# Ontas? "Ontas?" is Mexican internet slang for a late-night sexual proposition, condensed from "¿Dónde estás?" and often followed by "Te pago el Uber." The one-word question went viral in April 2019 after Alex Ruiz tweeted a screenshot of his DM to actress Lily Collins, who replied asking what the word meant[1]. Within three days, Drake Bell, Steve Aoki, and FC Barcelona player Sergi Roberto were posting it to millions of followers[5]. ## Origin On April 16, 2019, Twitter user @DimeAlets (Alex Ruiz) posted a screenshot of an Instagram DM he had sent to English-American actress Lily Collins. His one-word message read "Ontas?" and Collins, unfamiliar with the Mexican slang, replied "What does 'ontas' mean?"[1]. That post gathered more than 24,600 likes and 3,600 retweets within 72 hours[4]. According to a Reddit /r/OutOfTheLoop explainer thread, the term originated in Mexico as a "euphemistic way of asking for sex"[7]. - **Platform:** Instagram DMs (origin) / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2019 ## Overview Written as "ontas?" with the opening dónde and verb clipped off, the question works as a Spanish counterpart to "u up?" or "Netflix and Chill"[3]. "Te pago el Uber" often follows as the second move, offering to send the recipient an Uber across town[4]. Mexican Twitter users describe the archetype as "weird horny guys looking for a quick hook up"[8]. By mid-April 2019, the slang turned into a participation game: a typical post was a screenshot of a DM thread where the sender hoped for either a cheeky "aquí toy" reply or the puzzled reaction of someone outside Mexican internet culture[2]. Self-deprecating variants also spread, with people joking that nobody was sending them an "ontas?"[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Ontas?? Ontas? is Mexican Spanish internet slang used as a late-night sexual proposition, typically sent as a one-word DM and often followed by an offer to pay for an Uber[3]. ### Where did Ontas? come from? The slang predates its viral moment, but it spread online after Alex Ruiz (@DimeAlets) tweeted an April 16, 2019 screenshot of his "Ontas?" DM to actress Lily Collins, who asked what the word meant[1]. ### What does Ontas? mean? It is a contraction of "¿Dónde estás?" ("where are you?"), but in Mexican internet usage it functions as a booty call, often paired with "Te pago el Uber" ("I'll pay for the Uber")[4]. ### How do you use Ontas?? People typically DM "ontas?" to a crush or celebrity, screenshot the exchange, and post it to Twitter, with the "Te pago el Uber" follow-up as the punchline[2]. ### Is Ontas? still popular? The viral April 2019 run on Twitter fizzled within weeks, though the slang itself is still used in Mexican texting culture[7]. ## References 1. [https://twitter.com/DimeAlets/status/1118269957694009350]() 2. [https://erizos.mx/memes/que-es-ontas-mensaje-mexicanos-envian-famosos-ontas-memes/]() 3. [https://www.ebaumsworld.com/articles/what-is-ontas/85939737/]() 4. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/ontas]() 5. [https://twitter.com/DrakeBell/status/1118927597830672385]() 6. [https://twitter.com/sergiroberto10/status/1118954145610858497]() 7. [https://www.reddit.com/r/OutOfTheLoop/comments/bf0011/whats_the_deal_with_ontas/el9thfk/]() 8. [https://twitter.com/DRLOVEMX/status/1118988543001538560]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/ontas Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library