Reto de 5 preguntas inteligentes por teléfono
A2 Spanish listening practice · Mexican Spanish · Curated for beginners
What does “ando en torre” mean in Spanish?
When the uncle picks up, he says “Ando en torre” — Mexican slang for “I’m busy right now” or “I’m tied up.” Literally it means “I’m in a tower,” but nobody pictures a tower; it just signals the person isn’t free to talk. He quickly adds there’s room anyway, so the call goes ahead. A casual phrase — friends and family only, not a formal setting.
Spoken in the clip: “Ando en torre.” → “I’m busy right now / I’m tied up.” It literally says “I’m in a tower,” but nobody pictures a tower — it just means the person isn’t free to talk at that moment. In the clip the uncle softens it right away with “Acá hay sitio” (“there’s room here”), so he keeps the call going. More ways you’ll hear it: - “¿Puedes hablar?” — “Ahorita ando en torre, te marco al rato.” (“Can you talk?” — “I’m busy right now, I’ll call you later.”) - “Ando en torre, luego te cuento.” (“I’m tied up, I’ll tell you later.”) Usage note: This is casual Mexican slang — friends and family only, not something you’d say in a formal call.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this A2 Spanish listening practice listening practice?
General Spanish frequency
Spoken Spanish frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.