Café becomes cafecito. Cerca, “near,” becomes cerquita. Pronto, “soon,” becomes prontito. Nada, “nothing,” becomes nadita. In 2005, a language column in El Siglo de Torreón noted how readily Mexicans use the diminutive, even on adverbs. The columnist wrote that cafecito “suena mucho más cordial” (sounds much more cordial).
Courteous Softening
Con la pena, “with embarrassment,” said before asking something of someone. Con permiso, “with permission,” said when passing or leaving. A la orden, “at your order.” ¿Mande?, said when someone calls. In 2011, the linguist Concepción Company Company listed these in Letras Libres as examples of “atenuación cortés” (courteous softening). She named it as one of the patterns recorded in the Diccionario de mexicanismos of the Mexican Academy of the Language.
Eleven Words to Ask
In December 2022, the linguist Concepción Company Company gave a lecture at El Colegio Nacional on stereotypes about Mexican Spanish. One is that it is extremely polite. Such stereotypes, she said, “tienen mucho de falso y tienen mucho de cierto también” (have much that is false and much that is true).
On requests, she had data. “Tenemos fórmulas de petición corteses, larguísimas, esto lo he medido” (We have courteous request formulas, very long ones, I have measured this). Mexican speakers use an average of 11 to 12 words to ask for something. Orders are phrased as questions, as in me echas la mano, no seas (give me a hand, go on).
A Little Favor
¿No me harías un favorcito? “Wouldn’t you do me a little favor?” The request is softened three times, with a negative, the conditional and a diminutive. It is the title of a 1998 study of verbal politeness in Mexican Spanish by the linguist Carmen Curcó.
In 2002, Curcó and Anna De Fina published a study of imperatives, negation and diminutives in polite speech. A doctoral thesis at El Colegio de México sums up its finding: “los mexicanos valoran como más corteses los enunciados en que se atenúa la fuerza ilocutiva” (Mexicans rate as more polite the utterances in which the force of the request is softened).
A Rising Tone
In a 2012 study, the linguist J. César Félix-Brasdefer recorded role plays of requests in Oaxaca. The Mexican speakers preferred a rising tone at the end of a request. They used it in indirect requests, and also in direct ones.
Provecho
Provecho, “enjoy your meal,” is said in Mexico to people who are eating, usually strangers. A 2026 article in Sopitas calls it “una manera sutil de desearle el bienestar a un desconocido” (a subtle way to wish a stranger well).
The same article records the opposite view. Some people feel the greeting interrupts the meal.
Thank You for Not Smoking
“POR FAVOR APAGUE SU CIGARRO antes de entrar” (Please put out your cigarette before entering). “Gracias por no fumar” (Thank you for not smoking). These are among the model signs in the Manual de Señalamientos y Avisos of the State of Mexico, part of its program against tobacco use. They mark spaces where smoking is not allowed.
The same manual also offers the plain sign “PROHIBIDO FUMAR” (no smoking).
At Your Command
When a Mexican is called by name, or does not catch what was said, the polite answer is ¿Mande? The word comes from mandar, “to command,” and means roughly “at your command.” Its origin is unclear. One account links it to the colonial period, but no document supports this, and the word is used between equals.
Many Mexicans also call their mother mi jefa, “my boss,” and, with affection, jefecita.