10 Slang Words Only Venezuelans Understand

**alfredo.astort** · 07-20-2015

1. Chamo/a. This one means "bro," or "dude," except you can make it female. Yay for gender equality! You can also use this word to say "boy," or "girl," and add "ito/ita" to the end to describe a little boy/girl.
Ex: "Chamo, you'll never guess what happened last night!"

2. Pana. Pana can be as simple as saying "friend," or describing someone as "friendly."
Ex: "He's super pana."

3. Chevere. "Chevere" is probably the most Venezuelan word to ever exist. It means "nice,"or "good," or "great," and it is used all the time. It doesn't matter what level of the positivity spectrum you're on, "chevere" can always apply to it.
Ex: "The movie? Chevere. Dinner? Chevere. Your wedding ceremony? Super chevere."

4. Tal cual. The best way to describe "tal cual" is simply, "as is," or "as it is."
Ex: "Leave it like that, tal cual."

5. Burda. "A lot," or it can mean "really." You can use it to describe that there's a large quantity of something, or to describe that you are really feeling some way.
Ex: "Tiene burda de carros," = "S/he has a lot of cars."

6. Enratonado/a. Basically, when you're hungover AF.
Ex: "Estoy burda de enratonado," = "I'm really hungover."

7. Chimbo/a. This is used as an adjective to describe anything that is lousy or cheap. You can also use it to describe someone negatively in a lighthearted way, like a boring friend or someone who is (lovingly!) kind of lame.
Ex: "La película estuvo burda de chimba," = "The movie was really lame."
"No quieres salir? Que chimbo eres," = "You don't want to go out? You're so lame."

8. Arrecho/a. Get ready to lose your mind. Many a misunderstanding has been caused by the use of the word arrecho, and here's why: It can mean "angry" or "furious," but it can also mean "awesome," or "amazing." Arrechisimo is only to be used when something is really, really awesome, or someone is really, really mad. It's all in the context, guys.
Ex: "Se puso arrecho," can mean, "He got angry" or "It got amazing." "¡El concierto estuvo arrechisimo!" = "The concert was super amazing!"

9. Ladilla. Someone or something who is a pain in the ass.
Ex: "Que ladilla eres." = "You are so annoying."

10. Vaina. The literal most versatile word in Venezuelan slang. Vaina pretty much means "thing," and can be used to describe objects, situations, people, occasions, anything really! The possibilities are truly endless.
Ex: "Pasame la vaina." = "Hand me that thing over there."
"¿Que vaina es?" = "What's up?"
"Vamos a la vaina de Alejandra." = "We're going to Alejandra's thing."