What does ‘tronco’ mean in Spain?
In Spain, tronco (tronca for a woman) is slang for “mate” or “dude” when you talk to a friend: ¿Qué pasa, tronco? Literally it means “tree trunk”, and the slang sense took off in the 1980s, so today it can sound a little retro or jokey next to tío.
Hear it in a real scene
In the Lince app, you hear tronco / tronca in a scene from José Mota, “Ya está descatalogado”:
«¡Qué guapo, tronco! ¿Qué cuesta esto?» So cool, mate! How much is this?
What tronco / tronca means
Mate, dude (form of address) Slang
Used to talk to a friend, never about a stranger: ¿Qué pasa, tronco?, Tranqui, tronca. It does the same job as tío or tía, with a more streetwise, old-school flavour.
Trunk, torso Neutral
The literal meaning is the trunk of a tree, and in anatomy or at the gym it is the torso: el tronco de un árbol, ejercicios de tronco.
Dormir como un tronco — to sleep like a log Neutral, everyday
This idiom is used by everyone, in Spain and in Latin America: Estaba tan cansado que dormí como un tronco.
Where and when you will hear it
Tronco as “mate” belongs to the Madrid street slang of the 1970s and 1980s, the era of the movida, and it spread through films and music. You still hear it, often from people who were young then or from anyone being deliberately playful.
For everyday use, tío and tía are the safer choice; tronco can sound like you are quoting an old film. Outside Spain the slang sense is not used.
Examples from everyday Spain Spanish
- ¿Qué pasa, tronco? ¡Cuánto tiempo!What’s up, mate? Long time no see!
- Tronca, ¿vienes o no?Mate, are you coming or not?
- Tranqui, tronco, que no pasa nada.Relax, dude, it’s no big deal.
- Estaba tan cansado que dormí como un tronco.I was so tired I slept like a log.
How to say it
TROHN-koh: a quick tapped r straight after the t, and the stress on the first syllable. Tronca is TROHN-kah.
Frequently asked questions
Do people in Spain still say tronco?
Yes, but it sounds a little retro next to tío, the more common way to say “mate” or “dude” today.
What does dormir como un tronco mean?
“To sleep like a log”. This use of tronco, “tree trunk”, is not slang and is understood across the Spanish-speaking world.