What does “boté la plata” mean in Spanish?

A woman is buying lunch from a street vendor and suddenly can’t find her cash: “como que boté la plata.” A learner who knows “botar” as “to throw out” might think she dumped the money on purpose. In Colombia, “botar” often just means to lose or misplace. So she’s saying her money went missing — and a kind neighbor steps in and pays her whole bill.

She says: “como que boté la plata, no sé, ¿dónde se me perdió?” — “I think I lost the money, I don’t know, where did it go?” Notice she even pairs “boté” with “se me perdió” (got lost), which tells you what “botar” means here. This is everyday Colombian Spanish. A few more you’ll hear: • “Boté el celular” — “I lost my phone.” • “Botó las llaves” — “He/she lost the keys.” In most other Spanish-speaking countries, people would say “perdí la plata” or “perdí el celular” instead. “Botar” in those places usually keeps its other meaning — to throw something in the bin — so the same sentence can sound different depending on where you are. In this clip, context (and the worried tone) makes it clear: the money is simply gone.