Venezuelan Spanish

Features

• Venezuelan Spanish sometimes shortens words, such as para to pa'. In addition, between vowels is sometimes dropped : helado becomes. Originally from southern Spain and the Canary Islands, those traits are common to many other Spanish variations and in the Caribbean.
• Another common feature is the debuccalization of syllable-final, whereby adiós becomes and este becomes. It is common to most coastal areas in America, the Canary Islands, and the southern half of Spain.
• Syllable-final undergoes velarisation, or undergoes assimilation: ambientación becomes or.
• Also like most other American versions of Spanish, Venezuelan Spanish has yeísmo and seseo. That is, calló and cayó are homophones, and casa is homophonous with caza. Seseo is common to all of America, the Canary Islands, and southern Spain, and yeísmo is prevalent in most Spanish dialects.
• The phoneme is realized as glottal in the Venezuelan Caribbean, like in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Colombia, Spanish Caribbean islands, Canary Islands, and southern Spain and sometimes in Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Argentina.
• A characteristic common to Spanish in Venezuela, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Costa Rica is the use of the diminutive -ico and -ica, instead of the standard -ito and -ita in words with -t in the last syllable: rata becomes ratica. Another noteworthy diminutive is "manito," instead of the more common "manita."
• The second-person singular informal pronoun is usually tú, as in most of the rest of Latin America and in Spain. That is referred to as tuteo. However, in Zulia and some parts of Falcón and Trujillo, it is common to find voseo, the use of vos instead of tú. That phenomenon is present in many other Latin American variations : instead of tú eres, tú estás, Zulian has vos sois, vos estáis. Another exception to tuteo in Venezuela is the use of the second-person singular formal pronoun usted interchangeably with tú in informal speech, unique to the states of Mérida, Táchira and Trujillo. As in most of the rest of the Americas, the only plural form of the second person is ustedes.
• The word vaina is used with a variety of meanings and is often an interjection or a nonsensical filler.
• Venezuelan Spanish has a lot of Italianisms, Gallicisms, Germanisms, and Anglicisms.

  Regional variations

• The Andean dialect, particularly in the state of Táchira, near the Colombian border, is characterized by a nonaspirated pronunciation of 's', and use of usted instead of tú even in informal contexts. Another variant, in the states of Mérida and Trujillo, still uses usted instead of tú, but has the aspirated pronunciation of as a voiceless alveolar retracted sibilant, also called apico-alveolar or grave, between and. That phonetic trait, unique in the Americas, is from the large number of northern Spanish settlers in Andean Venezuela.
• The Central dialect, a characteristic marked accent whose use is very common in cities like Caracas, La Guaira, Los Teques, Maracay and Valencia. This dialect is the basis of standard Spanish of Venezuela.
• The Guaro or Larense dialect, spoken initially in Barquisimeto, Cabudare, Carora, El Tocuyo and Quíbor, spread throughout the state of Lara and other Central-Western states. In it, the older Spanish verbal inflections -ades, -edes, -odes have become -ás, -és, and -ós:" "vos cantáis", "vos coméis", "vos sois."
• The Llanero dialect is spoken in the Venezuelan plains. One of its characteristics is a considerable aboriginal lexicon, a product of the fusion of both languages.
• The Margaritan dialect, spoken in Isla Margarita and the northeast of mainland Venezuela. The Margaritan dialect sometimes has an interdental for pre-vowel 's', and uses a strong 'r' instead of 'l' for most words.

• The Zulian in the northwest of the country, also called maracucho or marabino, uses voseo''.

  Lexical influences

Native influence

• Arepa.
• Auyama.
• Budare.
• Casabe.
• Chinchorro.
• Conuco.
• Ocumo.
• Onoto.
• Totuma

  Common words

• A mamar que llegó Tío Rico. = v. Eat up, it's your lucky day
• Achantado = adj. A person of slow thought or slow reasoning. Someone passive, or lacking seduction skills.
• Achicopalarse = v. To become sad or depressed.
• Agarrado = adj. Selfish. See pichirre.
• Agüevoniado = adj.. To be thinking slowly or with poor reasoning, being a sucker. "Ando agüevonia'o". Mildly profane.
• Alborotado = adj. To be excited or in a frenzy.
• Alzado = adj. Rebellious, haughty, insurgent. Lit. Lifted, raised.
• Amapuche = n. A passionate demonstration of affection. A warm hug.
• Amuñuñar = v. To tightly yet disorderly put things together.
• Apapacho = n. A hug.
• Arepa = n. Armpit sweat marks. In baseball it also means a score of zero. Lit. Arepa.
• Arrapado = adj. Sexually aroused.
• Arrecharse = v. To get angry.
• Arrecho = adj. Superlative attribute for an object or situation, namely extremely good, bad or difficult. There are differences if someone is arrecho for a finite period of time or if someone is arrecho all the time. On the other hand, if something is arrecho, it is very good. "Qué arrecha estuvo la fiesta". It also has a superlative, "arrechísimo".
• Arrecochinar = v. To gather people disorderly in a small space.
• Arrocear = v. To turn up at a party without being invited.
• Arrocero = n. Party crasher.
• Asaltacunas = n. Someone who likes to date or have sex with people who are significantly younger. Similar terms in English would be "Manther" or "Cougar. Lit. "Cradle-robber" or "craddle-snatcher".
• Asaltamecedoras = n. Opposite of the term above. Lit. "Rocker-robber" or "rocker-snatcher"
• Baba = n. A baby/young alligator, caiman, or crocodile. Lit. Saliva.
• Baboso = n. A person who flirts inappropriately.
• Bachaco = n. A blond or redhead mulatto. Lit. Leafcutter ant.
• Bajarse de la mula = exp. To pay for something. To be demanded for money. To be robbed. Lit. "To get off the mule".
• Bájate de esa mata e' coco = exp. "Get your head out of the clouds". To get real. To focus and stop daydreaming. Lit. "Get off that coconut tree."
• Bala fría = n. Junk food. A quick snack. Lit. "Cold bullet".
• Balurdo = adj. or n. An awkward or ridiculous person. A low-class person or behavior. See chimbo
• Barrio = n. Poor neighborhood. Often built upwards on hillsides, they are a distinct and noticeable feature of the landscape in large cities in Venezuela.
• Barquilla = n. Ice cream cone.
• Becerro = n. A goofy person. A moron. Lit. Calf. Example: "Sí eres becerro" = You're such a moron.
• Beta = n. A problematic or otherwise interesting situation. For instance: "When we were at the party se armó un beta and the police arrived".
• Bicha = adj. A girl/woman of bitchy behavior, foxy lady, vixen. Used as a noun, it can also mean a firearm, mostly a pistol.
• Birra = n. Beer.
• Biyuyo = n. Money. See churupo and real.
• Bochinche = n. A gathering or noisy party. Disorder, chaos, but usually in a funny way. See jodedera.
• Boleta = adj. To be indiscreet. Example: "No seas boleta" = Don't be indiscreet. Used when someone indiscreetly looks at another person, or imprudently listens to someone else's conversation. Also means a grade, mark, qualification. A description for some people who dress and talk in a marginal way. See Tuki, Tierrúo. Lit. Ticket, note.
• Bolo = n. A single unit of Venezuelan currency. Similar to calling the U.S. Dollar a "buck."
• Bolsa = n. A moron. Lit. Bag.
• Broma = n. A thing. Example: "Sólo agarra esa broma y vámonos" = Just take that thing and let's go. Also, it can be used as a synonym for "vaina". Lit. Joke.
• Bucear = v. To ogle discreetly. To peep furtively. Lit. To.
• Bululú = n. A fuss. A place in which there is a noisy crowd, and not always partying.
• Burda = adv. or adj. Very much. Example: "Caminamos burda" = We walked a lot. "Ella es burda de linda" = She's very pretty.
• Buzo = n. Peeper. Lit. Diver. See bucear.
• Cachapera = n. A lesbian. Lit. Woman who makes cachapas.
• Cacharro/a = n. Old, worn out vehicle. A piece of junk.
• Cachicamo = n. Armadillo.
• Cachúo = adj. Someone who has been cheated on by his partner. In Zulia, it means "horny" instead.. Lit. With horns
• Cacri = n. A mongrel. The term is a mix between "callejero" and "criollo" and derives from the fact that there are a lot of stray dogs and mixed-breed dogs in Venezuela.
• Caerse a palos = exp. To engage in heavy drinking. To get drunk. To be beaten up. Lit. "To fall with sticks". See "palos" and "rumba de palos".
• Cagón = adj. Coward or fearful person. Lit. Shitter.
• Calarse = v. To tolerate something bad, to put up with something.
• Calientahuevo = adj. A person that insinuates sexual interest but at the end doesn't do anything.
• Caligüeva = n. Sluggishness, boredom.
• Cambur = n. A well remunerated job in government. Lit. Banana.
• Cambur y peo = A person that, usually pretending to know/be familiar with something, does not even try to accomplish his/her promises, a talker. Example: "¡Eres puro cambur y peo!". A plan/prospect that was meant to be taken seriously is never made reality. Lit. "Banana and fart".
• Caña = n. Booze, an alcoholic drink. Also, it's often referred as "curda".
• Carajo = n. A person. Lit. Crow's nest.
• Carajazo = n. See coñazo.
• Carajito = n. A kid. Diminutive of "carajo".
• Caraotas = n. Beans. In Venezuela, caraotas are black by default. Should beans be of a different color, the name of the color must be used. Example: "Caraotas blancas" = white beans, "Caraotas rojas" = red beans.
• Cartuchera = n. A pencil case. Lit. "Cartridge belt" or "cartridge box".
• Catire = adj. or n. Generic for a beer. Also a nickname for the Sun. Derived from the literal meaning of catire/catira as blond man/blonde woman.
• Caucho = n. Generic for a vehicle tire or tires. Lit. Natural rubber.
• Cazón = n. Young shark. Lit. School shark.
• Chalequeo = n. Persistent taunt, mockery or bullying.
• Chalequear = v. To mock or taunt someone for an indefinite period of time.
• Chamo = n. Boy/girl. With suffix -ito: a kid; also means son or daughter. Venezuelans are well known among Spanish speakers for their love and constant use of this word, which is used repeatedly in the same fashion as the American slang dude.
• Chao = exp. To bid farewell, similar to "bye".
• Chaparro = n. Slang for penis. See güevo and piripicho. Lit. Short person, shorty.
• Chévere = adj. Fine, cool, great. Also used to express agreement.
• Chencho = n. See Tierrúo.
• Chimbo = adj. Lousy. Of low quality. Bootleg. Ill made. Fake. Uncool.
• Chinchorro = n. A hammock.
• Chino = n. Andean expression for a boy or girl, particularly in the Trujillo State. Lit. Chinese person.
• Chiripiolca = n. When a person is restless, anxious or nervous. Mostly refers when someone suddenly get mad or crazy. Example: "Le dió la chiripiolca" = She/he gets crazy. From El Chavo del Ocho.
• Chivo = n. The boss, someone at a high position in an organization. Lit. Goat. Example: "El chivo que más mea" = the most important person.
• Chulo = n. Person who lives from/takes advantage from others, often financially. Lit. Pimp.
• Chupichupi = n. A water-based frozen snack in a plastic tube, a freezie.
• Chupón = n. A pacifier. A hickey. Lit. Sucker.
• Churupo = n. Money.
• Chola = n./adj. Flip-flops/slippers. Accelerator pedal. Also means "speedy", for example: "Dale chola!" or "Yo iba demasiado chola". A popular radio personality in Venezuela has the nickname "Full Chola"
• Choro = n. Thief, robber.
• Cocoya = n. Vagina. See totona.
• Coger cola pa'l cielo = exp. To masturbate. Lit. "Hitchhike to heaven".
• Cojeculo = n. Chaos, disaster, clusterfuck. A chaotic crowd in which anything can happen. See bululú.
• Conejo = n. A naive person. Lit. Rabbit.
• Coñazo = n. A violent hit or strike. It can also mean a lot of when used with the preposition de. Example: "Había un coñazo de gente en la fiesta".
• Coñito = n. A kid, mainly used in Zulia.
• ¡Coño! = exp. "Damn!" or "fuck!".
• Coño de madre = n. A rotten bastard.. Lit. "Mother's cunt".
• ¡Coño de la madre! = exp. "Oh, my fucking God!", used to denote high frustration and anger. Lit. "Mother's cunt!"
• Compinche = n. Partner, friend, buddy. See pana.
• Contorno = n. A side dish. From Italian.
• Coroto = n. Stuff, belongings. Word derives from Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot's last name.
• Costilla = n. Spouse or partner. An affectionate way of a person to refer to a very close friend. Lit. Rib.
• Cotorra = n. A lie. See embuste. Lit. Parrot. Chatterbox.
• Cotufas = n. Popcorn. Presumably derived from "corn to fry".
• Creerse la gran vaina = exp. To be arrogant. Example: "Ella se cree la gran vaina" = She's so full of herself.
• Criollo = n. A local. A native of Venezuela. Something typically native. Lit. Creole.
• Cuaima = n. A very jealous/possessive and untrusting wife/girlfriend. Lit. Bushmaster.
• Cuca = n. Vagina. See Pepita.
• Cuchi = adj. Cute, nice, pretty.
• Culo = n. Booty. A young attractive person that one would usually date, go out with or have sex with. Lit. Ass.
• Culillo = n. Lots of fear. Lit. Small ass.
• Curdo = adj. Drunk. See rascado.
• Dar pao-pao = exp. To beat-up or spank someone. It's mostly used as a warning to disobedient or rude children.
• De pana = exp. Seriously. For real.
• De pinga = exp. Cool, superb, excellent. See pepiado.
• Echarle bolas = exp. To put a lot of effort on something.
• Echarle los perros a alguien = exp. To flirt with someone. Lit. "To throw the dogs at someone".
• Echón = adj. Arrogant.
• Embuste = n. A lie.
• Embustero = n. A liar.
• Empate = n. Romantic relationship. Lit. Tie, draw.
• Enchivarse = v. To borrow something, use hand-me-downs.
• Ennotado = adj. See nota.
• Epa/Épale = exp. Hi or Hello. Also used to express surprise. Close to the Lit. Hey.
• Estar cagado = exp. To be scared. Lit. "To be shitted".
• Estar empatado = exp. To be in a relationship. Lit. "To be tied".
• Estar encarpado = exp. To have an erection. Derives from "carpa". Equivalent of the expression "To pitch a tent".
• Enrollado = n. A very complicated person.
• Estar fregado = exp. To be screwed. Lit. "To be scrubbed".
• Estar mosca = exp. To be alert. Lit. "To be a fly".
• Estar salado = exp. To have bad luck. Lit. "To be salty".
• Fajado = n. Someone who works pretty hard/much on something. See fajarse.
• Fajarse = v. To focus and work the hardest on something until getting it done. Example: "¡Tienes que fajarte con eso!" = You have to work very hard on that!. Similar to Echarle bolas.
• Faramallero = n. a derogatory term to refer to a boastful person.
• Fino = n. Fine, cool or great. It is used in the same fashion as the slang "sweet". Adjective. Example: "Eso está fino" = that is fine.
• Filo = n. Hunger. Lit. Edge. Example: "Llevo el filo parejo" = it does not exactly translate but it is like saying "I'm very hungry".
• Firifiri = n. A very skinny, weak or malnourished person.
• Flaco = n. A slim or skinny person.
• Flaquito = n. Diminutive of flaco.
• Franela = n. T-shirt.
• Fregar = v. To suffer the consequences of a wrong decision. To screw up. To annoy. To kill. To scrub.
• Fumado = adj. or n. Stoned. Crazy, disheveled, difficult to understand. Lit. past participle of the verb "fumar", to smoke.
• Fumar una lumpia = exp. used when someone makes wild assumptions or comes up with unrealistic explanations to a situation. Lit. "to smoke a egg roll."
• Gafo = adj. or n. Silly. Comes for the Italian word "cafone" or "gavone" which means dumb peasant.
• Gago = n. Someone who talks with a stammer or stutter.
• Gargajo = n. Spit, a loogie.
• Gocho = adj. or n. A native of the Venezuelan Andes, particularly the states of Mérida, Táchira or Trujillo.
• Golilla = adj. or n. Thing of low commercial value, easy to buy or acquire. Example: "¡qué barato, una golilla!" = what a bargain, that is so cheap!. Sometimes used to refer to something easy to do.
• Gordo = n. A term of endearment similar to darling or baby, more often used by women to refer to their sons or boyfriends. Lit. chubby or fat person.
• Gordito = n. Diminutive of Gordo.
• Gorila = adj. A glutton. Also used to refer to abusive person. In politics used as a synonym to dictator or despot.
• Gringo = n. American.
• Guachicón = n. An athletic shoe, sneaker.
• Guachimán = n. A security guard, sometimes also applied to doormen. Derived from "watchman".
• Guáramo = n. Iron will. Courage.
• Guaro = n. A native of Lara state.
• Guasacaca = n. A sauce made from avocados and spices. Resembles Mexican Guacamole.
• Guate = n. Excrement.
• Guayabo = n. To be romantically disillusioned. To have the Blues. Lit. Tree of the guava fruit.
• Guayoyo = n. Slightly watered down black coffee, commonly served after meals.
• Güevo = n. Dick, penis. Nuisance. Derives from "huevo". See pipe.
• Háblame el mío/háblame la mía = exp. Similar to "What's up?" or "What's going on?". Lit. Talk to me dude/talk to me girl.
• Huevón = n. Sucker, asshole, push-over, idiot. However, it can also be used as the Spanish equivalent for "dude".
• Huevonada = n. See mariquera.
• Huevo pelado = n. an expert, talented, knows what he or she is doing.
• Igualado = adj. A demeaning term to describe someone who pretends to be of a superior financial/intellectual level than the person really is.
• Jalabola = n. Ass-kisser. See below.
• Jalar bola = v. To abuse flattering. Sweet talking, intended to get benefit from someone with selfish purposes. Similar to the expression "scratch your back". Lit. To pull ball.
• Jamón = n. A French kiss. Something very easy to do. A nice girl. Lit. Ham.
• Jamoneo = n. French kissing. Also used as a verb.
• Jeva = n. Woman, girlfriend.
• Joda = n. Joke.
• Jodedera = n. Mockery. When a bunch people get together and act foolishly or play pranks on a person/another group of people.
• Jodido = adj. Difficult. See pelúo
• Lacra = n. See rata
• Ladilla = adj. or n. Something annoying or boring. A boring or annoying person. Lit. Crab louse.
• Lambucio = n. A glutton. Someone who requests food or goods in a rude way.
• Lata = n. Kiss on the mouth/lips. Lit. Can. Also used as an expression: "Darse latas" or "darse las latas" which means "to make out".
• La Pelona = n. An impersonation of death. The Grim Reaper. Example: A Juana le apareció La Pelona.
• Lechúo = adj or n. Lucky.
• Lomito = adj or n. Cut of beef. Also used to connote very high quality, or the best one among a group. Example " puro lomito".
• Macundales = n. Gear, stuff, personal belongings. Derived from the brand "Mac and Dale". See Corotos.
• Malandro = n. Gangster, thug, thief, burglar, robber.
• Mamar = v. To be penniless. Example: "Estar mamando". To be tired. Example: "Estar mamado". Lit. "To suck".
• Mamahuevo = n. Cocksucker. Fluffer.
• Mamarracho = n. Someone who makes things of a very bad quality.
• Mamarrachada = n. Something done/made in a messy or poor way.
• Mamar gallo = exp. To trick, fool or tease someone. Lit. "To suck rooster".
• Mamita = n. An attractive woman/young woman. Also used as a synoym of "mami".
• Mamón = n. Mamoncillo.
• Manganzón = n. A lazy person.
• Maracucho = n. A native of Maracaibo or its neighborhoods.
• Marico = n. Commonly used as "dude" between friends. "Marica" may also be used between girl friends. Lit. Gay man.
• Mariquera = n. A small, insignificant thing. A non-transcendental fact. A synonym for Vaina. Lit. Gay thing.
• Matar un tigre = exp. To moonlight. To have a temporary job. Lit. "To kill a tiger".
• Matraquear = v. To blackmail, to demand compensation in exchange of something, especially by corrupt cops.
• Mente de pollo = n. A dumb or immature person. Lit "Chicken-minded".
• Merengada = n. A milkshake.
• Meter casquillo = exp. To stir up trouble or drama, usually by "planting" malicious gossips and rumors.
• Mojón = n. A lie, bullshit. Lit. Piece of excrement.
• Mojonero = n. Liar. Person who propagates "mojones". See above.
• Molleja = exp. Term used to exaggerate, emphasize or express surprise, mainly used in Zulia. Lit. Gizzard.
• Moreno = n. Someone who has tan skin. When the person has a light tan or olive skin, this is usually referred to as "trigueño", which derives from "trigo". "Morena" also means "moray eel". Lit. Brunet/brunette.
• Mortadela. = n. From the Italian "Mortadella"
• Musiú = n. A foreigner. Originally used to refer to European immigrants from a non-Hispanic country; the term is currently generally used to describe someone who is not familiar with local Venezuelan customs or idiosyncrasies and has a hard time fitting in. "Hacerse el musiú" is a common expression used when someone pretends that he/she does not understand a situation in order to avoid any involvement.
• ¡Na' guará! = exp. An expression to denote surprise, bewilderment. Most commonly used in Lara state.
• Negrear = v. To treat someone badly, to forget or exclude somebody, as an allusion to when black people were victims of racism. Despite its origin, nowadays the term has no racist undertone. Any person can say the word to another one regardless of the color of their skin. Example: "Me negrearon" = They excluded me. Derives from "negro".
• Nevera = n. Refrigerator.
• Niche = adj. See "chimbo". Of low class.
• No joda = exp. Venezuelan equivalent of the English curse word "Goddammit".
• Nota = n. Something nice, neat, or pleasant. A drug trip, to be "high". Lit. Note. Verbal form: Ennotarse.
• O sea = exp. A form to say whatever or "I mean". A filler word. Lit. Or Like. Example: "¿O sea, cómo lo hicíste?".
• Paja = n. Bullshit. "Hablar paja" = to bullshit someone. "Hacerse la paja" = to masturbate. Lit. Hay, straw.
• Pajizo = adj. Someone who masturbates a lot. Lit. "Wanker".
• Pajúo = n. A loose synonym for pendejo or güevón. Also, it means "Snitch".
• Paisano = n. From the Italian "Paesano", meaning a Venezuelan or Italian. Abbreviated as Paisa usually refers to a native of Colombia.
• Panetón = n. From "panettone", meaning an Italian Christmas bread
• Pasticho = n. From Italian "pasticcio"
• Palo = n. Alcoholic beverage. Lit. Stick. Example: "¡Tómate un palito, pues!" = Have a little drink !
• Palo de agua = n. Torrential rain. Lit. Stick of water.
• Pana = n. Friend, buddy, dude. Mostly applied to men. Interchangeable with Chamo. Lit Corduroy
• Pantallear: v. To lavishly flash oneself or anything of value. Derived from "pantalla".
• Pantallero: n. A show-off. See above.
• Paño = n. Towel.
• Papia'o = adj. Of muscular build. Buff. Derives from "papa".
• Papear = v. To eat.
• Papito = n. An attractive man/young man. Also used as a synoym of "papi".
• Papo n. Vagina.
• Parcha/parchita= n. Gay man. Lit. Passion fruit.
• Pargo = n. Gay man. Lit. Red snapper.
• Pasar roncha = exp. To have a bad moment or experience, or to find many obstacles.
• Pasapalo = n. Appetizer. Snack. Hors d'oeuvres.
• Pato = n. Gay man. Lit. Duck. Possibly derived from the duck test
• Pava = n. Bad luck, ill omen.
• Pavo = adj. or n. A trendy or well dressed adolescent, kid, youngster. Lit. Turkey.
• Pavosaurio = n. An older person who tries to act young. Lit. Turkey + dinosaur.
• Peaje = n. Illegal fee. Lit. Toll. See also bajarse de la mula.
• Pelando bola = v. To be out of money or with nothing to do/bored. Lit. Peeling ball
• Pelón = n. Error, mistake or someone who has bad aim. Lit. Bald or peeled.
• Pelúo = adj. Very difficult. Lit. Hairy.
• Peluquearse = v. To go to a hair salon and get your hair fixed/styled.
• Pendejo = adj. or n. An idiot, a pushover. See huevón.
• Pendejada = n. See mariquera.
• Peorro = adj. Mediocre, inferior.
• Pepiado adj. Cool, superb, excellent.
• Pepa = n. Seed.
• Pepita = Lit. Seed, nugget.
• Perico = n. Venezuelan-style scrambled eggs with onions, tomatoes, and often bell peppers. Also used to describe cocaine. Lit. Parakeet.
• Perinola = n. Cup-and-ball toy.
• Perol = n. A coroto, a kettle.
• Picado = adj. Ticked off, feeling upset while at the same time hiding or denying the feeling. Lit. Stung. In the coastal region it is used to mean an agitated sea: "El mar está picado".
• Picar = verb. To provoke. To say or do something that would lead a person to become "Picado" o "Picada". Also, eat a snack. Lit. Sting, or slice.
• Pichirre = adj. Stingy, selfish, miser, cheap.
• Pinga = n. See below.
• Pipe = n. Dick, penis. See güevo.
• Pipirisnais = adj. A very cool or skilled person. Example: "Él se cree un pipirisnais" = He thinks he's so cool.
• Pipí frío = exp. Someone that has been single or haven't had sex for a long time. Someone lacking social skills or uninteresting. Lit. "Cold penis".
• Piripicho = n. Penis.
• Plaga = n. A mosquito. A swarm of mosquitoes. A mischievous person, a pest.. Lit. Plague.
• Planetario = adj. Crazy, insane. "No soy loco, soy planetario", became a popular catch-phrase after it was used by a patient in a mental institution during the filming of a documentary.
• Pollo = n. A childish, naive or immature person. Lit. Chicken.
• Polvo = n. Coitus. Copulation. Lit. Dust.
• Ponsigué = n. Ber.
• Prendido = adj. Tipsy, wanting more. Lit. Ignited, turned on.
• Puta = n. Used in many cases to mean slut. Lit. Whore, prostitute.
• Queso = n. Sexual drive, Lust. Mostly applied to men. Lit. Cheese. Example: "Tengo queso" = I'm horny.
• Quesúo = adj. Horny, lustful.
• Rabipelado = n. Opossum.
• Rancho = n. A shanty house. A precarious makeshift home found in barrios or favelas made out of whatever the builder may find, including cardboard, wood, metal rods, zinc sheets. These have a tendency to evolve into brick houses and sometimes 3-story buildings as the owner acquires more materials. Lit. Ranch.
• Rascado = adj. Drunk.
• Raspar = v. To fail a course, exam or subject. Example: ¡Chamo, raspé Inglés! = Dude, I failed English!. Lit. To scrape/scratch.
• Rata = n. An evil or treacherous person. Lit. Rat.
• Ratón = n. Hangover. Lit. Mouse. Example: "Tengo ratón" = I've got a hangover.
• Raya = exp. An embarrassment. The expression "¡Qué rayón!" means "How embarrassing" or "That's so embarrassing".
• Real = n. Money.
• Rico = adj. or n. An attractive person. Delicious, pleasurable. Lit. Rich.
• Rollo = n. a problem.
• Rumba = n. A party. Also used as a verb.
• Rumba de coñazos = exp. To violently and exaggeratedly hit or strike for a while. Example: "¡Te voy a dar una rumba de coñazos!" = I'm gonna kick your ass!/I'm gonna kill you! See salita.
• Rumba de palos = exp. To be beaten up. In a sports context, whenever a team wins over another with a large score.
• Rumbero = n. A partygoer.
• Sacar la piedra = exp. To bother or exasperate someone.
• Salita = n. A violent game, bullying method or hazing ritual that goes like this: A bunch of people get together, then discreetly select a person as a "target" or "victim" and set a word/gesture as a signal. Next, They follow, pretend or trick the person so They get close to them. After that, one of them gives the signal and They start to repeatedly smack the "target" for a short period of time until They just stop or the person either defends themselves or runs away.
• Santamaría = n. Rollup metal door to secure storefronts. Example: "Bajaron la santamaría" = "They closed their doors". Lit. Holy Mary.
• Sapo = n. A snitch, informer. Lit. Toad.
• Ser pila = exp. To be smart and/or alert.
• Sifrino = adj. A wealthy, snobby, arrogant person. adj. Posh, applied to people and things, such as an accent or clothes. In the case of people most often used to refer to teenagers. It is somewhat common for sifrinos to use Spanglish; the crutch word "O sea" and demeaning gestures such as the L.
• Tequeño = n. A deep-fried flour roll filled with cheese, similar to cheese sticks. Lit. A native from the city of Los Teques.
• Teta = n. A source of guaranteed income. A ball/scoop of ice cream, sorbet or frozen flavored water wrapped in a small plastic bag that is eaten by opening a hole on the tip and sucking on it. Lit. Tit, female breast.
• Tetilla = n. Male breast, male nipple.
• Tigre = n. Second job or night job. See Matar un tigre. Lit. Tiger.
• Tierrúo = n. A person who behaves, dresses or says things in a vulgar or uneducated way. Also, could be considered an opposite of "sifrino". It derives from "tierra" which is something associated with dirt.
• Tirar = v. To have sex. Lit. To throw.
• Totona = n. Vagina.
• Toñeco = adj. A person who likes to receive a lot of affection through cuddles, caresses, kisses, or similar physical contact. Example: "Mi bebé es muy toñeco" = My baby loves my affection.
• Trácala n. Trick, fraud.
• Tripeo = n. Something that is very enjoyable. Example: "Qué tripeo esta vaina" = This is really fun. Also used as a verb; "tripear".
• Tripón = n. Kid.
• Tufo n. Bad underarm odor. See violín.
• Tuki n. See choro.
• Ubícate = exp. "Get real". Lit. "Locate yourself".
• Vacilar = v. To enjoy something/have a good time. Example: "Estoy vacilando" = I am having fun. Also used as a noun: "Vacile", as in "qué malvacile" = What a bad time. Lit. vacillate
• Vaina = adj. or n. Thing, annoyance, problem, predicament, situation, endeavor, liaison. Vaina is one of the most versatile Venezuelan words, not necessarily having a negative connotation. Lit. Pod, sheath.
• Verga = n. Dick exp. Used to convey a feeling of shock, disgust or alert. In the Western part of the country, especially in Zulia state, it is a nonsensical filler as an alternative to vaina.
• ¡Vergación! = exp. superlative form of verga, mainly used in Zulia.
• Vergajazo = n. See coñazo, mainly used in Zulia.
• Vergatario = adj. Something excellent, or someone who has done something very well.
• Verguero = n. Brawl, havoc, mainly used in Zulia. See cojeculo.
• Vete al carajo = exp. "Fuck you" or "Go fuck yourself". Lit. "Go to the crow's nest" / "Go to your mother's cunt".
• ¡Vete al coñísimo de tu madre! = exp. Superlative form of the term above.
• Violín = n. Bad odor in armpits. See Tufo. Lit. Violin.
• Yesquero = n. A lighter.
• Yeyo = n. Low blood pressure, dizziness or faint generally caused by a strong impression or stress.
• Zampar = v. To French kiss somebody.
• Zamuro = n. A stalker. Lit. Vulture.
• Zanahoria = n. Someone who zealously takes care of his/her own health. A vegetarian. A person that behaves well, nerd. Straight, clean. adj. A boring, dull person. Lit. Carrot.
• Zancudo = n. Mosquito. Lit. "The one that walks on stilts" as a metaphor for the insect's long legs.
• Zapatero = exp. To lose in a game with zero points. Lit. Shoemaker.
• Zapatos de goma = n. Sneakers. Lit. Rubber soled shoes.
• Zapatos de patente = n. Patent-leather shoes.
• Zumbado = adj. Forward, crazy, nutty, careless person.