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Apr 29, 2024 · Dominican slang terms—also known as dominicanismos—are among the funniest and most creative you'll find in the Spanish language. In this post, you'll find 31 cool words and phrases for your next Caribbean adventure!
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- 40+ Dominican Slang Words and Phrases
- Baltri
- Fundi
- Apero
- “Te La Comiste”
- Baraja/Barajar
- Becario
- En Olla
- Chapiadora Son Matatanes
- Banda
The Dominican Republic has a rich colloquial language, full of vibrant phrases and terms that can be confusing for people not directly from the country. I learned this the hard way when I befriended a group of young adult locals in Santo Domingo— I often found myself missing the punchline, grasping for context, and eager to learn some of the Domini...
This dominicanismo (a Dominican word with roots in an American saying, or simply put: a Dominican translation) translates to “bad trip.” When to use it: When something is undesired, out of alignment with you, or uncomfortable. Que baltri! Can also be used to describe a person. “Ese tipo es un baltri.”
When to use “fundi”? Okay, peep this, you’re back at La Zona Colonial with friends you made that same night, drinking some Añejo and talking about the absolutely wild state of the world and late-stage capitalism and blah blah blah when one of your friends says “Guau- Fundiste!” No worries, this has no relation to “fundillo” and actually comes from ...
“Que apero!” your friend exclaims as you show her a video of you roller skating back in NYC. You show her another one where you actually land the trick, and she says “no, de verdad. Super jevi. Y los skates se ven chevere.” You pause on the video-sharing and shoot her a look of confusion– Apero? This is one of those relatively new Dominican slang w...
You’re feeling buzzed and really proud of those roller skating videos. You show another one of your new friends the video of the trick you landed, and this time the affirmation is “te la comiste!” This phrase translates to a phrase often used in English as well: “you ate that!” As in, you killed it!
No matter where you are in the world, there will always be that friend who can’t make it at the very last minute. That person barajo. Maybe they’re siempre barajando. While the literal translation of barajar is “to shuffle”, this iteration means to cancel or change plans at the last minute. Also implies fickleness. But one could also say “Baraja es...
Now, this word translates literally to “Scholarship recipient/Scholar”. When to use it? Well, we’ve all been there- perhaps we didn’t budget enough for the night, or maybe your friends are inviting you somewhere that’s above your paygrade- but wait! You have that one loaded friend in tech who tells you “te doy beca este noche!” In this context, “te...
But before you are deemed a becario– you need the perfect phrase to exclaim to your friends that you are BROKE. Introducing… “en olla.” Whenever the budget is tight and the wallet full of cobwebs, “en olla” is the way to go. It translates to “in pot”, but when used within the context of money, it means broke/struggling financially. We all have been...
Sometimes when we’re en olla, we need to turn into a chapiadora to give ourselves the luxury and fun we deserve. A chapiadora is essentially just a golddigger, and the term was popularized in urban Dominican music. So if you’re having a night out and estas en olla, turn on that chapi chapi energy and get yourself some free drinks at the bar.
You’re out with your local friends and the night is young. You’re having a great time at the colmado– Elizabeth by Jose Manuel is blaring through the speakers, yet the dude trying to holla at you is STILL trying to speak over the music to get your attention. You know what phrase would fit perfectly here? “Dame banda!” If you are feeling really irri...
- Qué lo que. The locals probably won’t greet you with “normal” Spanish. Instead, this is what you’re likely to hear. ¿Qué lo que, cómo va todo? – What’s up?
- Dímelo cantando. We love this one. Instead of saying what’s new, you say “dímelo cantando”, which literally means “tell it to me singing”. You gotta love Dominican Republic slang.
- Tranqui. Short for “tranquilo”, with a similar translation – used to express quiet, chill or nothing happening. Me voy a quedar tranqui en casa esta noche – I’m going to chill at home tonight.
- Chillaxing. Another favorite – when you’re chilling and relaxing at the same time. No estoy haciendo nada, solo chillaxing – I’m not doing anything, just chilling.
- Vaina. Vaina is a word that is either neutral or derogatory, but never positive. So you want to be careful with how you use it.
- Bacano. This is a popular Colombian slang phrase, but also very popular in the Dominican Republic (DR). Bacano has the same meaning as bacán in Chile when referring to an object.
- Colmado.
- Concho. Concho is another good word to know when traveling to the DR. Concho is a car or motorcycle used for transportation in the Dominican Republic.
Embark on a linguistic adventure with our Dominican Spanish slang resource page, where the spirited essence of the Dominican Republic comes to life. This guide is your key to unlocking the rich, expressive slang that peppers the speech of locals from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana.
Oct 20, 2023 · Slang is common in Dominican Spanish, and could change meaning depending on context, tone, or formality of the situation. Frequent use of slang terms can throw a curveball in your comprehension, and you’re unlikely to find all of the terms in a Standard Latin American Spanish dictionary.
Sep 14, 2022 · Dominican Spanish is a very rich peninsular Spanish with a Dominican accent on top of it. In this article, we will explore some expressions that can help you speak Spanish fluently and understand Dominicans when they come at you with a tangle of words.
