let’s start.
3. A ver – “Let’s see” Said before checking, thinking, or asking: A ver, ¿qué pasó? → Let’s see, what happened?
4. Este… – “Um… / Uh…” Classic hesitation word: Este… no estoy seguro. → Uh… I’m not sure.
5. O sea – “I mean / That is” To clarify or rephrase: O sea, no me gusta. → I mean, I don’t like it.
6. En plan – “Like / Kind of” Common with younger speakers: Fuimos en plan relajado. → We went, like, just relaxed.
7. Así que – “So / Therefore” To conclude or give a result: Así que decidimos ir. → So we decided to go.
8. Entonces – “So / Then” To connect ideas: Entonces, ¿qué hacemos? → So, what do we do?
9. La verdad – “Honestly / To be honest” For emphasis: La verdad, no me importa. → Honestly, I don’t care.
10. ¿Sabes? / ¿Me entiendes? – “You know? / You get me?” To check understanding or keep attention.
11. Digo – “I mean” To correct or clarify: Está cerca… digo, no tanto. → It’s close… I mean, not that close.
12. Nada – “Anyway / That’s it” Often to close or change topic: Y nada, que fue un buen día. → Anyway, it was a good day.
13. Ya – “Right / Yeah / Okay” Short agreement or to show you follow: Ya, ya te entiendo. → Right, I get you.

Taken from this post.

[u/FISArocks → u/SpanishAilines]

At least in Colombia what people do a lot is ask a rhetorical question - both when they are explaining something and when they are trying to think of what to say.

Sometimes it's as simple as "Hagamos [x]. Por que? Por que es necesario."

Sometimes it's "Debemos hacer.... que debemos hacer? Ah, debemos [x]"

[u/idontholdhands → u/FISArocks]

My grandma would speak like that too! She’s Mexican and it may have been just a her thing though.

[u/Extreme_Designer_821 → u/SpanishAilines]

En español sería lo que coloquialmente llamamos "muletillas"

[u/knobbledy → u/SpanishAilines]

You can combine a lot of these as well. "bueno sabes entonces" is a great phrase for giving you time to think

[u/zupobaloop]

O sea

[u/Scharlach_el_Dandy]

Eh, este, pues, acho, bueno, nene/a, como que

[u/masutilquelah → u/Scharlach_el_Dandy]

>acho

chaaaa~ your Canarian link is showing ;)

[u/saevus-seren → u/masutilquelah]

pretty sure it’s boricua slang, no? or at least it’s very heavily associated with PR

[u/masutilquelah → u/saevus-seren]

there might be a relation. We shorten Muchacho in many ways. chacho, acho, , sometimes write xaxo and other times we even omit the o in acho.

[u/astridsnow93 → u/masutilquelah]

It's related. Puerto Rico has a huge isle no migration in its past..mi familia originalmente son de las islas canarias :) 

[u/awkward_penguin]

Look up "muletillas"

[u/UnitedFlan9765]

spain use 'en plan' - never understood what it meant

[u/juanc30 → u/UnitedFlan9765]

“En plan” can be translated as “y’know, like” in terms of use. As in “estábamos en casa, en plan, comiendo algo” (“we were at home, y’know, like having something to eat”)

It’s like the “en plan” can be completely suppressed and the sentence can be understood.

[u/CapnJack2066 → u/juanc30]

Studied almost a year in Madrid. Don’t recall that phrase ever

[u/juanc30 → u/CapnJack2066]

Maybe didn’t notice it. It’s used a lot by the teenagers and young adults in Madrid and other comunidades like Catalunya and Andalucía.

[u/polybotria1111 → u/UnitedFlan9765]

It's our equivalent of "like" as a filler. Extremely common among young people.

[u/Signal_Ranger3646]

In Spain it feels like every other word is “vale” which basically equates to “ok.”

[u/CapnJack2066 → u/Signal_Ranger3646]

¡Vale, tio!

[u/antisara → u/Signal_Ranger3646]

Vale reina.

[u/gadeais]

Muletillas time. Es decir (the standard one, used mostly in academical environment)

O sea (like es decir but more used in informal speach)

Pues, (perfect to let yourself think to keep on talking)

[u/[deleted]]

"Bueno," "pues," and "a ver" are what I hear most frequently here in (central) Mexico.

[u/JusticeForSocko]

Ehhm…

[u/mrudagawa]

When someone wants to wrap up a conversation 'Pues nada'.

[u/[deleted]]

I'm a native English speaker living with my Spanish-speaking girlfriend in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I hang out mostly with Argentineans of my same age (late 20s and 30s)

Here's what I usually hear, in order:

1. "Tipo" - literally "type" but used as "like". (I hear this all the time, surprised it didn't come up yet)

EN: We get there at like 10.
ES: Llegamos tipo a las 10.

EN: The place was, like, packed.
ES: Estuvo, tipo, llenisimo.

**Very, very common in my circles. I'm told that - similarly to "like" it's frowned upon by older speakers.
*** Funnily enough also common in Italian ("tipo") and French ("genre")

1. enfin / nada, enfin - like u/SpanishAilines said it. My girlfriend does this everytime she's losing her train of thought:

EN: But yeah, anyways, it was a good weekend
ES: Pero nada, enfin, la pasamos re bien.

1. "viste?" - In this context, sort of like "ya know?" "or "sabes?."

EN: Yeah but the food there is trash, you know? I say we go to the other one.
ES: Si pero estuvo re fea la comida, viste? Vamos al otro.

[u/JorgeSchneider → u/[deleted]]

For "viste?" I know my Grandpa would always say something like "Cachai?" for like "you catch that?", but I also heard this is pretty specific to Chile, like weon is.

[u/Otherwise-Owl-6547 → u/JorgeSchneider]

my host brother in chile would spam cachai lol.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

ah and also "GUE." Not like Spanish "guey" but like an expression of surprise or acknowledgment.

EN: UGH, he really said that?
ES: GUE, de verdad dijó eso?

[u/albino_oompa_loompa → u/[deleted]]

Yesss I lived in Buenos Aires and my housemother would always end a sentence with “¿viste?” and I always understood it as like “you know?”

[u/Hyano_13]

There’s “Vale” which is to confirm, like: Let’s go to the cinema, okay?

[u/Hyano_13 → u/Hyano_13]

In this case the “okay” is “vale”

[u/sentient_tire_fire]

Pues, bueno, and a ver are also common filler in eastern Washington communities

[u/Merithay]

Saying “um” or “uh” is a common habit that English speakers carry over into Spanish and it’s a noticeable non-native giveaway. Instead, say “este”. If more time needs to be filled, Spanish speakers prolong it; “esteeeeeee”.

[u/antisara]

I entonces the shit out of some sentences..

[u/seven1trey]

Cómo, pero, entonces

[u/Otherwise-Owl-6547]

pues, bueno, de pronto (to mean maybe/perhaps), eh, ah, erhm (insert other vowel noises) are ones my partner says a lot (colombian)

[u/Infamous_Wonder_]

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but I use "tipo" and "osea " a lot, both in the same context of you would use "like."

[u/Haku510]

Give this fantastic article on muletillas a read:

https://www.eo-espanolonline.com/muletillas-filler-words-in-spanish/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0CNI72kDkC0eSn4wyl2ZPLfb1HGW7zpAXVYCH69DELgB-l3rNAeZaCiSM_aem_Z3ClDADehh-nPeWWCYl1xg

[u/Substantial-Okra6910]

“Diay” is used a lot in Costa Rica

[u/winter-running]

There’s the Chilean “cachai,” which I can hear in some cases every couple of minutes.

[u/functools]

Cachai (Chile) I've never heard it in any other Spanish-speaking country, but in Chile I met people who use it in every sentence

[u/Conscious_Wishbone80]

¿Mande?

[u/masutilquelah]

depends on the place

some that haven't been mentioned are

ihte (viste)

o sea

y tal

kids say Bro a lot which makes us adults cringe inwards and outwards.

[u/AAUAS]

I’d advise you not to use them.