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Dominican slang dictionary: 610 words and phrases with audio

Every word Dominicans really use, from «klk» to «un chin»: what it means, the standard Spanish equivalent, an example and how it sounds. Written by a Dominican Spanish teacher. Rude words have their own page.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V Y Z

A

a cada rato — all the time
a la brigandina — any old way, sloppily
a la veldá que — honestly, truth is
a la vera — right next to
a millón — at full speed
a po' ta' bien — ah, fine then
abimbar — to beat someone up
ace — laundry detergent
acechar — to spy on, to keep an eye on
acotejar — to tidy up, to sort out
aficie — a crush, being head over heels
agallú — greedy
agentao / agentá — a poser, someone who acts important
agolpiá — to beat up
aguacero — downpour
aguajero — a bluffer
ahí mimo — right there, close by
ajumao / ajumá — drunk
ajuntar — to put together
alante — ahead, in front
alentaito / alentaita — on the mend
allá tú — suit yourself
allantar — to bluff, to talk big
aluzar — to light something up
amanecer — to stay up all night
andá — oh no, wow
anda pal diablo — get out of here!
añoñar — to spoil (a child)
añugarse — to choke on food
apagón — blackout, power cut
apechurrao — squeezed in, packed tight
apota — I bet
arrebatao — out of his mind
arrecordarse — to remember
arrecotarse — to lean back, to rest against
arreglarse — to get dressed up
arregoso — at risk that something happens, liable to
arreguindarse — to hang off something
arrematao — completely nuts
arrempujar — to shove
arretao — daring, ballsy
¡ay, Dios mío! — oh my God!
azaroso — troublemaker; a sour, unhappy person

B

bacano / vacano — awesome, cool
baraja eso — drop it, forget that
bendición — blessing (a greeting to elders)
bobolongo — a big fool
boche — a public telling-off
bochinchero / bochinchera — gossipy
brechador / brechadora — a peeper
brechar — to peep, to watch on the sly
bregar — to deal with, to handle
brisiao — fast, in a rush
bueeeno — weeell…
bultero / bultera — all talk, a big mouth
buscársela — to hustle, to get by

C

cacazo — a hard knock
caco — head
cacón / cacona — big-headed
canillú / canillúa — skinny-legged
capitaleño — from Santo Domingo
carabelita — fake, knock-off
casimente — almost, any minute now
charlatán / charlatana — a con artist, a fast talker
¡che! — ew! yuck!
chele — cent
cheposo / cheposa — lucky
chercha — banter, goofing around
chichí — baby
chin a chin — little by little
chopo / chopa — tacky, low-class
chulo / chula — cute, nice
cibaeño — from the Cibao region
cocotazo — knock on the head
coger aire — to get some air
coger lucha — to stress out
coger playa / coger pa' la playa — to hit the beach
coger sereno — to be out in the night air
coger un pique — to get annoyed
colmado — corner store
como el diablo — like hell, super fast
¿cómo tú ta? — how are you?
como un chele — fast as a coin drops
como una pedrá — like a thrown stone
compai — buddy, pal
compai — close family friend
comparón / comparona — stuck-up
concho — shared route car
criollo — local, homegrown
cualto — money

D

dame un chance — give me a chance
dar brega — to be a hassle
dar carpeta — to pester
dar cuerda — to wind someone up
dar pena — to be embarrassing
dar rabia — to make you mad
dar una bola — give someone a ride
dar una vuelta — to go for a ride or a walk
dársela a alguien — to give someone credit
dársela en — to fancy oneself as
¡date! — hurry up!
de chepa — by pure luck
¿de dónde tú ere? — where are you from?
de repente — maybe
de seguro — surely, most likely
de una vez — right away
debaratáo — falling apart
debembao / debembá — stretched out, shapeless
decricajao / decricajá — looking like you just got up
degaritarse — to storm off
deguabinao — worn out, floppy
depotricar — to badmouth
desabrío / desabría — bland, dull
desacatáo / desacatá — out of control, wild
desacreditar — to talk someone down
despotricar — to rant about someone
dime / dime a ver — tell me, what's up
Dios quiera — let's hope
Dios te bendiga — God bless you
dique — supposedly, allegedly
dizque / dique — supposedly
doblar — to turn
don / doña — sir / ma'am

E

echar pa'lante — to push forward
el abanico — the fan
el aguaje — a bluff, all show
el aire — the AC
el ají cubanela — cubanelle pepper
el arroyo — the stream
el balneario — a river bathing spot (with food and music)
el barrio — the neighborhood
el batey — a sugar-mill settlement
el bizcocho — the cake
el bochinche — gossip
el bulto — the backpack
el caldero — the heavy pot
el callejón — the alley
el campesino — a country person, farmer
el carajito / la carajita — the little kid
el carrito de concho — a shared-route taxi
el carro público — shared route taxi
el chamaquito / la chamaquita — a little kid
el charco — a river pool (the deep spot you swim in)
el chicharrón — fried pork
el chofer — the driver
el ciclón — the hurricane
el cocote — the back of the neck
el colmadón — corner store turned bar
el comedor — small cheap eatery
el concón — the crispy rice at the bottom
el contén — the curb
el conuco — a small family plot
el cooler — the cooler
el cuento — the story
el decricaje — a state of disarray
el degreñe — bed hair
el derriengue — a slump
el diablo cojuelo — the limping devil (carnival figure)
el disparate — nonsense, junk
el elevado — the overpass
el embulle — a fling, a casual thing
el enchufle — the outlet, the plug
el enrede — a casual thing
el eteriquito — the jitters, a chill of fear
el fa — laundry detergent
el fantasmeo — showing off
el figureo — posing, being seen
el fogón — the wood or coal stove
el fríofrío — shaved ice with syrup
el frito — a fried green plantain
el fuetaso — a lash; a long swig
el fuetazo — a hard blow
el galletón — a hard slap
el galón — a jug (of water)
el gatadero — a stinking dump
el gavetero — a chest of drawers
el grajo — body odor, BO
el gringo — foreigner, esp. American
el guachimán — the security guard
el guarapo — herbal or cane brew
el guaremate — a nobody, a small-time guy
el guineo — banana
el guto — pleasure, taste
el hoyo — the pothole
el jabón de cuaba — traditional laundry soap
el jangueo — the hanging out, the night out
el jevito / la jevita — a sharp-dressed young guy
el joseo — the hustle
el lambí — conch
el lapicero — the pen
el lío — trouble, a mess
el locrio — seasoned rice with meat
el mabí — mabí (a fermented root drink)
el mal de ojo — the evil eye
el malecón — the seafront promenade
el mandado — an errand
el mangó — the mango
el mangue — a situationship
el maquinón — a fancy car
el marío — the husband, the partner
el mofongo — mofongo (mashed fried plantain)
el moño — a hair bun
el monte — the bush, the countryside
el morísoñando — orange-and-milk shake
el moro — rice and beans; your daily bread
el motor — a motorbike
el muchachito — little boy
el muchacho / la muchacha — guy / girl
el mujerón — a stunning, serious woman
el nacío — a boil; a rotten person
el negocio — a shop, a place of business
el negocito — a little business of one's own
el ñemazo — a hard knock
el padrino / la madrina — godfather / godmother
el pájaro — a whatchamacallit, a critter; (offensive) a slur for a gay man
el palé — the two-number lottery bet
el palo — a big hit (baseball)
el palomón — a weak pop-up (baseball)
el panafúl — your closest buddy
el papichulo — a pretty boy
el parador — a roadside stop
el parqueo / parquear — the parking lot / to park
el patatú — a fit, a fainting spell
el peaje — the toll booth
el pegote — a blob, a glob
el peje — fish
el pelagato — a nobody, a broke chancer
el pelotero — a baseball player; a tooth
el peo — a fart
el perico ripiao — traditional merengue
el play — the ballfield
el queche — the catcher
el quille — the anger, a temper
el quipe — kibbeh (fried bulgur roll)
el refresco — a soda
el reguero — a mess
el remeneo — a shake, a jolt
el reperpero — an uproar, a commotion
el revolú — the mess, the chaos
el romo — rum
el saco — a suit jacket
el safacón — the trash can
el san — a rotating savings club
el sanquipanqui — a beach hustler-guide
el sazón — seasoning; a knack for cooking
el sereno — the night damp
el solar — an empty lot
el suape — the mop
el suero — the IV drip
el tablaso — a whack
el tablazo — a hard whack
el tanque — the gas tank
el tapón — the traffic jam
el teipi — tape
el temblor — the tremor
el tiesto — a piece of junk
el tiguerón — a big-time hustler
el tinaco — the water tank
el tolete — a heavy hitter
el trabajito — a small job
el triculí — homemade moonshine rum
el trote — the daily rush
el yilé — a razor blade
el yum yum — shaved ice with syrup
embullarse — to get into something
emburujarse — to get into a fight
empachao / empachá — stuffed, with an upset stomach
emperrao / emperrá — crazy about someone
en lo que — while, in the time it takes
en tu mente de cacaíto — only in your head
encaquetarse — to throw on, to wear something new
encaramarse — to climb up on
enchivao / enchivá — stuck
enchuflar — to plug in
entremetío / entremetía — nosy
escogido — Escogido (baseball team)
eso es así — that's just how it is
eso sí — mind you
eso ta serio — that is rough / that is great
está claro — it's clear
estar alante — to be doing well
estar arrancao — to be flat broke, penniless
estar caliente — to be angry; to be hot right now
estar duro — to be really good at; to be tough
estar en olla — to be broke
estar enredao — to be seeing someone casually
estar entumío — to be stiff, numb
estar flojo — to be weak at something
estar frío — to be cool, to be square
estar fuñido — to be in a bad spot
estar parao — to be doing well
estar quillao / estar quillá — to be mad
estar roto — to be broke
estar salao — to be jinxed
etericar — to stretch, to pull

F

fajarse — to go all in on something
fantasmear — to show off
fíame — put it on my tab
fiao — on credit, on the tab
fiebrar — to be obsessed with something new
fiestar — to party
figurear — to be seen, to pose
fiti fiti — fifty-fifty
¡fo! — ugh! (that stinks)
forsar — to force
freco / freca — cheeky; a joker with no filter
fregar — to wash the dishes
fuetiar — to whip
fuñir — to annoy, to bug

G

gallito — cocky, quick to fight
gambáo / gambá — bow-legged
gaviarse — to climb up
¡guácala! — yuck!
guagua — bus
guallarse — to mess up, to blow it
¡güáy! — ow! oh!
guayar — to grate
güele — it smells
guillao / guillá — stuck-up, showing off
guisar — to land something good
gustanini — someone who fancies himself

H

habichuelas — beans
hablador / habladora — a big talker
hablamo horita — we'll talk later
hacé oficio — to do the housework
hacer bulla — to make noise, to kick up a fuss
hacer bulto — to make a scene, to make noise about yourself
hacer un coro — to hang out
hacer una diligencia — to run an errand
hacer una parada — to make a stop
hacerse el loco — to play dumb
haragán / haragana — lazy
horita — later (not now!)

I

igualitico / igualitica — exactly the same
igualito / igualita — just the same
imagínate — can you imagine
infelí — a poor soul; harmless
intrometío / intrometido — nosy, meddling
inversor — power inverter
involucrar — to get someone involved
ise — to go, to leave

J

jabao / jabá — light-skinned with African features
jabladol — liar (street pronunciation of jablador)
jablador — liar, big talker
jalar — to pull
jallar — to find
janguear — to hang out
jaragán / jaragana — lazy, a slacker
jariniando — drizzling
jariniar — to drizzle; to give barely anything
jartarse — to get fed up
jarto / jarta — full; fed up
jediondo / jedionda — stinking; stuck-up
jévi — cool, nice
jevo / jeva — boyfriend / girlfriend
jinchao / jinchá — puffy, swollen
josiar — to hustle
juchar — to egg on, to sic on
jugar vitilla — street baseball with bottle caps
jumo — drunkenness, a buzz
juntar lo cualto — to scrape the money together
¡juye! — run! hurry!

K

klk / ¿qué lo que? — what's up?

L

la acera — the sidewalk
la azotea — the flat roof
la banca — the betting shop
la bandera — rice, beans and meat
la bocina — the speaker
la bomba — the gas station
la brega — the daily grind
la brisa — the breeze
la canilla — a skinny leg
la canquiña — a hard coconut candy
la cédula — national ID card
la chancleta — flip-flops
la chepa — a lucky break
la chichigua — the kite
la chinola — passion fruit
la ciguapa — the ciguapa
la clínica — the private clinic
la comparsa — the carnival troupe (group that parades together)
la cubeta — the bucket
la ecoba — the broom
la enemoscada — nutmeg
la faja — a wide belt, a back brace
la ficha — a police record
la fiebre — an obsession, a craze
la finca — a country property, a farm
la fritanga — a spread of fried food
la fritura — street fried food
la funda — the bag
la gabela — a head start, an edge
la galería — the porch
la galleta — a slap in the face
la goma — a tire
la greña — messy hair
la guanábana — soursop
la güira — the güira (metal scraper)
la jabladuría — tall tales, gossip
la jaiba — river crab
la jarra — a wide mug
la jartura — being stuffed
la junta — a work party, a barn raising
la juntilla — the crew, the usual gang
la juntiña — the crew
la lechosa — papaya
la loma — the hill
la malaria — being flat broke
la mamajuana — mamajuana (root-and-rum drink)
la marquesina — the carport
la milonga — a thousand-peso bill
la moña — a loan, a lend
la motora — a sport motorbike
la nalgá — a smack on the backside
la narí — nose
la nevera — the fridge
la nimita — a firefly; seeing stars
la ñoñería — fussiness, being coddled
la nota — being wasted
la olla de presión — the pressure cooker
la paba — a nap
la pabita — a little nap
la paleta — a popsicle
la papeleta — bills, cash
la parada — the bet, the stake
la pasola — the moped
la patana — a semi truck
la payola — payola
la pela — a spanking; a thrashing
la regá — blowing up at someone
la resaca — a hangover
la rotonda — the roundabout
la sal — bad luck
la tabaná — a wallop
la tambora — the tambora drum
la tanda — a showing; an earful
la tardesita — late afternoon
la vaguada — a trough (weather system)
la vaina esa — that thing, that whole business
la verja — the fence, the gate
la voladora — minibus
la yaroa — yaroa (baked plantain dish)
la yipeta — the SUV
la yola — a small wooden boat
labioso / labiosa — smooth-talking
lambón / lambona — a brown-noser; a freeloader
las fiestas patronales — the town's patron saint festival
las losas — the dishes
liáo / liá — tangled up, in debt
licey — Licey (baseball team)
lo teni — the sneakers
los calizos — flip-flops, sandals
los guandules — pigeon peas
los motetes — your stuff, your things
los muebles — the living-room seats
los muñequitos — cartoons
los papeles — the papers, the immigration status
los pesos — pesos, the money
los tostones — twice-fried plantain slices
los trastes — the dishes, the household stuff
los tres golpes — salami, fried cheese and egg
lucirse — to shine, to outdo yourself

M

macar — to chew; to blow it
machucar — to crush, to run over
madrugar — to get up at dawn
majar — to mash
malafé — bad-faith, mean-spirited
malapalabroso / malapalabrosa — foul-mouthed
malcriado / malcriada — rude, badly brought up
maldaóso / maldaósa — mischievous, spiteful
maltalláo / maltallá — badly put together
maltramáo — put together wrong
malváo / malvá — wicked; cheeky
mandar buscar — to send for someone
mangansón — big lazy lump, grown-up slacker
mangú — mashed green plantain
manso — mellow, gentle
mata — plant, tree
matatán / matatana — the top dog
metío / metía — nosy
mi amor / mi vida — sweetie (to strangers)
mi gente — my people
mi helmano / mi helmana — bro, sis
mi loco — hey man, dude
mi vieja / mi viejo — my mom / my dad
mi'jo / mi'ja — my boy / my girl
¡miércole! — shoot! (softened swear)
¡mierquina! — shoot! (softened swear)
montar un negocio — to start a business
morir soñando — orange juice and milk drink
motoconcho — motorcycle taxi

N

na' — nothing
na'quená — no two ways about it
namá — just, only
nananina — absolutely nothing
ñapa — a little extra, freebie
ñato / ñata — flat-nosed; nasal-sounding
ni loco — not a chance
no bulto — no cap, for real
ñoco / ñoca — missing a finger or a hand
nomá — only, that's all
nublao — packed
nublarse — to fill up with people
Nuevayol — New York

O

¡ofréscome! — good heavens!
ombe — man! come on!
organizarse — to settle down

P

pá — dad
pa'bajo — downward, down that way
pa'dónde — where to
pa'llá / pa'cá — over there / over here
pa'tá — to be, so as to be
pal colmo — to top it all off
pana — friend, buddy
papelero / papelera — two-faced
para que tú veas — there you have it
pariguayo — sucker, wallflower
pary de marquesina — a carport party
pasáo / pasá — out of line
pegáo / pegá — stuck; a hit
pegar — to match, to go together
peláo / pelá — shaved; bare; single
pelar — to cut hair; to clean someone out
pelarse — to slip away; to scrape yourself; to get a haircut
pelú — hairy; tough to get
pérate — hold on, wait
permiso — excuse me
planta — generator
ponerse alante — to start getting ahead
ponerse bravo — to get angry
por si acaso — just in case
primero Dios — God first (said before the plan)

Q

¡qué va! — no way!
quedao / quedá — behind the times; left on the shelf
quedar en — to agree to
quedar en na — to come to nothing
quedarse en el aire — to be left hanging
quedarse frisao — to freeze up
quemarse — to fail; to be exposed
quién sabe — who can say
quillarse — to get pissed off
quitarse — to bounce, to get out of there

R

realengo — stray, running loose
rebajar — to lose weight
recostado / recostada — a freeloader; lying down
regado / regada — furious
regarse — to blow up; to spread
regueretoso / regueretosa — messy, careless
relajáo / relajá — relaxed, easy
resacado — hungover
resolver — to sort it out, to make it happen
revejío / revejía — stunted, small for his age
rututiando — roaming around looking for something
ruyendo — gnawing
ruyío — gnawed; dead broke

S

sacar — to hatch, to put out, to pull out
sacar en cara — to throw something back in someone's face
salado / salada — unlucky, jinxed
salami — lucky; thick-headed
saltapatrá — a joke of a person
sancocho — hearty meat and root stew
sapatear — to bolt; to kick (a gun)
se formó — it all kicked off
ser agarrao — to be stingy
ser buena gente — to be a good person
ser lengua larga — to have a big mouth
ser sencillo — to be down-to-earth
ser una vaina — to be a hassle
será que — could it be that
si Dio quiere — God willing (said after the plan)
sin ni uno — without a cent
subirle los vidrios — to roll the windows up on someone
sureño — from the south

T

tá — is (from «está»)
ta mareao — to feel dizzy
ta to / tato — ok, it's ok
taba — was (from «estaba»)
tapar — to cover up
tempranito — nice and early
tener la paca — to be loaded
tener labia — to have the gift of gab
tener un bajo — to stink, to have body odor
tíguere — street-smart guy
tirar — to call someone; to give it a go
tocar — to play music; to be someone's turn
tolloso / tollosa — solid, well put together
trapear — to mop; to wipe the floor with someone
tremendo / tremenda — huge, quite a...
tripear — to enjoy; to tease
¿tú ta claro? — you get me?
tú ta feo pa la foto — dream on, no way
tumba eso — drop it

U

ueler — to smell
un chin — a little bit
un coro — hangout, party
un ñame — a yam; a huge one; a dunce
un pary — a party
un tumbapolvo — a brief rain that just settles the dust
una fría — a cold one, a beer
una pila de — a bunch of, tons of
una villa — a country house
unjú — uh-huh
uno nunca sabe — you never know

V

vaina — thing, stuff
vamos a ver — let's see now
víveres — root vegetables and plantains

Y

¿y qué? — what's up?
ya tú sabe — you already know
yaniqueque — fried dough disc

Z

zafacón — trash can

Rude words

Curse words and insults are not in this list. If you need to understand them (and not use them), they are explained on their own page: Dominican curse words and insults.

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These words come from the course of José, a Dominican Spanish teacher. Practise them in context with the free lessons, or book a class and talk with a real Dominican.

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