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Want this as a printable cheat sheet?
Download the Puerto Rican Slang PDF Here 🇵🇷

Want to practice learning the words?
You can learn this list on Memrise here.


Puerto Rican Spanish is part of the:

Caribbean family of Spanish

which means:

  • it’s fast

  • rhythmic

  • musical

  • energetic

If you’ve ever listened to:

  • Bad Bunny

  • Rauw Alejandro

  • Daddy Yankee

and thought:

“why can’t I understand anything?”

😅

this is why.

Puerto Ricans often:

  • drop the final “-s”

  • soften sounds

  • blend words together

which creates that flowing Caribbean rhythm.

Puerto Rican Spanish is also heavily influenced by:

  • African rhythms

  • English

  • Caribbean culture

And Puerto Ricans often proudly refer to themselves as:

Boricuas 🇵🇷

Now let’s look at some classic:

jerga puertorriqueña 👇

Wepa = yay! / woohoo! / what’s up!

One of the most iconic Puerto Rican expressions.

You’ll hear it:

  • at parties

  • in songs

  • greeting friends

  • celebrating anything 😂

e.j ¡Wepa! Llegaste justo a tiempo
Woohoo! You arrived just in time

Boricua = Puerto Rican

This comes from:

Borikén

the indigenous Taíno name for Puerto Rico.

e.j Soy boricua, pa’ que tú lo sepas
I’m Puerto Rican, just so you know

You can even intensify it with:

boricuazo

for someone who’s:

  • VERY Puerto Rican

  • deeply proud of their roots 🇵🇷

e.j Ese cantante es boricuazo de corazón
That singer is Puerto Rican through and through

Nene / Nena = kid / boy / girl

Very common and affectionate.

e.j Ese nene es mi hijo
That kid is my son

Chavos = money

Classic Puerto Rican slang.

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

Brutal = awesome / amazing

In Puerto Rico:

brutal

is a compliment 😎

e.j Ese concierto estuvo brutal
That concert was awesome

Corillo = crew / friend group

Used constantly.

e.j Voy con mi corillo
I’m going with my crew

Mamey = easy / simple

If something is:

mamey

it’s easy.

e.j El examen estuvo mamey
The exam was easy

Algarete = crazy / wild / out of control

One of the best Puerto Rican slang words 😂

e.j La fiesta se puso algarete
The party got wild

Janguear = to hang out

This comes from the English word:

hang out

Puerto Rican Spanish mixes in quite a lot of English.

e.j Vamos a janguear en la playa
Let’s hang out at the beach

Acho / Chacho = man / dude / bro

Shortened from:

muchacho

You’ll hear this constantly in Puerto Rico.

e.j ¡Acho, qué calor hace!
Man, it’s so hot!

🇵🇷 Final Thought

Puerto Rican Spanish feels:

  • energetic

  • rhythmic

  • playful

  • full of personality

And once you start understanding:

jerga boricua

you realise how much:

  • music

  • identity

  • culture

  • rhythm

shape the language.

So next time you’re:

  • jangueando with your corillo

  • listening to reggaeton

  • or shouting “wepa!” 😎

remember:
Spanish isn’t just grammar.

It’s culture.

If I can help you in anyway on your Spanish journey, ping me a message.

Check out some more resources here.

Un abrazo,
Harrison

Language for living, not just learning.

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