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Spanish · Frustration (Traffic, Bureaucracy, Life)

¿Qué pedo?

keh PEH-doh · /ke ˈpe.ðo/

What's up? / what's the deal? / what's your problem?

2/5 Bar-safe

coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances

Literally

"What fart?"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

"Pedo" (fart) is possibly the busiest word in Mexican slang: "¿qué pedo?" is a rough "what's up" among friends but a challenge with the wrong tone; "un pedo" is a problem; "estar pedo" is to be drunk; "buen pedo / mal pedo" is a good/bad person or vibe; "¡ni pedo!" is "oh well." One word, a dozen jobs. Coarse — keep it with buddies.

Heard in the wild

¿Qué pedo, güey? ¿A qué hora llegas?

What's up, man? When are you getting here?

Where it lands

Mexico (universal)

Quick answers

What does "¿Qué pedo?" mean?
In Spanish, "¿Qué pedo?" means "What's up? / what's the deal? / what's your problem?". Literally it's "What fart?". "Pedo" (fart) is possibly the busiest word in Mexican slang: "¿qué pedo?" is a rough "what's up" among friends but a challenge with the wrong tone; "un pedo" is a problem; "estar pedo" is to be drunk; "buen pedo / mal pedo" is a good/bad person or vibe; "¡ni pedo!" is "oh well." One word, a dozen jobs. Coarse — keep it with buddies.
Is "¿Qué pedo?" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
How do you pronounce "¿Qué pedo?"?
Say it "keh PEH-doh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ke ˈpe.ðo.

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' ¡Aguas! AH-gwahs Watch out! / Careful! / Heads up! ¡Me lleva la chingada! meh YEH-bah lah cheen-GAH-dah I'm so screwed! / For fuck's sake!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "What a mess".

how to say "What a mess" →

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