FORMAL 1

He has to talk to them

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Él tiene que hablar con ellos

( hablá )

How many times do I have to tell you

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Cuántas veces que te lo tengo que decir

Cuántas Veces = How many times

Decir = To say; To tell

Stay right there I’ll come get you

✅PROPER✅

Quédate ahí que yo te busco

( KE - da - te )

Yo te busco = I’ll come get you

Quédate = Stay there

Ahí = there

I told him not to do that

I told her not to do that

✅FORMAL✅

Yo le dije que hiciera eso

( ee - SYE - ra )

Yo le dije = I Told him ; I Told her

Hiciera = Would make; Would do; Did

Watch out you’re going to hurt yourself

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Cuidado, que te va a rompér la cabeza

( Cui - dao ) ( rompé )

Cuidado = Watch out

Rompér = Break ; Hurt

Almost ; Nearly

✅PROPER✅

Casi

This way you can

Like this you can

✅FORMAL✅

Así tú puedes

I was calling you

✅PROPER✅

Yo te estaba llamando

They WERE

❗PAST TENSE❗

📌Used for:

Temporary actions

Conditions

States —>past tense

Ellos estaban

( eh - yo - eta - ban )

Yuck ; Gross

✅Used for:

Expressing disgust , repulsion ,

rejection toward something

unpleasant in smell , taste , look , sound

Guácala

( Guá - ca - la )

For a second

✅FORMAL✅

Por un segundo

( Pol )

✅PROPER✅

What are you looking for over there

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Que tú ta buscando allá

boo - SKAN - doh

Buscando = Looking for; Searching for

Allá = Over there 👉🏽

Too much ; Too many

✅PROPER

📌 Used for:

Quantity ; Intensity ; Emotion

Demasiado

Deh - ma - SYAH - do

How’s it going

🔔INFORMAL🔔

📌 Used for:

Checking in on someone’s overall

well-being or situation.

Cómo te va

How much was it?

✅Formal✅

📌 Used for:

To ask about Money or Price in the —

Past Tense

Cuánto fue

✅PROPER✅

I’m driving right now

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Estoy guiando ahora

Gyan - do

When did that happen?

✅PROPER

💡 Hint:

This is a common Dominican way to ask for the exact time something went down.

Cuándo fue que pasó eso

I’m going home

✅PROPER✅

Yo voy para mi casa

That way you’d be able to

✅Formal

📌 Used for:

To suggest a possibility

Or offer a helpful way to do something

Así podrías

( po - dria )

Dam ; Shit ; Fuck

❌CURSE WORD❌

Coño

How are you

🔔INFORMAL🔔

FAMILY

FRIENDS

PEOPLE YOU KNOW

Como tú tá

I’m still

📌Used for:

Saying you are still doing something

or in a certain state

followed by an action or condition

Todavía estoy

Beneath ; Under

✅PROPER✅

Debajo de

Literal translation is “under of”

Reason ; To be right

📌Used as:

Someone being right when —

Tú tienes is added

Razón

We arrived ; We’ve arrived

✅PROPER

📌Used for:

Also used informally to mean ;

“We made it!” or “We pulled up!”

llegamos

( Ye - gah - moe )

I’m going

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say I’m going ; I’m on my way

or —

You’re in the act of going somewhere

💡Hint:

Use when —

someone asks where you are

Or if you’re coming.

Estoy yendo

How long have you been feeling like this?

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Desde cuándo tú te sientes así ?

( DEH )

Frying pan

Sartén

It ; Him ; You

(m)

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

As a direct object pronoun —

“it” / “him” / “you” (m).

As a neuter article: “the” (for abstract ideas).

💡 Hint:

Think “it” / “him” when referring to —

a person or object

And “the” when talking about a

concept

lo

Do you want to see if she wants to go with us?

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Tú quieres ver si ella quiere ir con nosotros

Was ; Were → (temporary)

❗PAST TENSE❗

📌Used for:

EMOTIONS

LOCATION

ONGOING ACTION IN THE PAST

Estaba

( E - tá - ba )

Everything was fine ;

Everything was okay

❗PAST TENSE❗

Todo estaba bien

Down ; Below ; Downstairs

✅FORMAL✅

Abajo

I’m

✅Formal✅

📌Used for:

• CURRENT STATE

• LOCATION

• FEELINGS

• What you’re doing RIGHT NOW

Estóy

Come again ; What was that

✅Formal✅

📌Used for:

To say “What happened “

“What was that” or “Come again”

Also used when you “didn’t hear” or

“you’re shocked” by what someone said.

💡Hint:

Dominicans use this when they’re surprised, didn’t catch what you said

or want you to repeat something spicy, crazy, or bold.

Cómo fue

Girl ; Young woman

✅PROPER✅

Muchacha

You know ; You are familiar with

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say “You know” either referring to

a “Person” a “Place”

“You’re familiar with” something

In the streets, it can sound like you’re checking if someone “knows what’s up” too.

Tú conoces

Rice and beans (cooked)

Moro

Going through ; Happening ; Passing

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

Saying something is going through

happening right now , passing by

💡Hint:

Think of it as the Spanish version of “passing” or “going through”

BUT Dominicans can drop it in casual conversation as —

“what’s up” or “what’s going on.”

Pasando

I met ; I knew

❗PAST TENSE❗

✅FORMAL✅

Conocí

I arrived ; I got here

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say “I arrived” or “I just got here”

when you show up somewhere or —

announce your arrival

llegué

( Yeh-geh )

Windows

Ventanas

( Ben - tá - na )

There

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To refer to a place that’s Close by or

In sight, but not right here

💡Hint:

Use it when pointing at something nearby

or when something is not far but not right next to you

Ahí

( Aí )

Disgusting ; Nasty

✅FORMAL✅

💡Hint:

Think of someone acting nasty, dirty,

or doing something perverted

Asqueroso

( A - ke - ro - so )

Never

✅FORMAL✅

Nunca

I have

✅PROPER✅

Tengo

The body

El cuerpo

To die dreaming

Morir Soñando

( Mo-ríh soñando )

I thought it was over there ?

✅PROPER✅

Yo pensaba que eso estaba allá

Pensaba - thought

Estaba - was / were

Allá - over there

To do ; To make

✅Formal✅

Dominicans use it for —

Actions , Responsibilities , Creating

something , or even for just messing

around

Hacer

Forward ; Ahead ; Keep going

✅Used for:

To say keep going , forward , ahead

Also used to say someone is —

Making progress , Hustling

or Pushing through life

💡Hint:

It’s a word that represents Dominican

attitude:

Moving forward, no matter what

Palante

Up ; Above ; Up stairs

✅FORMAL✅

💡Hint:

Think “up” or “above” for the literal meaning,

and “Let’s go!” for the street meaning.

Arriba

How’s it going

✅USTED FORM✅

Cómo le va

We go ; Let’s go

✅Used for:

To say Let’s go or Come on

to start moving or encourage

action

💡Hint:

Think of it as your go-to word to —-

get people moving ;

start an activity or —

show excitement for something

Vamos

Said

❗PAST TENSE❗

💡Hint:

Think of it as the past tense —

of dice (“says”)

Dijo

Very ; Good

✅PROPER✅

Bien

Friday

✅PROPER✅

Viernes

I continue ; I keep going

✅Formal✅

Sigo

Food

✅PROPER✅

Comida

I’m down

❗SLANG ❗

Tamo en eso

“We’re in that”

Monday

Lunes

To give

💡Hint:

Think of it as “give” but in Dominican talk it can mean way more from —

handing something over to

“beating” or “throwing”

to hit , to happen , to cause , or —

to allow

Dar

Blinds

Persianas

Dominican burger

Chimi

To go ; To take with me

✅PROPER✅

Para llevar

Calm ; Relax —> (f)

✅FORMAL✅

Tranquila

A ; One —> (m)

✅PROPER✅

Un

Doing ; Making

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say “Doing” or “Making” something

it’s the -ing form of the verb hacer.

You use it when you’re in the middle of an action.

💡Hint:

Comes from the verb hacer (to do / to make)

You’ll hear it with — estoy , tú estás , él está etc.

👉 “¿Qué tú ‘tá  ______?” = What you doing?

Haciendo

Im going to SLEEP

✅PROPER✅

Voy a dormí

Dormir - to sleep 🛌

Of ; About ; From

✅FORMAL✅

De

Time ; Weather

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To refer to Time either the —

Clock time , Weather, or how —

long something has been going on

Tiempo

Throw it away ; Get rid of it

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say throw it away ; get rid of it

— can be literal (trash), or figurative

(cut someone off, dump them, reject something).

Bótalo

You are GOING ; You GO

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

Used in both questions ; statements

when talking about -

someone else’s movement or plans

Vas

( VAHS )

You need

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Tú necesitas

I’m full

✅PROPER✅

Estóy lleno

Until ; Up to ; Even

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for

In greetings or goodbyes, it’s super common:

👉 “_____ luego” = See you later

👉 “_____  mañana” = See you tomorrow

💡Hint:

It’s a very flexible word — used in

Time ; Place and even to —

emphasize extreme situations

You’ll hear it in greetings,

exaggerations, or just everyday talk.

Hasta

Good Morning

✅PROPER✅

Buenos Días

Tired ; Fed up —> (m)

✅PROPER✅

Cansado

Giving

✅PROPER✅

Can also mean hitting or dealing —

something, depending on the context

Dando

I feel ; I sit down

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

To say “I feel” or “I sit down” —

depending on the sentence.

In Dominican Spanish, it’s most

commonly used to —

express feelings or emotions.

Me siento

Sunday

✅PROPER✅

Domingo

To drink

✅PROPER✅

Beber

( Be - bel )

Speaking ; Talking

✅PROPER✅

Hablando

We ; Us

✅PROPER✅

Nosotros

A ; One —> (f)

✅PROPER✅

Una

Yes ; If

✅PROPER✅

Sí

His ; Her ; It’s ; Their ; Your

✅FORMAL✅

📌Used for:

Showing possession in formal speech

or when referring to someone else’s

belonging.

💡Hint:

Formal = Your, his, her, its, their.

Informal = Mostly used for third person possession —

“his / her / their” — NOT for “your”

Su

You throw away ; You discard

🔔INFORMAL🔔

Tú bótas

Touch ; Knock

✅PROPER✅

Toque

This —> (f)

✅PROPER✅

Esta

It is ; is

✅FORMAL✅

💡Hint:

Think “is” when talking about a —

state, feeling, or location

Está

Again ; One more time

✅PROPER✅

Otra vez

Cooking pot

Olla

That ; So ; How

✅PROPER✅

Que

Saturday

✅PROPER✅

Sábado

Space

✅PROPER✅

Espacio

Walking ; Going around

✅PROPER✅

Andando

Together ; Next to

✅PROPER✅

Junto

I realized ; I noticed

✅PROPER✅

Me di cuenta

I don’t like this —> (m)

✅PROPER✅

No me gusta este