21 Puerto Rican Slang Terms That Are Puro Boricua
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Ever notice how sometimes you have no clue what other Latinx people are talking about when they're speaking Spanish? It's no exaggeration to say that our colloquialisms and slang terms can be worlds apart. When most people think of Spanish slang, they almost always immediately think of Dominican slang because Dominicans truly have a unique way of speaking. Puerto Ricans, on the other hand, are more well known for our pasteles, our coquito, and global music sensations (like Bad Bunny and Daddy Yankee), but we also have some absolutely wild slang terms that only Boricuas truly understand.
Puerto Rican expressions can be so unique, it's actually kind of hilarious. We like to drop our "s"s, shorten literally everything, and often borrow from English and mash the two languages together, even in individuals words. We also have a way of taking words that mean one thing and making them mean something else entirely. It's weird but also kind of endearing, no? Whether you're Puerto Rican and need a good laugh, you're curious about how Puerto Rican slang terms differ from your own, or you want to brush up before your next trip to PR, check out this list of funny Puerto Rican phrases.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Al Garete
What it means: Stop annoying me.
In a sentence: Vete al garete.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Tirar
What it means: To beef with someone, or diss someone
In a sentence: Voy a tirar este cabrón!
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Bregar
What it means: To do something with dedication
In a sentence: Tengo que bregar duro para sacar buenas notas.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Lamón
What it means: Ass kisser; suck-up
In a sentence: Alex es el mayor lambón.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Chacho
What it means: Shortening of the word "muchacho"; used like "boy" or "dude" or between thoughts like the word "well"; sometimes shortened to just "acho."
In a sentence: ¿Cómo estás, chacho?
Puerto Rican Slang Words: A mi, plín
What it means: I don't care.
In a sentence: A mi, plín donde comemos.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Corillo
What it means: Group of friends
In a sentence: Voy al bar con el corillo.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Nebuloso
What it means: Not trustworthy
In a sentence: Su novio es muy nebulosa.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Chavos
What it means: Money
In a sentence: Necesito los chavos que te presté.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Revolú
What it means: Chaos or pandemonium
In a sentence: Hubo un revolú en la fiesta.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Wepa
What it means: Yes! Let's goooo!
In a sentence: ¿Estamos listos? Weeeeepppppaaaa!
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Gufiao
What it means: Cool; awesome
In a sentence: Esa chica nueva es gufiao.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Janguear
What it means: To hang out
In a sentence: Vamos a janguear en la playa.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Gufear
What it means: To goof off or joke around
In a sentence: Deja ya de gufear.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Mamey
What it means: An easy job or easy money
In a sentence: Esto en un mamey.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Chota
What it means: Tattletale or snitch
In a sentence: No seas un chota.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Bembé
What it means: Party
In a sentence: Mi prima me invitó a un bembé.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Abombao
What it means: Rotten
In a sentence: Ese aguacate esta abombao.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Jumeta
What it means: Drunk
In a sentence: Estaba tan borracha jumeta.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: Guillao/Guilla
What it means: Arrogant, stuck-up person
In a sentence: Ella es un guilla.
Puerto Rican Slang Words: nene/nena
What it means: Boy/girl
In a sentence: Nene, saca la basura.