In short – ‘va que va’ is a casual – and very Mexican – way of saying ‘okay’. It’s often used to say yes to / agree with a request or proposal.
‘Va que va’ is actually a derivative of the word ‘vale‘, which is Spain’s ubiquitous version of ‘ok’. It was first reduced to a simple ‘va‘ (which, by the way, is also an extremely widespread expression in Mexico) and later evolved into an entire phrase.
I mean, ‘va que va’ IS pretty catchy, don’t you think?
Uses / Meanings of ‘va que va’
- To respond affirmatively to an invitation or request
- To agree with someone or something
To respond affirmatively to an invitation or request
If your Mexican friends propose a fun plan, you can respond with an enthusiastic ‘va que va’.
In this sense, ‘va que va’ functions as a synonym of ‘okay’ … but you can think of it as a friendlier, more effusive option, kinda like the English expressions ‘yeah, sure’, ‘let’s go’ or ‘let’s do it’.
Patricia – ¿Qué onda, vamos mañana a la feria del libro?
Lorena – ¡Va que va!
Patricia – What’s up, wanna go to the book fair tomorrow?
Lorena – Yeah, sure!
Paco – Vicente, te invito a mi fiesta el viernes, ¿jalas o qué?
Vicente – ¡Va que va! Yo llevo el tequila.
Paco – Vicente, you’re invited to my party on Friday, are you coming?
Vicente – Awesome! I’ll bring tequila.
Liliana – Necesito que al rato me acompañes al médico, me da miedo ir sola.
Octavio – Va que va. Tú tranquila; todo va a salir bien.
Liliana – I need you to come with me to the doctor, I’m afraid to go by myself.
Octavio – Okay, sure. Don’t worry, everything will be fine.
To agree with someone or something
‘Va que va’ is also used to agree with a statement, idea, or plan.
In this sense it’s more akin to a simple ‘okay’ or ‘agreed’.
Ramón – Entonces, tú te vas a encargar de las conclusiones del ensayo, mientras que yo redacto la introducción, ¿de acuerdo?
Ángel – Va que va.
Ramón – So you’re gonna take care of the essay’s conclusion and I’ll write the introduction, agreed?
Ángel – Agreed.
Madre – Necesitamos pintar la casa estas vacaciones.
Hijo – Va que va.
Madre – We need to paint the house this summer.
Hijo – Okay.
Roxana – Pide mis tacos sin salsa, por favor.
Donovan – Va que va.
Roxana – Please order my tacos without hot sauce.
Donovan – Okay.
‘Va que va’ pronunciation
‘Va’ sounds like ‘bah‘ (remember that the Latin American ‘v’ is *normally* pronounced like a ‘b’), and ‘que’ like ‘keh’.
/ bah keh bah /
Similar expressions to ‘va que va‘
Cámara
Here’s another whimsical Mexican expression for you to try!
‘Cámara’ has several meanings, such as an actual ‘camera’ and a ‘chamber’ (i.e., a ‘room’), BUT it’s also a colloquial way of saying ‘okay’ or ‘yes’ in certain parts of Mexico.
Alan – Invítame una chela, wey.
Antonio – ¡Cámara!
Alan – Buy me a beer, dude.
Antonio – Sure thing!
Román – Vamos al partido del América mañana.
Brenda – ¡Cámara!
Román – Let’s go to the América game tomorrow.
Brenda – Let’s do it!
Órale
‘Órale’ is another popular way to express agreement in Mexico … and it’s actually often followed by a ‘va’!
Alejandra – ¿Y si hoy cenamos sushi?
Daniel – Órale, va.
Alejandra – What if we have sushi for dinner today?
Daniel – Yeah, I’m in.
Joaquín – ¿Me prestas dinero? Me faltó comprar verduras.
Concepción – Órale, ¿cuánto necesitas?
Joaquín – Can you lend me some money? I forgot to buy vegetables.
Concepción – Sure, how much do you need?
Me late
‘Me late’ is a super common way to agree to a plan / proposal.
Omar – Cuando terminen las clases, nos vamos a Acapulco…¿cómo ves?
Francisco – Me late.
Omar – When school breaks up, let’s go to Acapulco…what do you reckon?
Francisco – I’m in!
Paulina – ¿Y si jugamos beer pong hasta embriagarnos?
Rubén – Va, me late.
Paulina – What if we play beer pong and get super drunk?
Rubén – I’m game!
Final thoughts
So, there you have it: another phrase to add to your Mexican Spanish repertoire!
‘Va que va’ will definitely make you sound more native than a generic ‘okay’, so hopefully you’ll give it a whirl the next time you wanna let your Mexican pals know that you agree with them.
Wanna learn more ways to say ‘ok’?
Well, don’t miss our magnum opus on the topic. Trust me, if you wanna find out about all things ‘ok’ in Spanish … you NEED to check it out!
¡Hasta pronto!
