Posts tagged dominican idioms
Posts tagged dominican idioms
Literal Translation: Give me light
Meaning: Tell me, help me understand or explain.
Significado: Dime o explícame.
Use: urban, colloquial
Sumitted by: http://alisvolatpropiis16.tumblr.com. Thank you!
Literal Translation: In your mind.
Meaning: I don’t think so, I don’t agree or that’s not going to happen.
Significado: No estoy de acuerdo, o no va a suceder.
Use: general, colloquial
Submitted by: http://alisvolatpropiis16.tumblr.com. Thank you!
Literal translation: If you want nice hair you have to pull it tight. This may refer to the effort of detangling curly hair more common in the Dominican Republic.
Meaning: If you want something you need to work hard for it.
Significado: ¨¿Quieres moños bonitos? Aguanta halones.¨ Si quieres lograr algo, debes esforzarte para conseguirlo.
Use: general
Submitted by: http://sinfullynell.tumblr.com/. Thank you!
Literal translation: what’s for you is for you
Meaning: no one will take away what is meant for you . This is a reference to the belief in destiny and that one should not fret about losing something or someone.
Significado: “lo que está para ti, está para ti”: nadie le quitará lo que en verdad le pertenece. Señala una creencia en el destino.
Use: colloquial, urban
Literary translation: yucca root eater
Meaning: insult, implies that the person is unrefined, or somehow undeserving. Usually directed toward someone who thinks the opposite of him/herself.
“Come yuca” is perhaps one of the most ironic insults, given that yuca is indeed a staple of the Dominican diet and most people enjoy it.
Significado: insulto, dícese de la persona poco refinada o de escazos recursos, que hace alarde de lo que no tiene o se cree muy culta.
Use: colloquial
Literal translation: to grate the yuca root. Yuca (cassava) was widely used by the Taino indians (native inhabitants of Hispaniola Island which they called Quisqueya). It continues to be a staple of the Dominican diet, eaten boiled, fried and in bread form.
Meaning: to work hard
Significado: trabajar duro, esforzarse
Use: colloquial
Literal translation: “to tie up the goat”
Meaning: to procrastinate, to make someone wait on purpose
Significado: procrastinar, hacer a alguien esperar a drede
Use: colloquial
Literal translation: Didn’t you want mambo? There’s your mambo! Mambo is a popular Latin dance originating in Cuba. In the DR, the word indicates a playful, repetitive tempo within a merengue song used for spinning during dancing.
Meaning: You got what you wanted. Now, stop complaining.
Significado: Conseguiste lo que querías. Ahora no te quejes.
Use: colloquial, urban
Literal translation: like Maria Ramo’s little kitten: throws the stone and hides the hand
Meaning: said of a person who acts hypocritically; one who pretends to be nice, but does or intends to do harm. Person who appears innocent or naive, but is not.
Significado: dícese de la persona hipócrita, que oculta el daño que hace o intenta hacer a los demás. Persona que aparenta inocente y no lo es.
Use: general
Literal translation: if you cook like you walk, save me the concòn (the part of the cooked rice that sticks to the bottom of the pan). Concòn is considered a Dominican delicacy and is usually eaten with bean soup as part of daily meals.
Meaning: I like you, you have a nice walk, harmless compliment (piropo) to a woman passing by
Significado: piropo (me gustas), tienes bonito caminar
Use: colloquial, urban
Update: It seems I hit a nerve with the use of the word “harmless” in the description above. A piropo’s interpretation is of course, subjective and many Dominican women are annoyed, not flattered by men shouting at them on the streets. A topic for a future post.
