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What does dale mean?

Say itDAH-leh/ˈdale/interjection

Where you’ll hear it
  • Argentina
  • Latin America
  • Spanish speakers in the US

A Spanish interjection, literally "give it," that people use to agree ("OK, sure") or to urge someone on ("go ahead, go for it").

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Dale is a Spanish word that people use to say "OK, sure" or "go for it." Literally, it means "give it": da is the command form of dar ("to give"), and le means "to him," "to her," "to it," or "to you" [1]. As slang, it’s one fixed word that never changes. You hear it across Latin America and in Spanish-speaking families in the US. Cuban-American rapper Pitbull, from Miami, made it his slogan and spread it to fans around the world, even fans who don’t speak Spanish [2].

Say it DAH-leh, with the stress on the first syllable. The a sounds like the a in "father," and the e sounds like the e in "bed." It isn’t the English name Dale or the English word dale (a valley). The word is casual and friendly. Said with a smile, it means "sure." Said with a sigh, as ¡y dale!, it means "there you go again."

Word stats

How casual
Casual and friendly. It fits friends, family, and any relaxed chat, but not formal writing.
OK at work
Fine in a quick team chat ("dale, I’ll send it"). In an email to a client, a plain "de acuerdo" ("agreed") looks better.
Abuela-safe
Safe in front of abuela (grandma). She may even use the ¡y dale! version on you.
Rudeness
Not rude. ¡Y dale! sounds annoyed, but it’s a sigh, not an insult.
Freshness
More people look it up every year. Pitbull shouting it on stage didn’t hurt.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · weekend plans
  1. Sofipizza at my place saturday?
  2. Youdale!! what time?
  3. Martíndale, I’ll bring dessert
  4. Sofi8 🍕

What it means here: Here dale means "OK, sure." Everyone is agreeing to the plan.

Comments on Dani’s post · the night before the race
  1. Danifirst 5k tomorrow and I’m nervous 😬
  2. Luis¡dale! tú puedes
  3. Youdale dale dale 🏃
  4. Daniok ok I’m going

What it means here: Here dale means "go for it," and "tú puedes" means "you can do it."

Text with Mom · third time this week
  1. Youok but hear me out… a small dog
  2. Mamá¡y dale con el perro! 😩
  3. Youa VERY small dog

What it means here: "¡Y dale con el perro!" means "there you go again with the dog!" (perro means "dog"). Here, dale is a complaint, not a yes.

How to use it

  • Dale. (a reply to a plan or an offer)—¿Vamos al cine? —Dale. ("Want to go to the movies?" "Sure.")
  • Dale, + what you will do nextDale, te llamo mañana. ("OK, I’ll call you tomorrow.")
  • ¡Dale! / ¡Dale, dale! (cheering someone on)¡Dale, dale, ya casi llegas! ("Go, go, you’re almost there!")
  • ¡Y dale con + the thing someone keeps repeating!¡Y dale con el fútbol! ("There you go again with soccer!")
  • dale inside EnglishDale, see you at eight.

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds off"DAYL" (like the name Dale)

    Say this"DAH-leh"

    It has two syllables. Spanish vowels are short and clear: a as in "father," e as in "bed."

  • Sounds offDala, nos vemos. (said to a woman)

    Say thisDale, nos vemos. ("OK, see you.")

    As slang, dale is fixed. It doesn’t change for a man or a woman. The le in it can mean "him," "her," "it," or "you," so it never pointed to a man in the first place.

  • Sounds off—¿Cómo estás? —Dale.

    Say this—¿Cómo estás? —Bien. ("How are you?" "Good.")

    Dale answers a plan, a request, or an offer, the way "OK" does. It doesn’t answer a question about how you are.

  • Sounds offHearing "¡y dale!" and thinking Mom said yes

    Say this"¡Y dale!" means "there you go again"

    With y ("and") in front and an annoyed tone, dale complains that someone keeps insisting [3].

dale or not?

Is each of these dale? Pick an answer to find out.

  1. A friend texts "¿vamos a la playa?" ("want to go to the beach?") and you reply "dale."

  2. A coach shouts "¡dale, dale!" at a runner near the finish line.

  3. Someone asks "¿cómo te llamas?" ("what’s your name?") and you answer "dale."

  4. An English hiking guide talks about a walk through a quiet dale.

The dale family

  • dale que daleA stronger "there you go again," for someone who just won’t stop.Twice the dale, none of the patience.
  • valeThe usual way to say "OK" in Spain.Same job, different country, and it even rhymes.
  • saleA Mexican way to say "OK" when you agree to a plan.Short, easy, and as good as a handshake.

OK, go for it, or there you go again?

Dale has three common meanings, and the tone usually tells you which one you got:

MeaningExampleTone
"OK, sure"—¿Nos vemos a las ocho? —Dale. ("See you at eight?" "Sure.")Friendly. Wiktionary, a free online dictionary, lists this use for Argentina [1], but you hear it in many other places too.
"Go ahead, go for it"¡Dale, tú puedes! ("Go for it, you can do it!")Cheering. Listed for Latin America in general [1].
"There you go again"¡Y dale con lo mismo! ("There you go again with the same thing!")Annoyed.

The third meaning surprises learners. The main dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (the RAE, which sets standard Spanish) lists ¡dale! as a casual way to scold someone, with some annoyance, for going on and on about something. Dale que dale is a stronger form of the same complaint [3]. The y in ¡y dale! means "and." So if your friend says ¡y dale! after your fourth story about your cat, that’s not a yes.

Dale is also the command form for people who say vos instead of tú (two ways to say "you"), so it works the same way for both groups [1].

Other Spanish words do the "OK" job too. Vale is the usual one in Spain. Sale and ándale are favorites in Mexico. Okey, from the English "OK," is another [1].

Sources

  1. dale - Wiktionary, the free dictionaryWiktionary
  2. To Pitbull's Fans Around The World, 'Dale' Is A Way Of LifeNPR (via North Country Public Radio)
  3. dar | Diccionario de la lengua españolaReal Academia Española

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