{"id":138230,"date":"2023-08-07T07:45:17","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T11:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/nicaraguan-spanish\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T05:12:43","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T10:12:43","slug":"nicaraguan-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/nicaraguan-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"21 Common Nicaraguan Slang Words and Phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you’ve learned a standard variety of Spanish, you may be a little confused once you start hearing Nicaraguans talk, because they use a lot<\/em> of slang.<\/p>\n

Read on to learn 21 of the most common Nicaraguan slang words and phrases. With this new vocabulary, you’ll be able to understand and connect better with Nicaraguans in casual, everyday situations.\u00a0
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1. Chunche<\/em><\/h2>\n

Chunche<\/em> is one of those all-purpose words that’s loosely translated to mean “that,” “thing”<\/strong> or even “whatchamacallit.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Something to be aware of: Chunche<\/em> can also refer to female genitalia. So keep that in mind and pay attention to the context in which it’s used.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

P\u00e1same<\/em>\u00a0ese chunche<\/strong> de all\u00ed<\/em>. (Pass me that thing over there.)<\/p>\n

2. Chochada<\/em><\/h2>\n

This is another slang term that means “thing”<\/strong> and is the perfect word to use when you’ve forgotten what something’s called.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00bfC\u00f3mo se llama esa chochada<\/strong>?<\/em> (What’s that thing called?)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

3. Chele<\/em>\/Chela<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

This word is used for a white person<\/strong>, like the other Spanish slang<\/a> term you may have heard, gringo\/gringa. Chele <\/em>is used for males while chela<\/em> is used for females.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The connotation behind this term depends on the context and tone, but it’s most often used in a neutral way to refer to someone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

El chele<\/strong> se est\u00e1 quedando en nuestro hostal.<\/em> (The white guy is staying at our hostel.)<\/p>\n

4. De a cachimba<\/em><\/h2>\n

This term is something like “awesome” or “cool”<\/strong> in English. For example, if your friend tells you they found some money on the street, you can react with “\u00a1<\/span>De a cachimba!”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

5. Tuani<\/em><\/h2>\n

Tuani<\/em> (also tuanis<\/em>) is another word that means “awesome,” “cool,” or “sweet,”<\/strong> but to an even greater degree than de a cachimba.<\/em> It’s used all the time by Nicaraguans to describe pretty much everything they like. For example:<\/p>\n

Oye, mira los zapatos que compr\u00e9.<\/em> (Hey, look at the shoes I bought.)\u00a0
\n\u00a1<\/span>Qu\u00e9\u00a0tuani<\/strong>!<\/em> (Sweet!)\u00a0<\/p>\n

6. Salvaje<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

The actual translation of salvaje<\/em> is “wild,” but it\u2019s used as another catch-all expression to signify something is really cool or really good<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u00a1Tu camiseta est\u00e1 salvaje<\/strong>! <\/em>(Your t-shirt is so cool!)<\/p>\n

\u00a1Este gallopinto est\u00e1 salvaje<\/strong>! <\/em>(These rice and beans are delicious!)<\/p>\n

7. Chinelas<\/em><\/h2>\n

Chinelas refer to “sandals” or “flip-flops,”<\/strong> something you’ll see a lot on the beaches of Nicaragua.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dej\u00e9 mis chinelas<\/strong> en la playa.<\/em> (I left my flip-flops on the beach.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8. \u00bf<\/span>Ideay?<\/em><\/h2>\n

This is a common way of asking what’s going on or what’s taking so long<\/strong>. If you’re waiting for someone and they’re taking forever, you can say:<\/p>\n

\u00bf<\/span>Ideay?<\/strong>, \u00bfya est\u00e1s listo?<\/em>(So, are you ready yet?)<\/p>\n

9. Ja\u00f1o<\/em>\/Ja\u00f1a<\/em><\/h2>\n

Instead of novio<\/em> or novia,<\/em> Nicaraguans often use this slang term for “boyfriend”<\/strong> or<\/strong> “girlfriend.” <\/strong>It can also refer to a more casual relationship, and some people might be offended if they’re introduced this way.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ese chico es el nuevo ja\u00f1o<\/strong> de mi hermana.<\/em> (That guy is my sister’s new boyfriend.)<\/p>\n

10. Maje<\/em>\/Mae<\/em><\/h2>\n

Both of these words can be used for a male or female. Some Nicaraguans use maje<\/em> while others say mae.<\/em> It’s like saying “guy,” “dude” or “bud”<\/strong> in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00bf<\/span>Qu\u00e9 pasa, maje<\/strong>?<\/em> (What’s up, dude?)<\/p>\n

11. Tapudo<\/em>\/Tapuda<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

This word refers to someone who gossips or lies often<\/strong>. In other Spanish-speaking countries, they would use chismoso\/a <\/em>(a person who gossips a lot) or mentiroso\/a <\/i>(liar).<\/p>\n

No creas nada de lo que dice ese tapudo<\/strong>.<\/em> (Don’t believe anything that liar says.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

12. Fachento<\/em>\/Fachenta<\/em><\/h2>\n

This word is used to describe an arrogant or ostentatious person who likes to show off<\/strong>. It can also be used as a verb, fachentear<\/em>, which means “to show off.”<\/p>\n

\u00c9l es un maje fachento<\/strong>.<\/em> (He’s an arrogant guy.)<\/p>\n

Le gusta fachentear<\/strong> a su ja\u00f1a.<\/em> (He likes to show off his girlfiend.)<\/p>\n

13. Chinear<\/em><\/h2>\n

This slang verb means “to hold,” “to carry” or “to take care of”<\/strong> and is used with babies and pets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00bfPuedes chinear<\/strong> al beb\u00e9?<\/em> (Can you hold the baby?)<\/span><\/p>\n

14. Chavalo<\/em>\/Chavala<\/em><\/h2>\n

This slang term is used to refer to a child or teenager<\/strong> by someone who’s older than them. You might also hear zipote<\/em> or zipota<\/em> from someone of an older generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ven ac\u00e1, chavalo<\/strong>.<\/em> (Come here, kid.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

15. Pinche<\/em><\/h2>\n

This word means “stingy” or “cheap”<\/strong> in Nicaraguan slang. Be careful where and how you use it, though, because in Mexico it means something much more explicit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

No seas pinche<\/strong>; c\u00f3mprate la camisa.<\/em> (Don’t be stingy; buy yourself the shirt.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

16. Coyotear<\/em><\/h2>\n

This slang verb refers to when someone always takes your stuff<\/strong>. A coyote<\/em> is that one guy or girl who always has to have a bite of your food, a piece of your gum, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Deja de coyotear<\/strong>.<\/em> (Stop taking all my stuff.)\u00a0<\/p>\n

17. Dale, pues<\/em><\/h2>\n

This is a casual way to agree with something, similar to saying “alright,” “okay” or “let’s do it.”<\/strong> Nicaraguans often leave off the “s”<\/em> when they say this phrase.<\/p>\n

Vamos a la playa.<\/em> (Let’s go to the beach.)\u00a0
\nDale, pues.<\/em><\/strong> (Okay.)<\/p>\n

18. Bacanal<\/em><\/h2>\n

A bacanal<\/em> is a big, wild party<\/strong> or a “rager.” This is the kind of party you’ll need a few days to recover from.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fuimos a un bacanal<\/strong> el s\u00e1bado pasado y todav\u00eda me estoy recuperando<\/span>.<\/em> (We went to a rager last Saturday and I’m still recovering.)<\/p>\n

19. Caballada<\/em><\/h2>\n

This word is used to react enthusiastically <\/strong>to something surprising or impressive. It can be something good, like exciting news, or something bad, like a car accident.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a1C<\/strong><\/span>aballada<\/strong>, el bacanal estuvo salvaje!<\/em> (Wow, the party was awesome!)<\/p>\n

In other contexts, though, caballada<\/em> can also mean “nonsense”:<\/p>\n

\u00a1Ese tapudo dice puras\u00a0c<\/strong><\/span>aballadas<\/strong>!<\/em> (That liar is just talking nonsense!)<\/p>\n

20. Cuecho<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Cuecho<\/em> means “gossip”<\/strong> in Nicaraguan slang. You can hear it used in the popular song “La Tula Cuecho”<\/em><\/a> \u00a0by Nicaraguan artist Carlos Mej\u00eda Godoy. In the song, he sings about a woman who practically rules the town with her sharp tongue.<\/p>\n

Here’s another example:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Es puro cuecho.<\/strong> <\/em>(It’s just gossip.)<\/p>\n

21. No hay falla<\/em>\u00a0<\/h2>\n

This expression literally means “There’s no failure,” but is similar to No hay problema<\/em> (No problem). It could also be translated to “Don\u2019t worry about it” or “It’s all good.”<\/strong><\/p>\n

When la camarera<\/em> (the waitress) realizes she\u2019s made a mistake on your order, just wave a hand and say: “\u00a1No hay falla!”<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Quiz on Nicaraguan Slang<\/h2>\n

Now that you’ve learned some Nicaraguan slang terms, it’s time to test your knowledge! Take the brief quiz below and just refresh the page if you want to start over or retake it.\u00a0<\/p>\n