neta
NEH-tahnoun, adverb, interjectionInformal
A Mexican Spanish slang term. Browse all Mexican slang.
What it means
The truth; the real story. Usually with the article: la neta.
Really? Seriously? Used alone as a question to check whether someone means what they said.
Honestly, to be frank. As a sentence opener it flags that what follows is candid.
La neta, no me gustó — honestly, I didn't like it.
Examples with translations
Dime la neta, ¿te gustó o no?
Tell me the truth, did you like it or not?
—Me ascendieron. —¿Neta?
'I got promoted.' 'Seriously?'
La neta, ese restaurante está sobrevalorado.
Honestly, that restaurant is overrated.
Where it comes from
From neto/neta, 'net' in the accounting sense — what remains once everything else is stripped away. The metaphor is the same one behind English 'the bottom line'.
Other forms
- Similar terms:
- la verdad, en serio