What 'Right Now' Really Means in El Paso

"Right now" does not always mean "right now' in El Paso.

Have you ever had someone ask you to do something, and you responded that you would do it "right now"? Maybe this person got mad at you because you maybe didn't jump right away to do it? That's probably because you didn't mean you'd do it "right now right now" you really meant that you would do it later.

In El Paso, "right now" does not necessarily mean "right at this moment" it could mean a couple of minutes, hours or even days later. Okay, maybe days later is a bit of an exaggeration, but "right now" definitely does not mean "right at this moment", it's more of a "I'll get around to it eventually".

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Yes, it sounds strange, because it's the complete opposite what "right now" means, but I guess you could say it's an El Paso thing. Yes, George Lopez totally has a whole joke about it, but I'm pretty sure El Pasoans have mastered the art of the phrase "right now".

I say we mastered it because I have known some non-El Pasoans who get a little frustrated when locals say "right now" and actually mean "later"- and then we have to go on a whole explanation, much like this Twitter user who understands the struggle of having to explain yourself when "right now" is used in El Paso terms, and not everyone else's terms.

If this is all news to you, don't worry, the longer you're in El Paso, the more you'll start sounding like an actual El Pasoan- you'll be using "right now" and even "ay ay" before you know it!

I don't think I ever realized that the phrase was just an El Paso thing- yes, it's possible that other places use the term; but we all know that "right now" definitely has a special place in El Pasoans hearts!