I don’t know about you, but I’m always obsessed with being on time. So much that I end up hurrying everyone up. If this is your case too, you may want to learn how to say ‘hurry up’ in Spanish.
So to help you with this, in this article, I’ll teach you 7 common words that we Spanish speakers use to hurry people up. You’ll also learn the best context to apply each of these words.
Although you can’t force your friends to be on time, by the end of this article, you’ll know how to tell them to ‘hurry up’ in Spanish…At least, you’ll be able to put some pressure on them 😉
1. ¡Apúrate!
¡Apúrate! is one of the most common ways to say ‘hurry up’ in Spanish. Since this expression can imply impatience, we use it in informal situations. As you can imagine, authoritative figures (such as parents and teachers) can also use this word. Apúrate can be translated as:
- Get a move on
- Hurry up
- Shake a leg
‘¡Apúrate!’ is the imperative form for ‘tú’. So, if you want to hurry someone else up, you only need to conjugate the reflexive verb apurarse. Here are some examples:
[‘Apurarse’ conjugated] + [complement]
Niños, ¡apúrense! Van a llegar tarde.
Kids, hurry up! You’re going to be late.
Nos vamos en 10 minutos. Apúrate.
We’re leaving in 10 minutes. Shake a leg!
Mindy, ¡apúrate! Sammy nos está esperando.
Come on, Mindy, get a move on! Sammy is waiting for us.
No manches, apúrate o me voy a ir.
Come on, hurry up or I’ll leave.
Apúrale means ‘hurry’ and is also a popular variation that you can use:
¡Apúrenle a regresar! No los voy a esperar.
Hurry back! I won’t wait for you.
¡Apúrale! Ya nos tenemos que ir.
Hurry! We have to go now.
Take Note: In other contexts, the verb ‘apurarse’ is synonymous with ‘to worry’ or ‘to concern’. So, depending on the context, apurado and apurada express that a person is either worried or in a hurry.
No te apures, yo te ayudo.
Don’t worry; I’ll help you.
¿Andas apurada o tienes chance de hablar?
Are you in a hurry, or do you have the chance to talk?
2. ¡Date prisa!
Date prisa is a more formal Spanish expression to ask people to hurry up. Due to its formality, it’s common to see these phrases in movies, books, tv shows, or business environments. As a result, this phrase is suitable for those situations where you need to keep your composure.
To customize this expression, you need to conjugate darse prisa accordingly. Don’t forget that the conjugation should be in the imperative form to keep the ‘hurry up’ meaning.
[‘Darse’ conjugated] + prisa + [complement]
Por favor, Leticia, dése prisa con el informe.
Please, Leticia, hurry up with the report.
¡Date prisa o vamos a llegar tarde!
Hurry up or we’re going to be late!
Chicos, ¿no han terminado? ¡Dénse prisa!
Guys, you haven’t finished? Hurry up!
Dése prisa con el contrato, por favor.
Hurry up with the contract, please.
Take Note: Darse prisa and apurarse are reflexive verbs. Why? Because the person is both doing and benefiting from the action (I know, the real beneficiary should be the person that is hurrying someone else up).
3. ¡Ándale!
In Mexican Spanish, ándale is a common informal expression that we use to tell someone to ‘hurry up’. Since it’s a slang term that implies impatience, we only apply this word in very informal settings. With this meaning, ‘ándale’ is close in meaning to:
- Let’s go
- Chop-chop
- Hurry up
- Come on
Keep in mind that you can only use this word in a singular or plural form. In other words, you’ll use ándale if you’re addressing a person. But if you want a group of people to ‘hurry up’, you’ll say ándenle.
¡Ándenle! Vamos a perder el tren.
Let’s go! We’re going to miss the train.
¡Ándale, Rebecca! Ya se nos hizo tarde.
Hurry up, Rebecca! We’re late.
¡Ándale! ¡Nos vamos en cinco minutos!
Hurry up! We’re leaving in five minutes!
¡Ándale, Lenny! Es hora de irnos.
Come on, Lenny! It’s time to go.
As mentioned before, ‘ándale’ is very popular in Mexico. But if you’re in Spain, you can use the phrase ‘darle caña’ and ‘métele chala’ if you’re in Chile.
Take Note: ‘Ándale’ is a rich word in Mexican Spanish. So, depending on the context where it’s being applied, this word will have different meanings.
4. ¡Apresúrate!
Another standard translation that means ‘hurry up’ in Spanish is ¡apresúrate! This word is as formal as ‘darse prisa’, so choosing one or the other depends on your personal preference. ‘¡Apresúrate!’ is close in meaning to ‘speed up’, ‘shake a leg’ and ‘hurry up’.
Apresúrate comes from the verb ‘apresurarse’. So, just like any other verb from this list, this reflexive verb can be conjugated for different people. Check these examples below:
[‘Apurarse’ conjugated] + [complement]
Laura, apresúrese con esa factura.
Laura, hurry up with that invoice.
¡Apresúrate! Ya van a cerrar la tienda.
Speed up! They’re about to close the store.
Por favor, apresurémenos a terminar este proyecto.
Please, let’s shake a leg to finish this project.
5. ¡Córrele!
Although it’s a very common expression, many learners don’t know that ¡córrele! is another popular way to say ‘hurry up’ in Spanish. Since this expression is very informal, it’s only suitable to use among your friends and family. In this context, ‘córrele’ means ‘hurry’, ‘hurry up’ or ‘chop-chop’.
As you can see, ‘córrele’ comes from the verb ‘correr’. But by having the pronoun le, the verb acquires this meaning. Like ‘ándale’, this expression can only be used in singular or plural forms.
¿Todavía no están listos? ¡Córranle, por Dios!
Are you still not ready? For Christ Sake, hurry!
¡Tobías, córrele! ¡Nos están esperando!
Hurry up, Tobias! They’re waiting for us!
¡Córranle, córranle! Ya casi se acaba el tiempo.
Chop-chop! Time is almost over.
Take Note: You can also use córrele as a way to ask someone to run. In this case, ‘le’ only has the purpose of emphasizing your command.
¡Córranle! Nos van a alcanzar.
Run! They’re going to get us.
Lucía, ¡córrele, detén el camión!
Lucia, run, stop the bus!
6. ¡Deprisa!
If you need another formal and sort of polite way to say ‘hurry up’ in Spanish, you can use the word ¡deprisa! With this meaning, ‘deprisa’ is close in meaning to ‘hurry’ and ‘quick’. Due to its formality, this word is commonly used in movies, tv shows, and books.
So, make sure you use it in the appropriate context. Also, since this is an expression, you don’t need to worry about conjugating it.
¡Deprisa! El avión está por despegar.
Quick! The plane is about to take off.
Niños, ¡deprisa! Su abuela ya se va.
Kids, hurry! Grandma is leaving.
¡Deprisa! Marca a emergencias.
Hurry! Call 911.
Take Note: In other contexts, deprisa works as an adverb. This means that you can use it to describe how fast an action was completed. In this case, it can be translated as ‘quickly’, ‘fast’ or ‘rapidly’.
[Verb conjugated] + deprisa + [complement]
Tenemos que actuar deprisa.
We need to move fast.
Clive habla tan deprisa que no entiendo lo que dice.
Clive speaks so fast that I don’t understand what he says.
7. ¡Rápido!
As an expression, ¡rápido! can also be used as a standard way to hurry someone up. With this meaning, this word can be translated as ‘hurry’, ‘quick’ or ‘chop-chop’. Just like ‘deprisa’, rápido doesn’t need to be conjugated.
¡Rápido! Entra antes de que alguien te vea.
Hurry! Get in before someone sees you.
¿Están listos? ¡Rápido! No tengo todo el día.
Are you guys ready? Chop-chop! I don’t have all day.
Rápido, chicas, se nos va a ir el tren.
Hurry, girls, we’re going to miss the metro.
Take note: In Spanish, rápido also works as an adverb or a Spanish adjective to describe people. In this case, ‘rápido’ is the direct translation of ‘quick’ or ‘fast’.
Nick es el más rápido de su clase.
Nick is the fastest in his class.
Espera, no hables tan rápido.
Wait, don’t speak so fast.
Wrapping Up
If you have Spanish-speaking friends that always make you wait, you should learn how to tell them to hurry up. Since this can be helpful for you, in this article, I gave you 7 words and expressions (along with their variations) to convey this message.
So, next time you find yourself in this situation, you’ll be ready to tell people ¡apúrense! ¡Buena suerte!
Related Resources:
How to Conjugate ‘Andar’: The expression ‘¡ándale!’ is formed with the verb ‘andar’. So, to customize this word, you should learn how to conjugate ‘andar’.
Conjugations, Meanings & Uses of ‘Dar’: Darse prisa is the reflexive form of the verb ‘dar’. With this meaning, you need to get familiar with the imperative conjugations of this verb.
How to Conjugate Reflexive Verbs: Most of the expressions from this list are built with a verb in the reflexive form. As a result, you should take some time to understand how to conjugate these types of verbs in Spanish.