neutral📍 Peru — general
De repente
Literal meaning: "Suddenly (but means "maybe" in Peru)"
Maybe / Perhaps (Peru usage)
deh reh-PEHN-teh
What does it mean?
A subtle but important regional shift: in most of the Spanish-speaking world "de repente" means "suddenly". In everyday Peruvian speech it commonly means "maybe" or "perhaps" instead — "de repente voy" means "maybe I'll go", not "suddenly I go". Context makes the meaning clear, but it trips up visitors constantly.
How to use it
Universal and neutral in Peru. If you want to be unambiguous about "suddenly", "de pronto" is a safer alternative.
Example sentences
Maybe I'll come by later.
De repente me paso más tarde.
Maybe he already knows.
De repente él ya sabe.
Related phrases
More peru-everyday phrases
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