Whether you are coming on vacation, moving here, or just have lived here for a while, it’s important to know that Dominicans speak their own special kind of Spanish. Just like every other culture and language, they have their love for slang.

Wanna throw a Dominican through aloop? Check out the below words and phrases to show them your Gringo self knows whats up!

K lo K (Just like it sounds) : What’s up, how’s it hangin’, What are you up to; often used when you message your friend, probably not a great idea to say as you great someone’s abuela for the first time you meet them. It is often found written as “KLK”, kind of like BRB or NBD.

Chillin (Just like it sounds): Chillin, relaxed, just hanging; usually you use this to reply to someone asking you “K lo K”.

Dame un chin (Da-may un- chin): Give me just a little bit; Typically used when someone asks if you want a little bit of their jumbo beer or sugar in your juice from the local fruit stand. Un chin chin takes it to a whole other level, meaning you really only want a teeny tiny bit!

Una Fria (Un-a Free-ah): A big old freezing cold beer; This my friends is a key one. Often times my aunt likes to company “Dame una fria” with “como mi corazon” translating to “I’ll take a cold beer, just as cold as my heart”.

Un Jumbo (Un Joom- bow): A big old beer, just about the size of a 40oz you would find at home; This is the biggest size of beer you can buy here. It’s pretty much a monster that you buy and share with friends. Because it’s so hot here, this is not something you would likely drink on your own unless you like pee warm beer. It’s a big boy.

Vestida de Novia (Vest-d-da de- No-v-ah): Icy cold beer, a beer covered in frost; The only way to ask for a beer on a hot summer day when it’s so hot even your sweat is sweating.

Un Garre ( Un Gar- ay): A cigarette; Although you may not smoke like myself, after about 10 minutes of being out, someone may ask you for a one and it’s always good to know what exactly you’re being asked for.

Concho (Kon- cho): A unauthorized moto taxi; These bad boys will pick you up from the side of the road just about anywhere and drive you wherever you want to go including, but not limited to, down dirt roads, up a mountain and to your local super market. A helmet is also not included on this ride, so you will need to hold on for dear life. If you don’t like adrenalin rushes, you may want to wear a diaper on your first ride.

Hevi(Hea-vy): Cool or hip; If someone says this to you you’ve pretty much mastered being cool in a Dominican’s eyes.

Pana (Pan-ah): Your buddy or bro; A term of endearment and closeness, but also a cool word to use; This is also a word commonly used in Venezuela and since there are a lot of them here, it will definitely come in handy when you make new friends!

Guagua (Gwuah-gwuah): The local bus; There really is no such thing as a bus stop in this country, so you can jump on the guagua for pretty darn cheap on the side of the road just about anywhere. With that said, there also really isn’t a schedule, so patience is key when waiting for the bus in this country. There is also the chance that depending on where you are, you may be sharing your seat with someone’s chickens or a sack of coconuts.

Sanky Panky (Sank-e Pank-e): A Dominican man who typically has nice dreads or braids and can be found at local establishments that have the work “Drink” in their name wooing foreign women.; They are known for seeking out lonely single foreign women, telling them how beautiful they are and then using them to get a green card or visa. It is also common that they a 3 girlfriends, a a fiancé or two and a wife and a family member who got into an accident and they need you to send them money to pay for hospital bills that may or may not be real.

Chapiadora (Chap-e-a-dor-ah): The female version of a Sanky Panky, a young ambitious female, usually likes to wear spandex dresses and prefers to prey on nice white old men; The older, whiter and richer the men, the better. Sometimes can be confused as being a prostitutes. Please refer to Kayne’s song “Gold Digger” for further reference.

IMPORTANT: It is not a compliment by any means to call someone a Sanky Panky or a Chapiadora. It’s also important to know that not all Dominican Men are Sankies contrary to popular belief. Trust me, you’ll know em’ when you see em’.

Papa (Pa-Pa): Bro, Dude, Man; This does not actually mean dad all the time here. If someone yells at you from across the street “Ey Papa!”, this is not them creepily calling you “Daddy”. This is like someone yelling at you “Yo bro, come on over here”. It’s not creepy unless you let it be.

Colmado (Col-ma-dough): A Dominican mini market; Here you can find anything from beer to some fruit, to random things like flip flops and even sometimes underwear. Want to only buy one egg, a mango and a single cigarette, then the Colmado will be your best friend. Most Colmados also turn into local bars at night, sometimes they can also be spotted blasting booty shaking tunes.

Ketchù (Ket-chu): Ketchup, the red sauce Dominicans put on sandwiches, french fries and whatever else they see fit; Yes my friends, Ketchup. Doesn’t matter how long you live here, how hard you try to perfect this word, when a Dominican hears this coming out of your non Dominican mouth, they will not understand you even if you say it correctly. After many years of experience getting upset because I know I say it just like a Dominican, I recommend just accepting that you will never be able to say this correctly and move on with your life.

Although these are just a few of the many things you may hear while living or visiting the Dominican Republic, they are a few that will make you stand out from being just the average Gringo. Use them and for sure you’ll make a few new friends on your latest adventure!