![]() So if you’re having a night out and estas en olla, turn on that chapi chapi energy and get yourself some free drinks at the bar. A chapiadora is essentially just a golddigger, and the term was popularized in urban Dominican music. Sometimes when we’re en olla, we need to turn into a chapiadora to give ourselves the luxury and fun we deserve. We all have been en olla before, so keep this one in your back pocket! Chapiadora Son Matatanes It translates to “in pot”, but when used within the context of money, it means broke/struggling financially. ![]() Introducing… “en olla.” Whenever the budget is tight and the wallet full of cobwebs, “en olla” is the way to go. When to use it? Well, we’ve all been there- perhaps we didn’t budget enough for the night, or maybe your friends are inviting you somewhere that’s above your paygrade- but wait! You have that one loaded friend in tech who tells you “te doy beca este noche!” In this context, “te doy beca” roughly translates to “I’ll spot you.” So worry about the money later and go be a scholar with your friends! It’s like college! En Ollaīut before you are deemed a becario– you need the perfect phrase to exclaim to your friends that you are BROKE. Now, this word translates literally to “Scholarship recipient/Scholar”. But you’re over it and ready to have the night of your life so tell them- “Baraja eso.” Becario In a fun example? You and all your friends are waiting for someone who ends up texting you an hour after you were supposed to meet saying they can’t make it- someone says, “Diache, otra vez barajo.” A few other people express frustration with this friend who canceled yet again. But one could also say “Baraja eso” which means to let go of the topic at hand. While the literal translation of barajar is “to shuffle”, this iteration means to cancel or change plans at the last minute. No matter where you are in the world, there will always be that friend who can’t make it at the very last minute. You show another one of your new friends the video of the trick you landed, and this time the affirmation is “te la comiste!” This phrase translates to a phrase often used in English as well: “you ate that!” As in, you killed it! Baraja/Barajar You’re feeling buzzed and really proud of those roller skating videos. People, places, things too can be apero/jevi/chevere. Any of these words fit perfectly when exclaiming excitement for something awesome. But no sweat- it shares the same meaning as chevere and jevi: Cool. Y los skates se ven chevere.” You pause on the video-sharing and shoot her a look of confusion– Apero? This is one of those relatively new Dominican slang words and thus hasn’t yet made it to the diaspora. You show her another one where you actually land the trick, and she says “no, de verdad. ![]() ![]() “Que apero!” your friend exclaims as you show her a video of you roller skating back in NYC. When to use “fundi”? Okay, peep this, you’re back at La Zona Colonial with friends you made that same night, drinking some Añejo and talking about the absolutely wild state of the world and late-stage capitalism and blah blah blah when one of your friends says “Guau- Fundiste!” No worries, this has no relation to “fundillo” and actually comes from the word “profundo.” It means to say something profound, thought-provoking, or insightful. Que baltri! Can also be used to describe a person. When to use it: When something is undesired, out of alignment with you, or uncomfortable. This dominicanismo (a Dominican word with roots in an American saying, or simply put: a Dominican translation) translates to “bad trip.” Here are some of my Dominican words and slang that I’ve learned from friends and family in DR over the past couple of years: Baltri Growing up Dominican-American, I had access to the usual lexicon of Dominican sayings that made it to NYC (poloche, con flei, que lo que, etc) but I was not prepared for the colloquial terms in Dominican language that continued to develop after my parent’s 1990’s context of Dominican slang and sayings. I learned this the hard way when I befriended a group of young adult locals in Santo Domingo- I often found myself missing the punchline, grasping for context, and eager to learn some of the Dominican phrases my friends were utilizing. The Dominican Republic has a rich colloquial language, full of vibrant phrases and terms that can be confusing for people not directly from the country. Editor’s Note About the Term Chapiadora.
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