What does ‘cachondeo’ mean in Spain?
In Spain, cachondeo is a colloquial word for fun, joking around or a good laugh: estar de cachondeo means “to be kidding around”. Said of a situation, esto es un cachondeo means “this is a joke” or “this is a shambles”.
Hear it in a real scene
In the Lince app, you hear cachondeo in a scene from El Desafío, “El cachondeo con mi apellido”:
«Y, y es que, o sea, el cachondeo en el colegio siempre: «¡Santiago Segura!».» And, and the thing is, I mean, the joking at school was always: 'Santiago Segura!'
What cachondeo means
Fun, joking around Colloquial
Laughter and banter in a group: En la cena hubo mucho cachondeo. Estar de cachondeo means “to be kidding” or “to be having a laugh”.
Tomarse algo a cachondeo — not take it seriously Colloquial
To treat something as a joke: Se toma el trabajo a cachondeo.
¡Esto es un cachondeo! — this is a joke Colloquial
Said with annoyance, it calls a situation chaotic or badly run: Tres horas esperando: esto es un cachondeo.
Where and when you will hear it
Cachondeo is common in relaxed Spain Spanish and is not rude by itself. Its relative cachondo needs care, though: ser cachondo means “to be funny”, but estar cachondo means “to be horny”, which is vulgar.
In more neutral speech, people say broma, risas or diversión. Speakers in Latin America are less likely to use cachondeo.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- Anoche en la cena hubo un cachondeo increíble.There was a huge amount of laughter at dinner last night.
- No te enfades, que estoy de cachondeo.Don’t get annoyed, I’m only kidding.
- Se lo toma todo a cachondeo.He doesn’t take anything seriously.
- Dos horas de retraso y nadie nos dice nada: esto es un cachondeo.Two hours late and nobody tells us anything: this is a joke.
- Tu hermano es muy cachondo.Your brother is really funny.
How to say it
kah-chon-DEH-oh: the stress falls on de, and ch sounds like the ch in “chair”.
Frequently asked questions
Is cachondeo a rude word?
No. Cachondeo is colloquial but not vulgar. The trap is estar cachondo, which means “to be horny”; ser cachondo, “to be funny”, is fine.
What does estar de cachondeo mean?
It means “to be kidding” or “to be joking around”: ¿Estás de cachondeo? is “Are you kidding me?”.