Fifteen

15 Most Important Words to Know in the Dominican Republic AKA words I´ve said and heard so much in Spanish that they sound foreign to me in English

1. colmado – small shop on every corner, like a gas station without gas. Also, things like rice, oil, etc. you pay by how much you want. It’s not pre-packaged so the attendant measures it out.

2. guagua – bus or truck

3. apagon – black out (electricity)

4. bola – free ride, hitchhiking

5. baracho – a drunk

6. Sientense – “sit down,” the first thing you’ll hear when entering a house

7. mosquitero – “mosquito net,” is a must

8. Si Dios quiere – “If God wants!” Everything happens if God wants it to. See you tomorrow --- Si Dios quiere. We’ll go to Santiago tomorrow --- Si Dios quiere. Have a good day --- Si Dios quiere!

9. tigere – “tiger” or a bothersome man, the ones hat say mean piropos (cat calls)

10. platano – “plantain,” the most common growing plant here, can be fried and eaten verde (green) or ripe fro breakfast, lunch, and dinner

11. morro – habitualas y arroz, “beans and rice¨

12. gripe – flu, cold, sneezing, coughing, sore throat, any illness known to man except diarrhea (which is diarrhea in Spanish)

13. rubio/a – “blond,” white person

14. barrio – neighborhood AKA family

15. guapo/a – “angry” or “pissed off,” unlike in Mexico where guapo means pretty. So if you say, “She is guapa” here, your not saying that you think she’s cute.