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List of Puerto Rican slang words and phrases

This article is a summary of common slang words and phrases used in Puerto Rico. Idiomatic expressions may be difficult to translate fully and may have multiple meanings, so the English translations below may not reflect the full meaning of the expression they intend to translate. This is a short list and more may be found on the Academia Puertorriqueña de la Lengua Española website.[1]

List

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ataque de nervios
a sudden nervous reaction, similar to hysterics, or losing control, experienced in response to something[2]
¡Bendito!
variants are ¡Ay bendito! and dito - “aww poor you” or “oh my god”; “ay” meaning lament, and “bendito” meaning blessed.[3][4]
abombao / abombá
Referring to food; rotten or damaged.[3]
al garete
Wild, off the rails, disastrous. Doing something rash. Comes from the Arabic phrase meaning "adrift" (Arabic: على غير هدى (/ʕa.'laː.ɣajr.'hu.dan/), romanized: ealaa ghayr hudaa).
asicalao
flawless, clean, immaculate.[5] From standard Spanish acicalado
bembé
a big party.[3][6]
bichote
Important person. From English big shot.[7]
birras
Beer.[3]
bochinche
gossip[8]
boricua
The name given to Puerto Rico people by Puerto Ricans.[3]
bregar
To work on a task, to do something with effort and dedication.[9]
broki
brother or friend.[5]
cafre
a lowlife. Comes from Arabic (Arabic: كافر (/kafir), romanized: Kafir).
cangri
A badass, hunk or hottie.[10] An influential person.[11] From English congressman.[7]
cariduro
person who should be ashamed of their actions but isn't; a stubborn person[12]
chacho
short for muchacho - Guy, male,[5]
chavo

in mexico this can mean dude or guy relating to someone younger but in puerto rican slang, it is used in replacement of dinero/money

chulería
While in other countries this word means "insolence",[13] in Puerto Rico it has an entirely different meaning and is used to describe that something is good, fun, funny, great or beautiful.[14]
corillo
Friend, or group of friends.[9]
dura
Normally means “hard”, but in Puerto Rican slang means that someone is really good at what they do.[3]
embustería
series of lies, something that is completely false, a "pack of lies"[15]
¡Fo!
literally translates to "eww!" or "yuck!" it is often used as an exclamation in reaction to a bad smell.
fregao, fregá
shameless person[16]
 
guajana is the "flower" of the sugarcane
guajana
The flower of the sugarcane.[17]
guinda
steep slope[1]
gufear
to act goofy.[3]
janguear
 “to hang out”. Comes from the American expression “hang out”.[9]
jartera
to be full.[3]
jevo/a
boyfriend / girlfriend[1]
jíbaro
A person who lives in the countryside, mountain people,[3] the agricultural worker, who cuts sugarcane, for example.[18] From a Taino compound word ("Jiba" meaning mountain or forest, and "iro" meaning man or men)[19] though commonly mistaken for originating from the Arabic (Mofarite Arabic: جبري (Jabre), romanized: Jabre), in the Mofarite related Ethiopian Semitic languages ገበሬ(Gabre), romanized: Gabre).
jumeta
Drunk[3]
 
Cold cherry limber
lambeojo
Lackey,brownoser;toady,sycophant.
ligar
to peep
ligón
Peeping Tom
limber
Also, "limbel". A home-made flavored frozen treat usually made from natural fruits or sweet milk mixtures and often served on a small piece of water-resistant paper, a plastic or paper cup, or a popsicle stick.[20]: 45  The name is said to have originated from the last name of Charles Lindbergh after the islanders noticed how "awfully cold as ice" he was as compared to the warmth of the locals during Lindbergh's visit to the Island in 1928.[21]
mamey
Used when referring to something that is easy to do.[3]
mami, papi
Terms of endearment; mami when referring to a cute woman, papi when referring to a handsome man, or to address a lover[22][23]
nene, nena
Boy/girl[3] In standard Spanish it means "baby".
panna, pana
Friend / Buddy[24]: 57  ("pana" is also a name for breadfruit in Puerto Rico)[25]: 45  From partner.
pasárselas con la cuchara ancha
to get away with murder or to get away with it
perreo, perrear
A way of dancing ("grinding") or a danceable song.[3]
pichea
“forget about that”, Disregard.[5]  
por encima de los gandules
Expression of admiration, to say that something is outstanding or beyond good.[26]
revolú
Used to describe chaotic situations.[9]
servirse con la cuchara grande
to get away with murder or to get away with it
soplapote
a nobody, or a worker low on the hierarchy, or an enabler[27]
tapón
traffic jam. In standard Spanish, "a bottle top" or "a clog".
tráfala
a lowlife.
wepa

Typically used at parties, dances, or general hype events to express of joy or excitement, hence the direct translation "That's awesome!"

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico. Archived from the original on 2019-05-27. Retrieved 2019-05-27.
  2. ^ Febles, J. (2009). Into the Mainstream: Essays on Spanish American and Latino Literature and Culture. EBSCO ebook academic collection. Cambridge Scholars Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-1-4438-0665-7. Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Quinn, Niall (9 November 2018). "30 Puerto Rican Slang Terms That Only Make Sense In The Caribbean". Baselang. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico". Archived from the original on 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  5. ^ a b c d "Puerto Rican slang words and phrases". TranslationDirectory. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico". Archived from the original on 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  7. ^ a b Cáceres-Lorenzo, María-Teresa (27 October 2020). "Diccionario para bichotes: Cómo evitar malentendidos al escuchar reguetón". The Conversation (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  8. ^ "bochinche". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  9. ^ a b c d Alger, Nate (25 September 2017). "Puerto Rican Slangs 10 Words and Expressions To Learn". Spanishland School. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
  10. ^ "cangri". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  11. ^ "cangri". WordReference.com. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2020.
  12. ^ "cariduro, ra". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Chulería - Diccionario Inglés-Español WordReference.com". Archived from the original on 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  14. ^ "Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico". Archived from the original on 2019-12-29. Retrieved 2019-12-29.
  15. ^ "embustería". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  16. ^ "fregado, da". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  17. ^ "guajana". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 2021-06-08.
  18. ^ Caldwell, Jenna (28 March 2023). "Allow Bad Bunny to Teach You Puerto Rican Slang". Time. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  19. ^ www.coursesidekick.com https://www.coursesidekick.com/arts-humanities/3638035. Retrieved 2024-02-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  20. ^ Matos, Jose M. Rodriguez (2011). La Mancha que me Persigue (in Spanish). Bloomington, Indiana: Palibrio. ISBN 9781463313203.
  21. ^ "Origen de la palabra "límber"". Coqui Snacks & Mini Donuts (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
  22. ^ "mami". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2019-10-10. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
  23. ^ "papi". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish).
  24. ^ Sánchez, Marta E. (2009). Shakin' Up Race and Gender: Intercultural Connections in Puerto Rican, African American, and Chicano Narratives and Culture (1965–1995). University of Texas Press. p. 155. ISBN 9780292774780.
  25. ^ Little, Elbert Luther; Marrero, José (2001). Árboles comunes de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes (in Spanish). La Editorial, UPR. ISBN 9780847703838.
  26. ^ "Revista de la Universidad de PR en Arecibo". Cuarto Propio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  27. ^ "soplapote". Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 September 2020.
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