What does "no sea ranchero" mean?

This is a colloquial expression used in Mexico to tell someone not to be timid or rude. For example, you can use this with one of your friends if he/she doesn't want to go to a party at night, or to any social event. It is used especially if they don't have a real reason why they shouldn't go, and they may feel that they lack social or communication skills.

Another common example is: if you're at a party where one of your female friends asks you to dance, and you don't want to because you might think that you aren't a good dancer. Even if you don't know to dance, it's very rude and denotes a lack of confidence.

Sometimes adults use this expression when you don't greet someone, whether or not they are known by your family or friends. For example, "Hey, there's Martha's friend, why don't you greet her?". You might say: "Nah, I don't know her, and she may not know me. I don't know, I'm not sure if I should say hello to her".

Many people feel that people from small towns are timid or rude, but on the contrary, they are the opposite. They are very sociable. They greet everyone they meet passing by, whether they are foreigners or not. They're very kind and honest people.

This Mexican expression should be used with respect, and not offensively. I believe that it should be used to cheer people up and encourage them to be fearless.

About me

My name is Balika Bhandari and I am from Nepal. I came to the U.S. recently and I find it very difficult to understand native speakers and I have a great problem speaking fluently. I love the English language. I grew up in Nepal. My hobbies are: drawing, listening to music, playing computer games etc. I hope this site helps me a lot.