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Home » Cuba Spanish Slang Expressions

List of Cuban Spanish Words and Phrases

List of Cuban Spanish Words

Check out the Speaking Latino’s this list of more than 500 Cuban Spanish words with English translations.

zumbar el mango

to express bother and frustration

un pan

to be good

volar el cartucho

when a girl loses her virginity

volar el turno

to not bathe today

tremendo embarque

when things go sideways, come out bad

tener un chino detrás

to have bad luck

tener una botella

to have a job where the person receives a salary but does nothing useful

tirar a mondongo

1) to despise to someone or something 2) to not pay attention to a person or issue

tirar la piedra y esconder la mano

to do something secretly

tirar majá

to pretend to work, but do nothing

tirarse en el suelo

to feel defeated, give up

tirarse p’al medio de la calle

to behave poorly, completely unacceptably

tener 99 papeletas

to have everything in place for something to happen

tener el cuerpo cortao

to not be feeling well, generally from fatigue and lack of energy

tener el moño virao

a psychological imbalance from a short period, usually with mood changes and aggressive behavior

tener en el refrigerador

refers to a santería ritual of putting an enemy’s name written on a piece of paper into the refrigerator, to neutralize their effect on you

tener guayabitos en la azotea

to go crazy

tener hasta el ultimo pelo

the straw that broke the camel’s back, to be fed up with the last thing from a series of negatives

tener los huesos en candela

intense muscular pain, generally from old age

tener matraquilla

to be obsessed

tener quisquilla

to be obsessed

ser un echao p’alante

brave, courageous

ser un loco a la mata de coco

to be someone that likes women’s’ boobs

ser un tipejo

low class, ghetto

ser una mente

to be educated, well-read, studious

ser una polilla

to be educated, well-read, studious

si no es Juana, es su hermana

if it’s not one thing, it’s another

seguir durmiendo de ese lado

phrase to tell someone to try something new, to react differently than before

ser candela

an active and naughty person

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  • List of Spanish Slang Expressions Used in Cuba: 10 Common Words and Phrases Infographic

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