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What does vamos mean?

Say itBAH-mohs/ˈbamos/interjection; verb (form of ir)

Where you’ll hear it
  • Spain
  • Mexico
  • Central and South America
  • Caribbean
  • Spanish speakers in the US

A form of the verb ir ("to go") that means "we go" or "let’s go," also used as an interjection to urge people on ("come on!"), to cheer, or to brush something off.

Written by the Second Language TeamWritten

Vamos is the Spanish word for "we go" or "let’s go." It’s a form of ir ("to go"), so it isn’t slang in the usual sense. It’s an everyday word that people also shout as "come on!" They use it to hurry someone, cheer for a team, or wave away a silly idea. You hear it everywhere Spanish is spoken: at soccer games and tennis matches, in family kitchens, and in Spanglish texts in the US.

Say it BAH-mohs. In Spanish, the letter v sounds like a b, so the word starts like "bah," not "vah." In the middle of a sentence, that b gets softer, with the lips almost touching. The s stays a clean s, never a z. Vamos is fine with friends, family, strangers, and coworkers. Only the tone changes. Said with a smile, it’s a cheer. Said with a sigh, it’s "oh, come on."

Word stats

How casual
An everyday word. You can say it to a stranger, a friend, or a whole stadium.
OK at work
Fine at work. "Vamos a la reunión" just means "we’re going to the meeting," and shouting it after you fix the printer is also allowed.
Abuela-safe
Completely safe in front of abuela (grandma). She may be the one saying it, keys in hand, by the door.
Rudeness
Never rude. The brush-off use, "¡vamos, qué tontería!" ("come on, what nonsense!"), can sound impatient, but the tone does that, not the word.
Freshness
Centuries old, and more people look it up every year.

Spotted in the wild

Group chat · Friday night
  1. Sofíatacos at 8?
  2. Diegovamos!!
  3. Youvamos 🙌 who’s driving
  4. Sofíanot me lol

What it means here: Here vamos means "let’s go" or "I’m in."

Comments on a tennis highlight video
  1. Martathat last point 😱
  2. Luis¡VAMOS! 🎾
  3. Youvamos!!! he actually did it

What it means here: Shouted after a big point, vamos is a cheer, like "yes!" or "come on!"

Text from your mom · Sunday morning
  1. Carmenvamos, vamos! abuela is waiting
  2. You5 min!!
  3. Carmenyou said 5 min 20 min ago 🙄

What it means here: Said twice, vamos means "come on, hurry up," and "abuela" means "grandma."

How to use it

  • ¡Vamos! on its own, as a cheer¡Vamos! ¡Ganamos! ("Come on! We won!")
  • vamos a + placeVamos a la playa. ("Let’s go to the beach," or "We’re going to the beach.")
  • vamos a + verb ("let’s…" or "we’re going to…")Vamos a comer. ("Let’s eat," or "We’re going to eat.")
  • Vamos, + a push to actVamos, tenemos que darnos prisa. ("Come on, we have to hurry.")
  • ¡Vamos, + a brush-off!¡Vamos, qué tontería! ("Come on, what nonsense!") [1]

Don’t say it like this

  • Sounds off"VAM-oss"

    Say this"BAH-mohs"

    Spanish v sounds like b, the a is "ah," and the o is "oh." With an English v, it sounds like a different word.

  • Sounds offVamosnos. (to mean "let’s leave")

    Say thisVámonos. ("Let’s go," "let’s get out of here.")

    When nos is added to the end of vamos, the final s drops and the word gets an accent: vámonos.

  • Sounds offCuando vamos a México el año que viene…

    Say thisCuando vayamos a México el año que viene… ("When we go to Mexico next year…")

    To urge people on, Spanish uses vamos more often than vayamos [2]. But after cuando ("when") about the future, you need vayamos.

  • Sounds off¡Vamoose, amigos! (to Spanish-speaking friends)

    Say this¡Vámonos, amigos! ("Let’s go, friends!")

    Vamoose is English, not Spanish. English took it from vamos and gave it the meaning "to leave quickly" [3]. In Spanish, it may just get you a confused look.

vamos or not?

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

  1. A fan jumps up and yells "¡vamos!" when her team scores.

  2. You want to say "let’s get out of here," so you say "vamosnos."

  3. Your friend says "vamos a cenar" at 7 p.m.

  4. You write "cuando vamos a España el verano que viene" ("when we go to Spain next summer").

The vamos family

  • vámonos"Let’s leave" or "let’s get going": vamos plus nos.What everyone says when the party is over, about an hour before anyone actually leaves.
  • daleLiterally "give it"; people use it for "go for it!" or "OK, let’s do it." Fans in Argentina often cheer with it too.One letter shorter, so it’s easier to shout when your team is running out of time.
  • vamooseAn English verb that means "to leave quickly," borrowed from Spanish vamos.English heard vamos, liked it, and spelled it like a moose.

Where it came from

  1. LatinVamos goes back to a form of the Latin verb vadere, "to go" [3]. The RAE calls vamos an old "let us go" form of ir [1].
  2. Medieval and classical SpanishVamos and vayamos both serve as the "let us go" form. Today vamos is the "we go" form, and its use to urge people on is a leftover of the older use [2].
  3. 1820s–1830sIn the American Southwest, English-speaking cowboys, Texas Rangers, and gold prospectors pick up vamos ("let’s go") from Spanish-speaking vaqueros (cowboys). English speakers turn it into vamoose [3].
  4. TodayThe RAE’s dictionary lists vamos as a way to urge people on and as an interjection [1]. Stadiums, tennis courts, and moms by the front door use it every day.

Vamos, vámonos, or vayamos?

Vamos is a normal form of the verb ir ("to go"). It can mean "we go" or "we’re going," as in Laura y yo vamos al cine ("Laura and I are going to the movies"). It can also mean "let’s go." The RAE’s dictionary (the main dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy) also lists it as a word that urges people on, and as an interjection [1]. The situation tells you which meaning you’re hearing. Its close relatives do slightly different jobs:

WordWhat it meansExample
vamos"we go," "let’s go," or "come on!"Vamos, que llegamos tarde. ("Come on, we’re going to be late.")
vámonos"let’s leave," "let’s get going"Ya es tarde, vámonos. ("It’s late, let’s go.")
nos vamos"we’re leaving"Nos vamos a las ocho. ("We’re leaving at eight.")
vayamos"let us go"; also needed after words like cuando ("when")Cuando vayamos a Lima… ("When we go to Lima…")

In old Spanish, vamos and vayamos were both the "let us go" form. Today vamos is the "we go" form, but people still use it more often than vayamos to urge each other on [2]. As a call to action, vayamos sounds more formal, a bit like "let us proceed." You still need vayamos after words like cuando ("when") and para que ("so that"). So say cuando vayamos, not cuando vamos.

In Spain, people also start a sentence with vamos, que… in casual speech to mean "basically" or "in other words": Vamos, que no viene. ("Basically, he’s not coming.")

Sources

  1. vamos | Diccionario de la lengua españolaReal Academia Española
  2. ir, irse | Diccionario panhispánico de dudasReal Academia Española
  3. VAMOOSE Definition & MeaningMerriam-Webster

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