Here is a running list of “Nicañol”, Nicaraguan words and phrases that I have come across, in no particular order. I will keep adding to them as time goes by….
This page is a bit lacking, partly because the vast majority of Nicaraguan slang I have been learning has a double meaning that I’m not sure is appropriate to put up on the public web…I’ll save them for sharing in person!
Chigüine, Zipote – endearing terms for niño or child
Campechana – from the countryside, or something that has the flavor of country life. ex. Chigüine es una palabra campechana, meaning that chigüine is a term mostly used in the rural areas.
La maña – a tendency or habit.
Bayunco – slang for guy, like saying dudes or chaps.
No fregés! - No way! When someone tells you something unexpected or pulls out just exactly the book you spend a month looking for high and low and they had it the whole time. Might be reflexive (no me fregés), I’ve heard it both ways.
Hacer agua – literally, to “make water”, used as a more discrete way to say urinate. If you go out to the campo, you never know what toilet conditions you will find and you should be prepared for the unexpected. Since some families have different spots for different needs, I have been asked after requiring for permission to use a latrine, “Solo para hacer agua?” , indicating that there is one place that is acceptable to pee and a different place to deposit solids. Another Nicaraguan bathroom expression I have not yet gotten entirely used to is the tendency to say “Estoy orinando”, literally “I am urinating” when they mean, “I need to pee so badly I’m bursting!”
Coyotear/hacerse un coyote – to “brown nose” or say whatever someone wants to hear in order to get in their favor.
Soy un caballo / una bestia / un burro – literally, I am a horse/beast/mule. What you are really saying is that you are ignorant and completely wrong about everything. BUT if you answer the question, “how are you” by puffing up your chest and saying with attitude “Soy una bestia” it means you are feeling like hot sh!t, man, bring it on! Read the body language carefully.
Putchika – Exclamation, what you say when you are trying not to say another word that also starts put… but that is much more vulgar. Kind of like saying “what the frick”.
Salvaje – Awesome, incredible, and unbeatable. I’m seriously wowed.
Vos – you singular. Congugated more or less the same as tu, with the exception of ser = vos sos and some accent changes. Basically interchangeable with tu (although in my experience used more commonly) and less formal that usted. De donde sos vos? There’s a good wikipedia article on voseo (Thanks Daniel!)
Chunche – a thing. Used when referring to something odd and unusual, or when you can’t remember or don’t know the proper term. Ex. going to purchase a drip irrigation connector plug, but asking a friend first, what’s the name for this chunche de plastico?
Chepa – a person who is constantly curious, walks around questioning and investigating, a bit of a know-it-all.
Cuecho/Cuechando – gossip/gossiping
Chispa – intelligent, smart, lista
Mujeriego – a man who runs around with lots of women. It’s more negative than bandido, which can mean the same thing but is more teasing than insulting.
Caite – rustic form of leather shoe typically worn and made by campesinos.
Gringo Caitudo – phrase used for Nicaraguans who have moved to the states and return thinking and acting like they are gringos but who haven’t quite lost all their signature Nicaraguanisms, i.e. even though they moved abroad they can’t shed their caites.
Aguachacha – weak or worthless material, or a weak attempt at doing something. I was taught this word when I was complaining that a tamarind juice was virtually nothing but water and sugar. Aguachacha, a poor excuse for a tamarind drink!
Fachento – a person who tries to ‘pass’ as being in a higher class than they are. A Nicaraguan joke is that people from Granada who are known to be fachentos eat their beans and rice on china plates with a knife and fork, so that the neighbors who hear the noise of the cutlery think they are eating meat.
Malinchisme – also used in Mexico, it means a person who is always portraying themselves as a foreigner, or striving to appear foreign.
Chochada – something that is useless or worthless or insignificant. Don’t listen to him, he speak pure chochada!
Pedir Cacao – literally, ask for cacao. Used when you are completely wiped or finished, so tired you can barely walk. Estoy pediendo cacao!
Diacachimba! – kind of like, Cool!, or WOW! but very street languange. Maybe more like, “F yeah!”. Not what you say in the office when you like your colleague’s idea.
Adios – you think you know that this means goodbye, but in León it is also used as a greeting. Expect to hear it called out to you as you walk past people on the street. Very amusing when folks translate it into English for your benefit. Lots of smiling strangers saying “Bye!” when nobody said hello in the first place. If you actually stop to converse with anyone, they’ll use as they’re leaving as well, just as you expected.
A la orden – you´re welcome, not at all, no problem, at your service. A response to thank you, often combined with a compliment – “a la orden, linda”
Chele/a – light skinned person. For a young or small person, add the diminutive – “chelita” y ”chelito”
April 7, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Podría alguien decirme como dicen en Nicaragua “cool” or “awesome” por ejemplo en México decimos “que padre!”, en Puerto Rico “Chévere” en España “que chulo”.
April 9, 2012 at 12:58 am
Creo que lo mas comun aqui es “tuani.”
July 25, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Hi Rachel, nice blog
I just have one comment about “vos”.
It is used in Central America, some parts of South America and some parts of Spain instead of “tu”.
It is not more polite than “tu”. It is used instead of the “tu”.
Having said that, some people consider “tu” to be more polite and I have heard people saying “tu” where they do not want to use “vos” (which they consider less polite) but they would not go as far as use “usted” when talking to a particular person.
The interesting thing is that “vos” is perfectly used in other parts of America instead of “tu” but in Nicaragua some people consider it less formal (when they shouldn’t).
Interesting info about “vos”:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voseo
December 13, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Daniel, exactamente, re: vos en Nicaragua. I grew up there and always used it, but outside of Nicaragua, even now, with my colleagues at the university where I teach, I use tú instead of vos unless they become my buds. In Nicaragua, unlike for Argentinos, for example, we have had an inferiority complex about using vos, as if it reveals a lowbrow thing. This changed after the Sandinista revolution I think, though, and some writers started reapropriating or normalizing it, like Gioconda Belli for one. Rachel, thanks for this post. I got homesick reading the words I only hear from Pinoleros!
December 13, 2011 at 7:41 pm
Thanks for sharing that, Vic, I hadn’t picked up on the self-conscious side of vos. I haven’t travelled abroad with Nicaraguans either though. It makes sense that it’s something obvious that would stand out in other countries, like the spanish eth instead of es. Everyone uses it here though (and I really like it!). There are lots of slogans like “Todos con vos!” which is a government initiative to evaluate and give assistance to handicapped individuals in the rural areas.
May 18, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Querida Rachel, es excelente tu esfuerzo por mostrar algo de la idiosincracia nica a los “gringos”. Ví algunos errores:
- No es “bandito”, sino ‘bandido’
-Aguachacha, en vez de “aguachochada”… ‘Chochada’ es otra cosa, es “cualquier cosa, de forma despectiva”.
-”Fachento” en lugar de ‘fochento’
-”Diacachimba” o ‘deacachimba’ es una sóla palabra.
- Y, finalmente, ‘adiós’ sí es una despedida, que equivale al ‘bye’ en inglés.
Supongo que hablas español, por eso te lo escribo así.
Buen trabajo. ¡Diaca!
Slds!
February 18, 2010 at 11:05 pm
Hi Rachel, regarding your recent post “best kept secret”. i’m looking on the map and finding Somotillo along the pacific coast in chinandega department, not really near the panamerican. There’s probably two with the same name. Do you know more specifically Where the cashews are? i’m getting hungry
thanks Vern
February 24, 2010 at 9:36 am
Hi Vern,
You caught my mistake – the Panamerican goes through Estili not Somotillo. I got confused because it’s the road I’ve used most to get up to the Honduran border. The Somotillo is the same one, along the coast in Chinandega, and the highway is the main road between the city of Chinandega and Somotillo, just refinished by the Cuenta Reto del Milenio.
January 25, 2010 at 6:03 pm
hey im nicaraguesan.man i think this people need to go to nicaragua.guess what they forgot to put voz
October 27, 2009 at 3:03 am
hi, just surfing the web and i thought this page was pretty salvaje!! jajaj. i love the nica slang. you left out TUANI thats said a lot! buffalo, quedarse palmado! fachento, maje, queres masiar? jaja. como esta la jana? no seas pinche!(codo) esta mortal! jaja i was in nicaragua for two years so I learned a few slang words when i was down there!!! good times. i hope to go back soon
December 13, 2011 at 6:38 pm
¡Que tuani, que tuani, que tuani está la ocho! An old ad I remember from growing up Nica.
September 6, 2009 at 6:27 pm
just noticed this part of your blog as i was about to click out… i love it! I definitely learned a few words. btw it’s “mujeriego” (as in “mujer”) and I’ve always thought it was “de acachimba” though now that I think about it I don’t think I’ve ever seen it written… just that way it fits the verb acachimbar. That word always reminds me of turquear (or turkear or however you want to spell it) and all it’s derivatives… even less appropriate for the office!
September 6, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Thanks so much Kate! I have learned virtually all of my Spanish verbally, and it’s great to get feedback on spelling. I’ll definitely give you a ring when I’m in Managua again, I’d love to get together and catch up, maybe share more Nica slang.
December 27, 2009 at 12:19 pm
La pagina esta !lo maximo!…ya estan los Nacatamales?(when someone is snoring) Pedo de mula-to run like hell. I have not visited my country since I left 40 yrs ago (que aguabe) but I will go back very soon with my new generation..so they can see their roots…I am a proud Nicoya thou….LuzMa
June 22, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Rachel, con nosotros (CEPRODEL) está Suzane Arthur de KIVA que estará hasta el mes de agosto haciendo un trabajo de seguimiento a los clientes de esta organización. Le he hablado de tí, le regalé tu URL, me parece interesante compartan experiencias.
Seguimos en contacto.
January 31, 2009 at 7:08 pm
“a la orden” is a tiny bit similar to
“alles in ordnung”
no ?
February 1, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I think it’s more like, “I’m at your order, at your disposal”, but I’m not certain of that. But yeah, the phrases certainly sound similar. I hadn’t thought of that. I usually struggle to keep my German and Spanish separated here!
July 25, 2010 at 2:19 pm
“A la orden” is used as a response to a “thank you”.
Meaning: I’m at your service (at your order) for anything else you may need..