• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Speaking Latino

Teach and Learn Real World Spanish

  • Spanish Teachers
  • Spanish Slang
    • Slang Dictionaries
    • Word Comparisons
    • Slang by Country
  • Blog
  • Log In
  • Join Now

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 your time in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico uses the US dollar, but they use all the money terminology from Spain. For example the words peseta and chavos. This video includes 20 Puerto Rico money, business and finance words, pronounced by a native speaker.

 

The List of Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Expressions About Money: 19 Words and Phrases

1. a dos por chavo: extremely cheap, a good bargain. Not worth much, poorly made. Common, easy to get a hold of.

2. arrancao (arrancado): broke financially.

3. biles: bills.

4. chavito prieto: a penny. Other names are: perra or perrita.

5. chavitos: pennies. Other words are: perras or perritas.

6. cheque de goma: rubber check, bounced check.

7. coger fiao: to take something without immediately paying, but paying later.

8. embrollao: mixed up in (debt or problems).

9. estar forrao de chavos: to have a lot of money.

10. irse como pan caliente: to sell (out) something quickly.

11. le sacaron el dinero con alicate: means that someone is extremely stingy or tight with money.

12. no tienen en qué caerse muerto: broke, bankrupt, insolvent..

13. se le va a caer el kiosko: something (a business, an agreement, etc.) is going to fall apart from lack of support or focus.

14. estar pelao: financially broke.

15. peseta: a 25-cent coin, a quarter.

16. peso: refers to a US dollar, the official currency. Peso is used interchangeably with dólar.

17. serrucho: everyone chips in to buy something.

18. estar en tiempo muerto: down time, period of little work.

19. vellón: term used for a nickel or dime (ficha in Ponce).


 

More Spanish words for Money

All these money terms from Puerto Rico and some of the illustrations are included in the books Speaking Boricua and Speaking Phrases Boricua. If you want to learn more money slang terms, check out the Argentina money slang video and the article The Most Complete List of Spanish Slang Words for MONEY where we featured 46 money terms from Latin America.

Check out these other Puerto Rican Spanish Slang Expressions articles.

Related

Search Speaking Latino

Navigation

About Us

Contact Us

Blog

Log In

Join the Community

Get your Spanish classes planned for the entire year with Access hundreds of Spanish lesson plans, scaffolded cultural activities, presentations, song activities, and more!

Take a Look

Contact Jared & Diana

Click here to contact us

Search Speaking Latino

Copyright © 2023 Speaking Latino | Privacy Policy | As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.