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Dominican Spanish is:

The first time you hear Dominicans speaking naturally, you’ll probably think:

“There’s absolutely no way this is the same Spanish I learned in school.”

😂

Dominicans tend to:

So:

The slang in the Dominican Republic is known as:

and it’s heavily influenced by:

You’ll also notice Dominicans LOVE transforming English words into Spanish slang 👀

Thank you Angie 🇩🇴 for teaching me these👇

This actually comes from the English word:

But in the Dominican Republic:

means:

e.j Esa música está jevi
That music’s awesome

One of the most useful Caribbean Spanish words 😂

Depending on the tone, it can mean:

e.j Pásame esa vaina
Pass me that thing

e.j ¡Qué vaina!
What a pain! / What a mess!

THE Dominican greeting 🇩🇴

You’ll even see it abbreviated in text messages as:

e.j ¡Qué lo qué, mi hermano!
What’s up, bro!

Dominicans LOVE shortening words.

So:

😅

e.j ¿Todo bien? - Ta’ to
Everything good? - All good

Another super common Dominican greeting.

e.j ¡Dime a ver, loco!
What’s up, dude!

Used constantly.

e.j Oye, loco, ven acá
Hey dude, come here

Interestingly:

literally means:

But in Dominican slang:

e.j No tengo cuarto
I don’t have money

Used all the time for emphasis.

e.j Hace pila de calor
It’s really hot

e.j Tiene pila de cuarto
He’s got loads of money

One of the main ways locals get around.

e.j Voy en concho
I’m taking a shared taxi

One of my favourite Dominican words 😎

e.j Vamos pa’l coro
Let’s go hang out

e.j Ese coro estuvo jevi
That hangout was awesome

Apparently this comes from:

like a group of people singing together.

Notice again:

The final “-s” disappears.

e.j ¿Listo? - Vamo’ allá
Ready? - Let’s go!

If someone is:

they’re REALLY good at something.

e.j Esa tipa es dura bailando
That girl’s amazing at dancing

e.j Cogí un jumo anoche
I got drunk last night

Apparently this comes from the English:

which slowly evolved into:

e.j Tira eso al zafacón
Throw that in the bin

Someone who:

e.j No seas pariguayo, ven pa’l coro
Don’t be boring, come hang out

Exactly the same as:

e.j Esa playa es bacana
That beach is awesome

Peak Dominican energy 😎

e.j Ta’ jevi la vaina
Everything’s cool

You’ll hear all of these constantly.

e.j Oye men, ven acá
Hey man, come here

e.j Dime, manín
What’s up, bro

Dominican Spanish feels:

It’s one of those accents where:

matter just as much as the actual words.

So if you really want to sound more Dominican:

If I can help in anyway at all on your Spanish Journey, send me a message.

Check out some free Spanish Grammar Videos Here.

Un abrazo,
Harrison

Language for living, not just learning.