If you spend time around Spanish speakers under 35, you will hear three little expressions that no textbook has taught you: en plan, tipo, and como que. These are the Spanish equivalents of English "like" — not the verb, but the filler and quotative marker that younger speakers insert everywhere. Understanding them is not optional at the C1 level. Without them, you will struggle to follow casual conversations among young adults. And using them yourself — in the right contexts, in moderation — is one of the fastest ways to sound natural in informal settings.
These markers are spreading rapidly. En plan originated in Spain and is now reaching Latin American speakers through social media and streaming content. Tipo is entrenched across Latin America, especially in Argentina, Mexico, and Colombia. Como que is universal in the Spanish-speaking world and has been around the longest. All three occupy similar territory: they approximate, hedge, introduce reported speech, and fill pauses.
En plan (de)
En plan literally means "in a mode" or "in the manner of." As a discourse marker, it has several overlapping uses, all informal.
Approximating (like / kind of)
The most basic use: softening a description, signaling that what follows is approximate rather than literal.
Lo dijo en plan broma.
He said it as a joke / in a joking way.
Estoy en plan relajado hoy.
I'm in chill mode today.
Fuimos en plan turista.
We went in tourist mode / like tourists.
Me miró en plan '¿qué haces aquí?'
She looked at me like 'what are you doing here?'
Introducing reported speech (quotative)
Like English "like" in She was like, "No way!", en plan can introduce what someone said or thought — real or imagined.
Me dijo en plan 'no puedo más'.
She was like, 'I can't take it anymore.'
Él en plan 'tranquilo, no pasa nada'.
He was like, 'relax, it's no big deal.'
As a filler / hedge
In its most grammaticalized form, en plan is simply a pause-filler — the speaker is thinking.
Quiero, en plan, algo diferente.
I want, like, something different.
Es, en plan, complicado de explicar.
It's, like, hard to explain.
En plan de + infinitive
An older, more established use meaning "with the intention of" or "in the mode of doing."
Vine en plan de ayudar, no de criticar.
I came to help, not to criticize.
This usage is accepted across age groups and registers. It is the construction from which the more informal uses evolved.
Tipo (like / sort of)
Tipo literally means "type" or "kind," but as a discourse marker it functions exactly like English "like" — approximating, hedging, and filling pauses.
Estaba tipo enojado.
He was like angry / sort of angry.
Es tipo raro, ¿no?
It's kind of weird, right?
Costaba tipo doscientos pesos.
It cost like two hundred pesos.
Y ella tipo que no le importaba.
And she was like she didn't care.
Tipo as a quotative
Like en plan, tipo can introduce reported speech or thoughts.
Y yo tipo '¿en serio?'
And I was like, 'seriously?'
Él tipo 'no, ya me voy'.
He was like, 'no, I'm leaving.'
Regional distribution
Tipo as a discourse marker is particularly strong in Argentina (where it combines with other fillers like o sea and ¿viste?), but it is also widespread in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and other Latin American countries. It is less common in Spain, where en plan fills the same niche.
O sea, tipo, no sé, ¿viste? Fue raro.
I mean, like, I don't know, you know? It was weird. (Classic Argentine young-person speech.)
Como que (like / sort of / as if)
Como que is the oldest and most widespread of the three markers. It appears across all Latin American dialects and in Spain, and it is understood by speakers of all ages — though heavy use is still associated with younger speakers.
Como que no me importa.
It's like I don't care. / I kind of don't care.
Siento como que me falta algo.
I feel like I'm missing something.
Como que se enojó, pero no dijo nada.
He kind of got mad, but didn't say anything.
Es como que todo el mundo lo sabe pero nadie dice nada.
It's like everyone knows but nobody says anything.
Como que for hedging
Como que softens assertions, making them less committal. This is its most common function in everyday speech.
Está como que frío hoy, ¿no?
It's kind of cold today, isn't it?
Me siento como que cansada.
I feel sort of tired.
Como que for approximation with numbers or quantities
Había como que veinte personas.
There were like twenty people.
Tardamos como que una hora.
It took us like an hour.
Register and social perception
All three markers are exclusively casual and informal. They are inappropriate in:
- Academic writing
- Formal presentations
- Job interviews
- News broadcasts (unless quoting young speakers)
- Official documents
Older speakers may not use en plan or tipo at all, and some actively criticize them — much as older English speakers criticize the overuse of "like." The Spanish newspaper El País published opinion pieces about en plan taking over young people's speech. The RAE added a new entry for en plan in 2023 acknowledging its discourse-marker function.
| Marker | Most common in | Formality | Age association |
|---|---|---|---|
| en plan | Spain (spreading to Latin America) | Very informal | Under 35 |
| tipo | Latin America (esp. Argentina, Mexico) | Very informal | Under 40 |
| como que | Everywhere | Informal | All ages (heavy use: younger) |
How younger speakers combine them
In natural fast speech, these markers often appear in clusters, combined with other fillers like o sea, bueno, ¿viste?, and ¿no?.
O sea, en plan, no sé cómo decirte, tipo, fue raro.
I mean, like, I don't know how to tell you, it was sort of weird.
Y yo como que '¿qué pasó?' y él tipo 'nada, tranquilo'.
And I was like, 'what happened?' and he was like, 'nothing, chill.'
Es que, tipo, no me quiero meter, ¿viste? Pero como que me parece mal.
It's just, like, I don't want to get involved, you know? But it kind of seems wrong to me.
These clusters can sound overwhelming to a learner, but once you recognize each individual marker, the sentences become transparent.
Understanding them vs. using them
There is an important distinction here:
- You must understand these markers. If you watch a Spanish-language series aimed at young adults, listen to Latin American podcasts, or talk to people under 35, you will encounter en plan, tipo, and como que constantly. Not knowing them creates comprehension gaps.
- You should use them carefully. A few well-placed *como que*s or *tipo*s in casual conversation will make you sound natural. Overusing them — or using them in the wrong register — will sound like a caricature. Match your usage to your audience and context.
Common mistakes
❌ En plan, me gustaría presentar los resultados del estudio. (formal context)
Attempted: Like, I'd like to present the study results. (Never use en plan in formal speech.)
✅ A continuación, me gustaría presentar los resultados del estudio.
Next, I'd like to present the study results.
❌ Tipo, señor presidente, creo que deberíamos considerar...
Attempted: Like, Mr. President, I think we should consider... (tipo is exclusively casual.)
✅ Señor presidente, creo que deberíamos considerar...
Mr. President, I think we should consider...
Related pages
- O Sea — the classic clarifier/filler
- Bueno — the universal conversation starter
- Discourse Markers Overview — the full system of conversational markers
- Regional Overview — dialect differences across the Spanish-speaking world
Related Topics
- O SeaB1 — The most overused clarifier in Latin American Spanish — 'I mean', 'that is to say', 'in other words'.
- BuenoA2 — Bueno is not just 'good' — it's one of the most versatile conversation tools in Spanish.
- Discourse Markers OverviewB1 — A tour of the little words — pues, bueno, o sea, a ver — that make Spanish sound natural.
- Latin American Spanish OverviewA1 — How Latin American Spanish is unified on some features and split into many regional varieties on others.