Spanish vs. North/Central American Slang

Question

Do Spaniards use the word "guey" with a similar connotation to that of Mexicans or Salvadorenos?

The word has become a staple in my Spanish vocabulary as I live in Arizona, but I am studying abroad in Seville/Tarifa starting this coming week, and I don't want to be looked at as a crazy person...

If they do not use "guey" in a similar fashion or would not understand it's connotation as "dude" or "buddy", is there a synonym more commonly used in Europe? If so, how would I use it in a sentence?

In Spain not used güey. As similar to güey would: tío, colega, socio, compadre, camarada, amigo, etc.... - Plata_y_Oro, Apr 27, 2013

Answer 1

No nosotros no usamos esa palabra, como dice Plata_y_oro usamos mas Tío.

"Ey tío vente a mi casa" "¿Que tal tío?" "¿Que pasa tío como estas?"

En realidad los jóvenes usamos la palabra "tío" para todo - Neox, Apr 28, 2013

Cuando hablamos con un amigo, los viejos no la usan tampoco es una palabra muy "informal" - Neox, Apr 28, 2013

Thanks for that explanation. I was just starting to notice that word, Tío, in some video clips, and coming to the conclusion it wasn´t used literally. Thanks for accelerating my comprehension. - rogspax, Apr 28, 2013

Answer 2

Don't use "güey"!

I am not sure what's used in Spain, better go with 'tú" or "usted", in the beginning, and pretty soon you'll catch up.