Definition – Ándale is an informal Mexican word that could be used to hurry someone along; or to show agreement, surprise or frustration. Additionally, Mexican speakers use it to ask people to stop bothering them. Depending on the context, ‘ándale’ means ‘hurry up’, ‘come on’, ‘okay, ‘alright’, ‘Geez’, ‘fine’ or go on’.
What does ‘Ándale’ mean?
- Translation #1: When used to show surprise or frustration, ‘ándale’ is similar in meaning to ‘geez’, ‘oh my God’ or ‘come on’.
- Translation #2: It also means ‘hurry up’ or ‘come on’.
- Translation #3: When used to express agreement, ‘ándale’ means ‘okay’, ‘fine’ or ‘alright’.
- Translation #4: It can also mean ‘go on’ or ‘continue’.
How and When to use ‘Ándale’?
- To tell someone ‘hurry up’/come one’. One of the most popular uses of ‘ándale’ is as a synonym of ‘hurry up’ or ‘come one’. As a synonym of ‘come on’, ándale can also be used as a way to beg for something.
- To show agreement. When showing agreement to a situation or proposal, it’s common to hear ‘ándale, pues’ or simply ‘andale’. Both expressions are translated as ‘okay’, ‘fine’ or ‘alright’.
- To express surprise or frustration. This word is also used to express surprise or frustration for a given situation. It means ‘geez’, ‘come on’ or ‘oh my God’.
- To warn people to stop doing something. Mexican speakers also use ‘ándale’ or ‘ándale, pues’ as a way to warn people to stop bothering them. In this situation, this word means ‘go on now’.
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Here are some real-life examples so you can see how to apply ‘ándale’ in your conversations.
As a synonym of ‘come on’ and ‘hurry up’
¡Ándale, ya llegó tu papá!
Hurry up, your dad is here!
¿Qué estás haciendo? ¡Ándale, tenemos que irnos!
What are you doing? Hurry up! We have to leave!
¡Ándale, Jonathan, ayúdame con mi tarea, no seas así!
Come on, Jonathan, help me with my homework, don’t be like that
To Express Surprise or Frustration
When expressing frustration, ‘ándale’ implies that things are not happening as fast as you want or wasn’t what you expected.
¡Ándale! No sabía que esto estaba tan caro
Geez! I didn’t know this was so expensive
¡Dame mi teléfono! ¡Ándale! ¡No tengo todo el día!
Give me my phone! Come on! I don’t have all day!
¡Ándale! No sabía que Mariana y José se cambiaron de casa
Oh my God! I didn’t know that Mariana and Jose moved out
To Show Agreement
In this context, ‘ándale’ is used as a way to respond to a statement or a proposal. Here are some examples:
| Spanish | English |
| Tú: Oye, me tengo que ir, pero si quieres mañana ve a la casa. | You: Hey, I have to go, but if you want, you can come by the house tomorrow. |
| Tu amigo: ¡Ándale, pues! Te hablo mañana | Your friend: Okay, then. I’ll call you tomorrow. |
| Spanish | English |
| Tus amigos: El sábado que viene vamos a ir a la playa por si quieres ir. Nos vamos a las 9. | Your friends: Next Saturday we’re going to the beach if you want to come. We’re leaving at 9. |
| Tú: ¡Ah, ándale! Me parece bien, los veo el sábado, entonces | Your friend: Alright! Sounds good to me, see you on Saturday. |
As a Way to Warn People
Mexican speakers also use ‘ándale’ as a way to warn people to stop doing something. It’s usually applied when someone is bugging you and you’re asking them to stop.
¡Ándale, pues! Sigue dando lata y vas a ver
Go on now! You keep bugging me or else!
¡Ándale sigue diciéndome cuatro ojos!
Go on now! Keep calling me four-eyes!
Take Note: When using ‘ándale’ with this meaning, it’s like if you were challenging people to keep bugging you.
Who Can You Use ‘Ándale’ With?
In Mexico, ‘ándale’ is quite popular among speakers of all ages. The only rule that you may want to keep in mind is that this word is informal, as a result, you won’t use it on formal occasions.
Other Ways to Say ‘Ándale’
Here are other synonyms that you can use to replace ‘ándale’ when needed.
- Sale → It’s an informal way to say ‘fine’ or ‘okay’. It’s mostly used in Mexico.
- Vale → It means ‘okay’ or ‘fine’. It’s quite popular in all Spanish speaking countries.
- Está bien → It’s the direct translation of ‘okay’.
- ¡Apúrate! → Apúrate is the direct translation of ‘hurry up’.
- ¡Córrele! → This is another informal way to ask people to hurry. It literally means ‘to run’.
- ¡Síguele, pues! → This expression can be used to warn people to stop doing something.
- Órale → This is another Mexican slang word that you can use to show agreement.
