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Here in Mexico, the slang phrase qué padre (or various forms such as muy padre, etc) are quite common, with the meaning "how cool".

Is this just Mexican slang, or do other regions use the same phrase?

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I'm not quite sure, but because qué must be accented when beginning an "exclamation phrase", then the subject asked by the OP should be written as qué padre... – Nicolás Dec 5 '11 at 21:19
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@Nicolás: Corrected, thanks. – Flimzy♦ Dec 5 '11 at 21:22

4 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

The Academia Mexicana de la Lengua lists it in the Diccionario breve de mexicanismos, which would tend to support the anecdotal evidence that everyone has given so far (and that I would add to - I heard it a lot in Mexico, but I've only heard it from Mexicans elsewhere that I can recall).

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up vote 5 down vote

I've heard that padre is predominantly Mexican slang.

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... but almost everyone in latin america would understand the meaning :) even if they don't use it – pleasedontbelong Nov 15 '11 at 22:49
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I don't think that would happen in Spain. I guess I could guess its meaning, but not proper understanding of it. – Serabe Nov 15 '11 at 22:50
Not used -but probably understood- in Argentina. – leonbloy Nov 16 '11 at 3:22
Also not used -but probably understood (thanks to The Simpsons Mexican translation)- in Colombia. – Gonzalo Medina Nov 20 '11 at 22:07
I'm pretty sure in Perú is not used, but likely to be understood. I'm not proud of this, but probably thanks to "Chespirito" and mexican telenovelas more than to "The Simpsons". – Ricardo Jan 16 '12 at 23:56
up vote 0 down vote

As far as I know, it's mostly mexican, and probably used in zones near Mexico.

There is no universal translation for "how cool", although I've heard "está de pelos" in neutral Spanish translations, which means you can use that and be understood in all Latin America, although it will sound artificial.

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I hear it everywhere in Mexico (along with "chido") but I never heard either in Guatemala or further south. In Guatemala the usual slang word for "cool" is "chévere". Maybe "padre" is used in US border areas - I don't have experience of that area. In Spain the equivalent was "genial". – hippietrail Nov 15 '11 at 23:35
There's also "copado" in Argentina... – Diego Mijelshon Nov 15 '11 at 23:36
In fact there are many regional words with similar meanings as you can see in the Translations section of the Wiktionary article on the English word "cool". I just wanted to focus on "zones near Mexico" and neutral Spanish Spanish. – hippietrail Nov 15 '11 at 23:41
@DiegoMijelshon: Do you recall any specific examples of translating how cool as está de pelos? – Jaime Soto Nov 17 '11 at 3:27
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@hippietrail in Guatemala we don't use the word "Chévere" as "cool", it sounds like Venezuelan to us... we use the word "chilero" or the more vulgar expression "de a huevo". We don't use "que padre" even near the Mexican border. BTW, chévere here is a small hotdog you can find in a lot of town plazas, ferias and procesiones. – jachguate Oct 27 '12 at 4:41
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Here along the Tex/Mex border, "Que Padre" is used by women who see man who they are and want to impress; when the man says something suggestive to a woman he hopes to impress, if receptive, she will respond and the with "que padre" indicating she is on the same page as the man and the new relationship has the potential to advance from there. It is also meant to encourage the man to pursue her further. Here in the Rio Grande Valley, it is all about reading the slang in the appropriate manner and advancing to the next stage. We have many colloquial sayings which are indigenous mainly to the lower Rio Grande Valley and they are a reflection of our particular way of life on the Tex/Mex border. We often refer to the language here as "Splanglish" and many times it is a mixture of Mexican and English. It is a way of life like no other.

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"women who see man who they are and want to impress"? I think there may be an extra word or two in this phrase? – Flimzy♦ Nov 16 '11 at 2:39

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