casual

¡Pilas!

Pay attention / Be careful / Stay sharp

PEE-lahs

What does it mean?

"¡Pilas!" literally means "batteries!" but in Colombia it means "pay attention!", "be careful!", or "stay sharp!". It's one of the most useful and distinctly Colombian expressions. "Ponte pilas" means "get it together" or "step it up".

How to use it

Use to warn someone to be careful or pay attention. Also used to encourage someone to step up their game.

Example sentences

Pay attention!

¡Pilas!

Be careful with that.

Pilas con eso.

Step it up!

¡Ponte pilas!

Related phrases

Toca

Have to / Need to / It's necessary

Berraco / Verraco

Badass / Impressive / Tough

Vaina

Thing / Stuff / Situation

More everyday phrases

Ahorita

In a moment / Right now / Later

Listo

Ready / OK / Done / Sure

Dale

Let's do it / Go ahead / Come on

Sumercé

You (formal/respectful, Bogotá)

Translate using real Colombian Spanish

HablaFlow translates with authentic slang like "¡Pilas!" — not robotic textbook Spanish.

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