Masterlist of Puerto Rican slang
After many years in the rpc, I’ve never found a list of slang used in Puerto Rico. Needless to say, I had to make one. Some of the words here are very vulgar and I am very sure I have missed a lot, considering there are only 68 words and we have way more than that, but if you happen to be Puerto Rican, like myself, and notice something that’s missing, let me know please!
Without any further ado, under the cut, you’ll find 68 words used in every day life in Puerto Rico’s streets. Enjoy!
1. A caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo. Literal translation: You don’t look at a gifted horse’s denture. What we use it as: It’s basically to say not to be ungrateful for a gift. If someone gives you something, then you say thank you and move on, even if you don’t like it.
2. A fuego. Literal translation: On fire. What we use it as: To say something is cool or it’s okay. Mostly used on it’s own after someone tells you something. Like “We’ll meet at eight.” You say: “A fuego” or if they show you something.
3. Acho/Chacho. This has no literal translation, since it’s a shorter way to say “muchacho” which means boy. You basically use it before saying no, yes, or on it’s own. Like “did you have a good time at the party?”, you’d say “Acho, si” or “Acho, no.” Or just “Acho.”
4. Acho goldo. The same as the one before, except this time you say goldo, after it. Us Puertorricans are not very good with rolling our r’s sometimes, so goldo is gordo (fat boy) but pronounced as we do. So while it’s literal translation is “fat boy” you use it when you haven’t seen someone in a while, but express it with glee.
5. Al garete: Usually used as “Eso esta al garete” or “Tu estas algarete” it’s literally saying that something is a disaster.
6. Arranca pa’l carajo/Raspate pa’l carajo. One of them is more hostile than the other, that being the latter. However, if you’re using it with friends, it could be used jokingly. It literally means you’re sending someone to hell.
7. Arroz con culo. Literal translation: Rice with ass. Usually used as “Tu lo que tienes es un arroz con culo” meaning: “What you have there is rice with ass,” but it just means that you have a mess in your life.
8. Ay bendito. Bendito literally translates to blessed, but in this case, this expression is used to express sadness, anger, pity, frustration, disbelief or literally anything. We use this on a day to day basis when we have nothing else to say. It kind of means “Poor you/me/them” or “it can’t be”
9. Bájale dos. Knock it down a notch or two, it means to chill out, basically.
10. Bendito sea Dios. Literally meaning, blessed be God, but instead of using it to actually say God is blessed, or a Saint or whatever, we use it to express frustration or anger.
11. Bregarle. I don’t think there’s a literal translation to this, but it basically means to keep going while struggling, or to deal with something, or give someone a nice deal. When you do that you are “bregando”
12. Cabrón/cabrona also used in Clase ‘e cabrón, este cabron, etc, etc. It’s basically to say someone is an asshole or a dick. We use this in all forms and variations, from using it as an insult, to using it for a very close friend as a form of greeting.
13. Calicho/calocha: Okay, so this one is a lot and it’s a mesh of a few words. “calor en el bicho” or “calor en la chocha”, bicho means dick, chocha means vulva, except in a very vulgar way, so basically you’re saying it’s hot enough for you to be uncomfortable in that area of your body, so you say “tengo calicho” or “que calicho” if you’re a person with a dick, and “tengo calocha” or “que calocha” if you’re a person with a vagina.
15. Como agua pa’ chocolate: Like water for chocolate. Meaning someone is very mad and you’d say it as “Estoy como agua pa’ chocolate”.
16. Dame una rai: Give me a ride.
17. Diablo loco: It means “Devil crazy” except that’s not the way we use it. It is used to express disbelief over something that happened. The loco part changes to loca if you’re talking to someone who identifies as female.
18. Dimelo papi/mami/bebecita/o: It’s a greeting, it means “Tell it to me, daddy/mommy/little baby” except it’s not used in any sexual way, so yanno.
19. Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan: Where there was fire, ashes remain. It’s mostly used for gossip. Like if your boyfriend or girlfriend is talking to their ex, this is what’s said.
20. En la brega: It basically means you’re dealing with whatever life throws at you.
21. En velda’, en velda’: Again with the r rolling thing, velda’ is actually verdad, which means true or truth. So basically, you’re saying “really, really” or “to be truthful” with a lot of emphasis. An example would me “En velda’, en velda’ no sé que pasó.” Which means “I really, really don’t know what happened.”
22. Enfogona’o/Enfogona: Another term we use to say we are very mad. Another variation of this is encojona’o or encojona. It ends with an o for male and with an a for female.
23. Eres una batata: You are a sweet potato. Except it means someone doesn’t do anything, is lazy and is a good for nothing.
24. Es que es bruta la condena/ Es que es bruto el condena’o: This is used to say someone is very dumb. Bruta or bruto means dumb, which condena/condena’o is used to refer to the person you’re talking about as a damned person. So basically it translates to: “This damned person is so dumb”, but stronger, yanno?
25. Eso es un mamey: Something is very easy.
26. Eso esta bien hp: Something is very hard. HP, however, doesn’t mean Harry Potter, it means hijo de puta, which is son of a whore, or in this case, motherfucker.
27. Esto esta brutal: It could mean awesome, too difficult or too ugly, depending on the context.
28. Gufiao: Something is very cool.
29. Iah carajo: It is mostly used when something happens and you have no other way to express amazement or sadness.
30. Jartera: When you eat too much, you have a jartera.
31. Jodio imbécil: Fucking idiot.
32. Loco/a: Crazy girl or boy, we use it a lot when talking to friends.
33. Mamabicho: Dick sucker, obviously used when you wanna fight someone.
34. Mano: While this literally translates to hand, it’s used for friends. Example: “Que’s la que hay, mano?”
35. Masa ex. Esto está bien masa - meaning: This is very cool. From my sources, this is only used in Ponce, aka a town in the South.
36. Me cago en to’: I shit on everything, usually expressing frustration.
37. Me cago en tu madre: I shit on your mom, if you’re looking to start a fight, use this phrase.
38. Mera mamao: Mera is Mira (look) and mama’o is mamado (sucked one) which means someone has no malice or is kind of dumb and slow and when you say mera mamao, you’re basically saying “Look here, dumbass”
39. Mi hermano: My brother, except for really close friends.
40. Mi pana: Again, my really close friend.
41. Nebuloso: Used to describe something shady.
42. Nitido: Used to describe something cool. Like “Eso esta nitido” so “This is cool.”
43. No me jodas: Don’t fuck with me, except almost always used in a sarcastic manner when someone says something obvious.
44. Pa’ poner mi granito de arena: To put in my grain of sand. Basically to help someone or something, or give your opinion.
45. Pero las cenizas se las lleva el viento: Ashes are swept away by wind. Basically to finish the “Donde hubo fuego cenizas quedan” one, this is an come back for it.
46. Pichea: Ignore something, or let the subject drop.
47. Por ahí viene el Chupacabra/el cuco: It’s a phrase used to scare kids. Like if you haven’t been threatened with el Chupacabra or el cuco as a child, you didn’t live lmao. It’s basically saying the Chupacabra or any closet monster is coming to get you.
48. Por encima de los gandules: Something is over the beans, basically something is too damn awesome.
49. Por si las moscas: In case of flies, which is literally saying “just in case”
50. Puñeta: no translation, it’s used to express joy, anger, frustration, pain, sadness, anything.
51. Que bochorno: How embarrassing.
52. Que cafre: How ridiculous.
53. Que jodienda: Used when something is a pain in the ass, basically.
54. ¿Que’s la que hay?: What’s up?
55. ¿Quién te pregunto?: Who asked you? Usually used in parts when someone is saying something you don’t care about. You ask ‘quien’ first and when the person answers, you say ‘te pregunto’ it’s a great joke among friends tbh.
56. Raitru: When something is the real truth, get it? It’s an Anglicism.
57. Sana, sana, culito de rana, si no sana hoy, sanara mañana. Literally “Heal, heal, frog’s bottom, if it doesn’t heal today it’ll heal tomorrow.” Mostly for children when they’ve been hurt or fell.
58. Sea la madre: It translates to “Be the mother” but it’s used as a curse when something goes wrong.
59. Se jodio esto: This one has two sides, both ways it means “this is fucked” but it could be used in a bad or good way, depending on the context.
60. Tiene ganejo aka Tiene ganas de joder. Which would mean someone feels like messing around with your temper or getting on your nerves.
61. Tripear: To joke around.
62. Uvaaaa: When someone tells you something that is amazing, this is what you say, it’s literally ‘grape’ though.
63. Vamo’ a vacilar: Let’s joke around, but more to say, let’s hang out.
64. Viene viene: Usually used at a party when you’re serving the shots, it literally means “come come” though it could also be used to calm down a fight about to happen.
65. Welebicho: dick sniffer. It is used to describe someone like a bad boyfriend, an asshole, etc.
66. Wepa: You use it to say hi, usually accompanied by a head gesture where you kind of lift your chin and wave.
67. ¿Y eso a mi qué?: And what do I have to do with that?
Lastly, this is not a phrase, but Puerto Ricans usually point at things with our mouth. We purse our lips and gesture with our chin towards where something is after being asked.
