Spanish · The Basics
¡Aguas!
AH-gwahs · /ˈa.ɣwas/
Watch out! / Careful! / Heads up!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Waters!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A warning shout — "heads up!" The story goes it's from colonial times when people emptied chamber pots out the window yelling "¡aguas!" so you'd dodge. Today it's just "careful" — a car's coming, the cop's watching, mind the step. Clean and genuinely useful for staying out of trouble.
Heard in the wild
¡Aguas con el escalón, está mojado!
Careful with the step, it's wet!
Where it lands
Mexico (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "¡Aguas!" mean?
- In Spanish, "¡Aguas!" means "Watch out! / Careful! / Heads up!". Literally it's "Waters!". A warning shout — "heads up!" The story goes it's from colonial times when people emptied chamber pots out the window yelling "¡aguas!" so you'd dodge. Today it's just "careful" — a car's coming, the cop's watching, mind the step. Clean and genuinely useful for staying out of trouble.
- Is "¡Aguas!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "¡Aguas!"?
- Say it "AH-gwahs" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈa.ɣwas.
Related in Spanish
¡No mames! noh MAH-mess No way! / You've got to be kidding me! ¡No manches! noh MAHN-chess No way! / Come on! (the polite twin of no mames) ¡Órale! OH-rah-leh Alright! / Wow! / Let's go! / Get on with it! ¿Neta? NEH-tah For real? / Seriously? — or as a statement, 'the honest truth' ¿Qué pedo? keh PEH-doh What's up? / what's the deal? / what's your problem? Güey GWEY (rhymes with 'way') Dude / man (filler); also 'idiot' when aimed
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