This book for learning Spanish vocabulary from Puerto Rico is the most in-depth, up-to-date source of local Spanish, with over 1200 words translated to English. Spanish vocabulary changes significantly from one country to the next. Yet, few people learn about this until they are in a country, stumbling through the local Spanish slang.
VIDEO: List of Spanish Slang Expressions About Money Used in Puerto Rico
Before you even step into a new country, money is one of the first topics you will become involved in. How much does my trip cost? How much money should I take? Will my ATM (otherwise known as ATH in Puerto Rico) card work? This video will have you prepped and ready to go for […]
Should You Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico?
UPDATE: Read an opposite view to this blog post at Learn Spanish in Puerto Rico: Immersion Program ISLAShould you Study Spanish in Puerto Rico? When asked my opinion about studying Spanish in Puerto Rico I answer truthfully. “Do not study Spanish in Puerto Rico.” I often say this in Puerto Rico, surrounded by Puerto Ricans. […]
Learn Spanish Quiz: Puerto Rican Spanish ZAFACÓN
I ran across this street sign walking around one day. I find it entertaining for its ornate writing and that someone put so much care into creating the sign, then decided to post it on the street. For anyone having problems reading the sign it says “Deposita La Basura al Safacón” It also happens to […]
Comay, Yerna, Chozno & Other Spanish Words for Family Members and Relatives: Infographic
As you learn a language, one of the major tasks is vocabulary acquisition. The more words you know, the better you communicate. Occasionally, you run across words that are not translatable, but for the most part words in one language have an equivalent in another. In the process of acquiring more vocabulary you will notice […]
Learning Spanish Slang: 9 Ways to Identify the Puerto Rico Accent and Pronunciation
This post is an excerpt from the Puerto Rican bestseller Speaking Boricua: A Practical Guide to Puerto Rican Spanish. Learning Spanish Slang: Pronunciation and Accent from Puerto Rico Puerto Rico, as in any other country in the world, has its own unique pronunciation for certain words, phrases and sounds. If you have only ever heard […]
Learn Puerto Rican Spanish Slang: Bad Words and Phrases and What to Say Instead
Life is not as simple as we wish. Sometimes things do not work out the way we planned. This is when colorful language flies and we use curse words/phrases to relieve stress. In this post I will teach you some useful Puerto Rican profanities, with a twist. I’m featuring seven swear phrases from my beloved […]
Puerto Rican Spanish Slang: The Origin of CANGRIMAN, FOSTRÓ, CHAVOS, ZAFACÓN and LIMBER
Ever stop to think how Spanish slang words develop? It’s a fun experience since their history will often teach you about major historical influences in a culture. These 5 Puerto Rican words do just that. A colony of Spain for 400 years, we Puerto Ricans adopted words that are still alive today. For example, we […]
11 Grammar Rules to Improve Your Puerto Rico Spanish
As in most countries, several unique grammar adaptations have appeared over the years in Puerto Rico. While sometimes these usages are grammatically incorrect, they are so widespread that they are accepted as being correct. Below are examples of Puerto Rican Spanish grammar: 1. The most common “mistake” in Puerto Rican Spanish is to mix English […]
How to Speak Spanish: Argentina vs. Puerto Rico
I learned to speak Spanish in Missouri, meaning I learned it out of a book and (for the first 5 years) from women who had lived their entire lives in Missouri. You can imagine how awkwardly formal and not at all natural my Spanish was when I arrived at my university where I was then […]
Puerto Rican Baby Names: Trendy, Creative and Unique Names from the Island of Enchantment
This is the introduction of the book Baby Names from Puerto Rico: Trendy, Creative and Unique Names from the Island of Enchantment. Puerto Rican Baby Names If you visit the Island of Enchantment, you may notice that many young people’s names are unknown to you. Apparently the tradition of naming the children to preserve the […]
LOS COLORES DE MI TIERRA: Video and Song to Learn Colors in Spanish Plus 7 Other Words
Before YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, a famous house paint commercial from Puerto Rico became viral locally during the 1990’s. To promote their company, Harris Paints created a song with Caribbean rhythms and a patriotic lyric coupled with images of colorful splashes of paints. Frequency and a captive audience ensured this song stuck in the minds […]
Puerto Rican Spanish Slang for Penis: A Bug or a Guy’s Dick?
Puerto Rican Spanish Slang for Penis: A Bug or a Guy’s Dick? What does bicho means in Puerto Rico? The example here is a COMMON mistake that Spanish speakers make in Puerto Rico. A recent restaurant visit in Peru reminded me of one of my first encounters with Puerto Rican Spanish. I had just moved […]
Cool Puerto Rican Spanish Lesson: Audios and Videos of 18 Common Words
For my fellow brothers and sisters from Puerto Rico that want to learn more about our unique vocabulary, and the others who are wondering what are those goofy words we use sometimes, here is a cool sample of some of our common Spanish words. The following Puerto Rican Spanish audio clips are from a radio […]
All about Latina Barbie Dolls
Recently, Mattel honored the late and legendary Mexican actress María Félix with a special new Barbie. The Mária Félix Barbie doll celebrates her legacy, contribution to Mexican cinema and cultural betterment, and her advocacy for women’s equality and indigenous groups. It seems that this time around, critics think Mattel finally landed on a more accepted […]
Los recuerdos de Esmeralda Santiago en “Cuando era puertorriqueña”
La vida de Esmeralda Santiago es narrada desde el inocente punto de vista de una niña que va desarrollándose hasta ser una “señorita” (adolescente) valiéndose de preguntas que a lo largo de la lectura van obteniendo respuestas y van formando la identidad de ser puertorriqueño.
LA MONGA: Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word for Cold
I spent this past weekend really sick with la monga. Whether you are a Spanish-speaker or not, you might be wondering, What the hell is la monga? Is it contagious? YES. Is it life threatening? NO. La monga or simply monga is the Puerto Rican Spanish slang for a strong cold. According to the Tesoro Lexicográfico […]
Cuando era puertorriqueña: El dilema de la identidad boricua
The following article is part of the Spanish Friday initiative that promotes blogging in Spanish. El siguiente artículo es parte de la iniciativa Spanish Friday que promueve el blogueo en español. Artículos en la serie Cuando era puertorriqueña: • Parte 1 | ¿Quién es Esmeralda Santiago? • Parte 2 | Cuando Esmeralda Santiago era puertorriqueña […]
Puerto Rican Words in Spanish for US Currency: Infographic
“Más de un siglo después de uso de la moneda estadounidense, seguimos buscando el peso, tramitando la peseta, pidiendo el medio peso, luchando el vellón, sudando los chavos…” -Luz Nereida Pérez from the book Puerto Rico y el lenguaje Puerto Ricans say chavos instead of dinero Puerto Rico is a United States territory since […]
MANTECADITOS: Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word for Butter Cookie
Here’s a photo of a pack of mantecaditos taken in a store in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mantecaditos is the local Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word for a type of butter or shortbread cookie. Mantecaditos and polvorones are similar and many people use both names interchangeably. Know of any other words for cookies used throughout […]
ALMOJÁBANAS: Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word for a Rice Flour Fritters
Photo: Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Word for a Rice Flour Fritter Almojábanas are fritters made of rice flour, cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk and egg. This mixture is used to make a dough that is fried in a ball. Other Latin American countries make their own versions of almojábanas with different ingredients, sizes and cooking methods. […]
PILÓN: Puerto Rican Slang Word for a type of lollipop
Photo: Puerto Rican Slang Word for LOLLIPOP Above is a photo I took one day at the grocery store in Puerto Rico. The word Pilón or Pilones in plural is the Puerto Rican Spanish word for a type of “lollipop”. Here are two more pictures of how a pilón looks: Do you know any other […]
FRITURAS: The Illustrated Puerto Rican Spanish Guide to Fried Food
If you are talking about frituras (fried treats) you are talking about Puerto Rico. And if you are talking about the frituras de Puerto Rico, you are taking about Los Kioskos de Luquillo. The other day I spent some time at this iconic place on the northeast coast of Puerto Rico. The legendary Luquillo’s Kiosks […]
Puerto Rican Spanish: An Interview With Luz Nereida Pérez
Today Puerto Rico commemorates the date when Christopher Columbus arrived to the Island in 1493. Referring to this historical event as a “discovery” has become controversial recently. A “discovery” or not, we can say without any doubt that this was the date that Borikén –native name of the island of Puerto Rico- met the Spanish […]
4 Confusing Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Words: BICHO, BICHA, BICHERÍA and BICHOTE
Although the Spanish slang words from Puerto Rico bicho, bicha, bichería, and bichote seem to have the same “root” they don’t mean the same. For foreigners this will be confusing to the point that I consider them “false friends”. The two similarities these four words have are the root bich- and that they all have […]
Which Are the First 3 Puerto Rican Spanish Words Kids Learn to Read?
When I started learning to read at 5 or 6 years old we used the traditional Cartilla Fonética or a phonetics booklet. The Cartilla Fonética is a tool used at school to teach the name and particular sound of each letter, how to make the consonant and vowels liaison to form syllables and how to […]
The Boricua Bar: 10 Alcoholic Drinks From Puerto Rico
This article about alcoholic drinks from Puerto Rico by Jared Romey was originally published in English on Matador Nights. An updated and translated version was also published in the Puerto Rico newspaper El Vocero de Puerto Rico. 10 Alcoholic Drinks From Puerto Rico Probably best known for giving the world the piña colada, Puerto Rico […]
10 Vulgar Spanish Slang Words and Phrases from Puerto Rico: Infographic
If you are in the process of learning Spanish and plan to travel to Puerto Rico, keep in mind the following list of words and phrases. These 10 sayings are common in Puerto Rican Spanish but are too strong to be taught in school. You need to know them. If you find them useful, download […]