Words and phrases

Spanish for the Dance Floor

Salsa grew up in Spanish, and a few words go a long way. You will hear them in rueda calls, in class, and from the band. You do not need to be fluent; a handful of phrases said with a smile is plenty.

Pronunciations below are rough English sound-alikes. Stressed syllables are in capitals.

Black and white photo of people dancing to live drums on a Havana rooftop

Rooftop dancing in Havana: FranHogan, CC BY-SA 4.0

Social phrases

Always accept a no gracefully. A simple gracias and a smile is perfect salsa etiquette.
SpanishMeaningSay it
¿Bailamos?Shall we dance?bye-LAH-mohs
¿Quieres bailar?Do you want to dance?kee-EH-rehs bye-LAR
Sí, con gustoYes, with pleasuresee, kohn GOOS-toh
GraciasThank youGRAH-see-ahs
Con permisoExcuse me (to get past)kohn pehr-MEE-soh
PerdónSorrypehr-DOHN
Soy principianteI'm a beginnersoy preen-see-pee-AHN-teh
Más despacio, por favorSlower, pleasemahs dehs-PAH-see-oh, por fah-VOR
¿Otra?Another one?OH-trah
Me encanta esta canciónI love this songmeh ehn-KAHN-tah EHS-tah kahn-see-OHN

Move names (mostly Cuban casino and rueda)

Schools name some figures differently, so listen to your teacher's version. See our full guide to Spanish dance words.
SpanishMeaningSay it
GuapeaThe open back-and-forth casino basic (from guapo, bold)gwah-PEH-ah
Dile que noTell her no: a figure that moves the follower acrossDEE-leh keh NOH
EnchuflaPlug in: a quick turn where partners swap placesehn-CHOO-flah
VueltaTurnVWEHL-tah
DameGive me: leaders move to the next partner in ruedaDAH-meh
VacílalaShow her off: a free turnvah-SEE-lah-lah
SombreroHat: arms wrap above the follower's headsohm-BREH-roh
ExhíbelaShow her: the leader presents the followerehk-SEE-beh-lah
AdiósGoodbye: a turn that sends the leader onah-dee-OHS
RuedaWheel: couples dancing in a circleRWEH-dah

Music words

SpanishMeaningSay it
ClaveKey: the rhythm pattern the music is built onKLAH-veh
TumbaoThe repeating groove of the bass or congatoom-BAH-oh
MontunoThe section where the chorus repeats and the singer improvisesmohn-TOO-noh
MamboIn an arrangement, the brass break that sends dancers into shinesMAHM-boh
CoroChorusKOH-roh
SoneroA singer who improvises over the chorussoh-NEH-roh
SaborFlavor: dancing with real feelingsah-BOR
¡Azúcar!Sugar! Celia Cruz's famous cryah-SOO-kar
¡Wepa!A shout of pure joyWEH-pah

Quick quiz

Eight questions. No pressure, El Tranquilo says.

1. What does ¿Bailamos? mean?
2. In rueda de casino, what does the call Dame tell leaders to do?
3. Which word names the open casino basic step?
4. Vuelta means:
5. What is the clave?
6. Who made ¡Azúcar! famous?
7. Which phrase do you use to get past people politely?
8. Enchufla roughly means:
Score: 0 / 8
Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources (updated Oct 1, 2026). Spot an error? Email hello@fireempireshop.com.

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