These Are the Spanglish Slang Words You Need to Be on Vida's Level

This weekend Starz will drop you in the middle of East Los Angeles as its newest dramedy Vida explores the gentrified neighborhood and the lives of its Mexican-American inhabitants.

The series centers on two sisters, Emma (Mishel Prada) and Lyn (Melissa Barrera), who return home to Los Angeles to bury their mother, only to find she's left a mountain of debt, a bar and a wife behind for them to look after. They must face their childhood demons, their exes and their personal messes in the midst of their grief as the place they grew up in is threatened to be erased by bougie hipsters taking over the neighborhood.

Vida Ends the Silence of the Queer Latinx Community

Vida is sexy, dramatic and like nothing that's been on TV before, but one of the most interesting aspects of the show is the authentic language the characters use to communicate. All of the principle cast are Latinx so they speak to each other in a mix of Spanish and English, sometimes switching languages within the same sentence. There's no subtitles to guide you through, so the audience feels legitimately immersed in the middle of these characters' multicultural lives.

You're not completely without help though. TV Guide sat down with the cast of Vida and executive producer Tanya Saracho and had them explain the key Spanglish slang words and insults used within the series. Don't know what puta means? You should, along with "whitetina"and "wakala" and a few others that make multiple appearances within the show. So take some notes, and then sit back and enjoy as the insults fly.

Vida premieres Sunday, May 6 at 8:30/7:30c on Starz.