When you’re learning Spanish, you may have the grammar and pronunciation nailed.

However, understanding Spanish-speaking locals and speaking like a native could be your Achilles’ heel. In order to understand and make speaking like a Spanish native a piece of cake, you need to know the idioms. After all, it is the conversational idioms that make the world go around.

So instead of Spanish conversations setting alarm bells ringing or worrying that your comprehension is going pear-shaped.

This article will focus on some Spanish slang and idiomatic expressions from the Dominican Republic that will have you speaking like a Dominicano.

But before we learn some Dominican Spanish, let’s talk a little about why Spanish idioms are so important in general.

Why are Spanish idioms important?

We use idioms every day without even thinking about it. However, do we ever consider that our idioms can confuse people who are not English native speakers? I mean, you have not literally let a cat out of a bag when you share a secret, and you do not break real ice when you start a conversation with someone.

Just like in English, the Spanish language has lots of idioms; some are similar such as a piece of cake – ser pan comido – which literally means ‘to be bread eaten’ meaning it is easy to do. Each idiom has its own fascinating story.

Even if they do not originate from the country where they are used (some American sayings comes from India and Egypt), they can be completely lost to an outsider.

Because of Spanish heritage, Spanish speaking countries share a lot of the same sayings. However, you will find some only used by Dominicans for an example.

To help you to speak like a Spanish native across the Spanish speaking countries in the world here are a few sayings and idiomatic expressions commonly used by Spanish natives that may or may not be understood in other countries, with their literal translations and respective meanings.

Again, here, we will focus on some idioms commonly used in the Dominican Republic.

1. “A falta de pan, casabe”

—-“If there’s no bread, cassava”

This saying might be the equivalent of “Make do with what is available”. It tries to explain that when in need, we make use of whatever is handy to keep going. Cassava is a crispy flatbread made from yucca or cassava and was one of the main components of the taíno diet.

It is normally eaten for breakfast. However, most people prefer bread and find cassava a paltry substitute. It is also way cheaper than bread.

Example:

“Necesitaba unos auriculares urgente para mi trabajo, pero al final sólo pude conseguir unos audífonos baratos… Supongo que servirán mientras tanto”

“I needed some headsets urgently for my job, but at the end, I was just able to get some cheap earphones… I guess they’ll work in the meantime”.

“Bueno, a falta de pan, casabe”.

“Well, when there’s no bread, cassava”.

2. “Hecho a la brigandina”

—-“Done the brigandina way”

During the 1940s and1950s there used to be a North American company operating in the Dominican Republic called, “Bridge and Dinna”. They were popular for building bridges very fast, but building them terribly. . So bad, in fact, that they would collapse regularly. People would often say, “Those bridges suck!

I bet they were made by the Bridge and Dinna”, which pronunciation was promptly Dominicanized to brigandina.

When you say something was done the brigandina way, it means it shows it was rushed, probably at the last minute, and, therefore, badly done.

Example:

“Casi no tuve tiempo de hacer el proyecto. Hice una vaina ahí a la brigandina“.

“I didn’t have any time to do the project. I did some stuff the brigandina way”.

“Pablo, esta presentación es un disparate. Se nota que lo hiciste a la brigandina”.

“Pablo, this presentation sucks. It shows you did it the brigandina way”.

3. “A caballo regalado, no se le mira el diente”

This one is the equivalent to the following:

—-“Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”

As many of you may know,this phrases advises that when receiving a gift, just be grateful for it. The phrase comes from that fact that a horse’s age can be determined by its teeth.

When talking about one that was gifted to you, you should only be grateful, accept it and don’t try to inspect it first. Since this saying comes from times where modern meanings of transportation didn’t exist, a horse was most definitely precious and very useful.

Although this saying is very popular in many countries, it’s so widely used by Dominicans; we had to include it.

Example:

“Mi jefe me felicitó hoy por mi compromiso. Fue tan extraño. Nunca lo había escuchado ser tan amable”.

“My boss congratulated me today for my engagement. It was so weird. I had never heard him be so kind before.”



“No lo pienses mucho. A caballo regalado, no se le mira el diente”.

“Don’t think about it too much. You don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”.

4. “Curarse en salud”

—-“To cure or treat yourself in health”

Like treating a wound that has not been inflicted yet. It refers to when you do something in order to prevent harm. You’re thinking a step ahead to avoid any possible bad outcome in a given situation.

Example:

“Ayer le avisé a mi novio que iba a salir con unas amigas, pero como a él se le olvidan las cosas, déjame curarme en salud y recordárselo ahora”.

“I advised my girlfriend yesterday that I was going out with some friends, but since I know she forgets everything, let me cure myself in health and remind her now”.



5. “Estar bien con Dios y con el diablo”

—-“Please god and the devil”

Most people don’t like confrontations, normally we like to be in good terms with everybody.

However, some take it to another level by betraying those close to them or their own beliefs just so they can save face with others, and that’s what this saying refers to. You cannot please everybody.

Example:

“Ese Juan es increíble. El otro día lo escuché acabando a Perla y diciendo lo horrible que es, y míralo ahora muy sonriente, todo amistoso con ella. Seguro que le está hablando mal de mí”.

“That Juan is unbelievable. The other day I heard him talking trash about Perla and telling how awful she is, and now look at him all smiles being friendly with her. I am sure he’s talking bad about me with her”.



“Es que a Juan le gusta estar bien con Dios y con el diablo”.

“Thing is Juan likes to please both God and the devil”.

6. “Al dedo malo, todo se le pega”

—-“All bad things happen to the injured finger”

Have you ever cut your finger and for some reason, everything you have to do with your hands it has to be done using that same finger? Alternatively, something happens and you end up getting hit on the already injured finger, or limb in general?

It was probably a coincidence, of course, but sometimes Dominicans are cynical like that, we might call is Sod’s Law. On that same note, some people believe that if more than one bad thing happens to you, you definitely have a streak of bad luck.

They say negative vibes attract bad things, and so bad things happen to the already injured finger.

Example:

“No debí haber salido ayer por la gripe, pero lo hice, y por supuesto tenía que llover. No feliz con eso, me torcí el tobillo cuando corría buscando donde esperar que parara la lluvia”.

“I shouldn’t have gone out yesterday because of my flu, but I did and of course it rained. Not happy with that, I sprained my ankle running looking for a place to wait for the rain to stop”.

“Sí debiste haber quedado en tu casa. ¿Tú no sabías que al dedo malo todo se le pega?”

“You should have stayed at home indeed. Didn’t you know that all the bad things happen to the injured finger?”

7. “El que no se puede tirar, se jondea”

—-“If you cannot jump, you plunge”. The verb “jonderarse”

This is slang for jumping or throwing, whether it is throwing something far away or meant for someone else to catch, or throwing yourself off a building.

This saying is very much a pun since “tirarse” and “jondearse” means the same, it’s just that the last one is the slang version, which sounds raw and more forceful. It tries to express that if you cannot do it the conventional way, you can always try another.

Example:

“Había estado intentando mandar mi aplicación por meses, pero siempre tenía problemas con el formulario en línea. Al final, decidí imprimirlo y llevarlo personalmente. Por suerte, me lo aceptaron así”.

“I had been trying to send my application for months, but I always had problems with the online form. In the end I decided to just print it and take it there personally. Luckily, they accepted it that way”

“Bien. Ya sabes, el que no se puede tirar, se jondea”.

“Good. You know, if you cannot jump, you plunge”.

8. “El que anda con perro, a ladrar aprende”

—“Those who hang out with dogs learn how to bark”

One of those sayings used to describe the consequences of keeping bad company. We all, at least once in our lives, have had their parents, or maybe a teacher warns us with the equivalent of this Dominican saying. Unless of course, you were the bad influence.

Example:

“Ya le he advertido mucho a Jessica acerca de esos amigos con los que se junta, pero no me escucha. Apuesto a que se encontrará en problemas muy pronto si sigue con esas compañías”.

“I’ve warned Jessica a lot about those friends she hangs out with, but she won’t listen. I bet she will run into trouble very soon if she keeps those companies”.

“Bueno, Jessica no está inocente últimamente. El que anda con perro, a ladrar aprende”.

“Well, Jessica is not that innocent as of late. Those who hang out with dogs learn how to bark”.

9. “Donde el diablo tiró las tres voces”

—-“Where the devil yelled three times”

This one is used when talking about a place that’s very far away from civilization. Nowadays people employ it to express they feel something is really far away, normally from the city, even if it’s not referring to an uncivilized place.We might use the term ‘out in the sticks’.

Example:

“Ayer José me dijo que él viene de Cabarete. ¿Qué tan lejos queda eso?”

“Yesterday José told me he comes from Cabarete. How far is that?”



“Mija, eso es donde el diablo tiró las tres voces”.

“Girl, that’s where the devil yelled three times”.

10. “Al que madruga Dios lo ayuda”

—-“God helps the early riser”

The equivalent can be “Early bird gets the worm”.

This one is also very popular in other Spanish speaking countries, and very commonly used by Dominicans.

As most Spanish speaking countries, Dominicans are Catholic and as you might have noticed, a lot of sayings have religious connotations, therefore instead of just getting the worm if you rise early, this one explains that God helps you get that worm. Of course, in essence, it all means the same.

Example:

“No puedo creer que Amy despertó a las tres de la mañana para hacer una fila por un estúpido juego”

“I can’t believe Amy woke up at three this morning just to be on that line at four for a stupid game.”



“Bueno, al final resultó que les dieron copias gratis a las 20 primeras personas en la fila y Amy fue una de ellas. Supongo que al que madruga Dios sí lo ayuda”.

“Well at the end it turned out they gave out free copies to the 20 first people in that line and Amy was one of them. I guess the early bird does get the worm”.

It’s known that sayings and idiomatic expressions make a language more fun and after this article, we couldn’t agree more! The way we use phrases and sayings that come from long ago to prove a point, to state a point of view or as a reference of something that can happen in certain situations, it’s just proof of how charming languages can be.

As time goes by, people stop using some sayings and expressions and those come to be naturally forgotten. You will always find that people older than you using an expression that you have never heard of before.

It also happens the other way around, of course. As it happens with their slang, Dominicans drop and pick new ones really quick, therefore don’t be surprised if you hear something not included in this list.

Please be sure to check out our blog post about Dominican slang and curse words as well.