Streets Of Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a tiny but no less culturally significant Spanish-speaking country and, like every other Hispanic society, has its own jargon of street Spanish, the Boricua Spanish. Here, we’ll attempt to learn a bit of this lingo, primarily for fun. Usually, this kind of jargon is considered to add little value to one’s Spanish-learning program as knowledge of a bunch of slang words is rarely seen as an appropriate achievement. What this knowledge does, however, is add to the fun element in your learning. And we don’t really need to discuss the importance of fun in something that’s otherwise a monotonous enterprise.

Mind your language!

Extreme discretion must be exercised while using these words as improper usage could cause social damage beyond repairs. In español puertorriqueño, for instance, chocha is a slur for vagina (like cunt in English), while in Mexico it would represent a bird! To a Boricua (a Puerto Rican), a sea-shell is called concha while the same word is a vulgar slang for vagina in Argentina! Another example would be that in Puerto Rico, the word bizcocho means cake, while in Mexico it refers to a woman’s genitals.

Do not use Boricua slang unless you are very confident!
Photo credit: Kevin licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

The moral of the story here is that even if you are familiar with a slang and are aware of its harmless character in one context or community, it might not always carry the same innocent interpretation in another community or context. You have already seen how something that appears totally harmless in Mexico can become taboo in Puerto Rico and vice-versa. This is equally relevant to other cultures as well, Hispanic and non-Hispanic alike. I have personally witnessed, even been at the heart of, several awkward situations during my interactions with Latinos from different countries on account of inappropriate usage of seemingly non-offensive colloquialism. Though you can still leverage the fact that you are a foreigner learning Spanish which should get you some consideration and sympathy from the locals, it is still better to steer clear of any unnecessary controversy and follow the etiquettes of your native buddies as closely as possible.

La lengua boriqueño

Boricua is the local word for puertorriqueños
Photo credit: Robert & Pam licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

Here is the list I have been talking about in this post; the far-from-exhaustive list of Boricua slangs:

acho – mainly used as a filler word between conversations

mano – buddy

colgar – to screw up/to goof up/to mess up

¿Qué es la que? – Wassup?

joder/chichar/chingar – to fuck

dar un tumbe – to be going to kill or steal

dejar los tennis en el piso – to run too fast

estar brutal – to be brutal (could be either a compliment or an insult, depending on the situation)

estar cabron – to be an ass (same as estar brutal; usually a criticism when used for a person, a compliment when for a non-human subject)

Las cosas se pusieron a chavito prieto. – Things turned for a penny each. (Used to comically describe a serious economic problem)

Los huevos se pusieron duros. – The eggs turned hard. (Same as “las cosas se pusieron a chavito prieto”)

¡Miércoles! – Shit! (A less offensive-sounding word than mierda)

The Boricua Spanish has become a widely recognized dialect today
Photo credit: Roca Ruiz licensed CC BY-SA 2.0

perro que huele carne – dog that smells meat (describing a situation where a person is close to getting what they desire)

formarse un sal pa fuera – forming of a get-out-of-here situation (describing a violent situation, e.g., a street fight, where many ran away from the scene)

formarse un corre y corre – forming of a race for everyone to get out of there (a comical way of describing a get-out-of-here situation)

¡Se lucio el chayote! – The coyote is showing-off! (An insult for speeding/honking drivers or drivers who screech their wheels while parking)

¡Tanto nadar para ahogarse en la orilla! – Much swimming, only to drown at the shore! (Indicating a situation where someone fails when on the verge of success)

cagarse del miedo – to shit in one’s pants out of fear

ser bien fiebru(a) – to be really into that (an admiration for someone’s passion for something)

¡Va pa chirola! – Someone is going to jail!

¡Vete pa’l carajo! – Go to hell! (Insult; sometimes followed by a so cabrón/cabrona)

¡Vete pa’l Caribe Hilton! – Go to hell! (Less insulting version of ¡Vete pa’l carajo!)

volando bajito – flying low (used for speeding drivers)

¡Y se le(s) esta haciendo tarde! – And it’s already getting too late! (Sport phrase used when an individual or team is far behind on scoring as the event nears its conclusion)

comemierda – snob (literally, shit-eater)

mamabicho – cocksucker (same as chupaverga in Mexico)

Feeling adventurous?

These are words and phrases that no Spanish dictionary under the sun would ever talk about. And there are many, many of them for the inquisitive learner in you. The streets of Puerto Rico have, over the years, churned enough slangs and colloquial expressions to warrant a thesaurus of their own. Therefore, needless to say, your best bet would be someone actually living in the country. Make Boricua chat-friends and enrich your vocabulary if you intend to become a puertorriqueño some day!

By the way, here’s a really good book of Boricua slang: Language of the Puerto Rican street: A slang dictionary with English cross-reference; by Cristino Gallo distributed in Puerto Rico by Book Service of Puerto Rico (1980); ISBN 0960417400; ISBN 978-0960417407. Of course you will most likely wish to buy it when “not” in Puerto Rico in which case, you can easily order it off Amazon®.