tontear
to flirt casually / to mess around (romantically)
Pronunciation
/tonteˈaɾ/
Cultural Note
'Tontear' comes from 'tonto' (silly/foolish) and describes the silly, playful behavior of two people who are attracted to each other but haven't made it official. It perfectly captures that ambiguous 'talking stage' that modern dating is full of. This word is primarily used in Spain.
📝 Example Sentences
Están tonteando pero no son nada oficial.
They're flirting around but it's nothing official.
Llevan tonteando un mes pero ninguno da el paso.
They've been messing around for a month but neither makes a move.
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