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The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish. (No surprise there since the DR traces its roots to Spain.) In the tourism sectors, however, you’ll find that many Dominicans speak English. In fact, you may find that your waiter also speaks French, German, and Italian – a testament to the diverse nationalities that visit (and sometimes settle in) the country. Not so surprisingly, though, you’ll often find that in the countryside – and even in Santo Domingo – many residents not involved in tourism speak only Spanish.
To complicate matters further, they speak “Dominican” Spanish – which features distinct regional pronunciations and twists on otherwise universal Spanish words. For example, in some parts of the island the sound “r” is replaced by “l.” And almost all Dominicans drop the middle and final “s,” so that buenos días becomes bueno día and como estás is morphed into como tu ta. For those who have traveled in Spain or studied Spanish in school, this can prove especially confusing – and at first you might think it’s not Spanish at all that you’re hearing. But the good news is that by trip’s end, you may find the spirit with which “como tu ta” rolls off the Dominican tongue to be so ingratiating that the way you were taught Spanish in high school will never seem quite right again.
Here are some other “Dominicanisms” that will help you navigate the territory like a local:
Chin – pronounced “ching” – means a “little bit.” Want a little bit of sugar in your coffee? Ask for un chin de azúcar.
Ahorita may sound like the diminutive of ahora, which means “now” in Spanish, but it isn’t. In Dominican Spanish it means “later.”Ahora mismo means right now. Confusing these two can quite understandably cause a lot of confusion.
Ya, pronounced “jah,” means a lot of things.Ya ? asks, “are you ready?” At the same time, it can be used to say: “let’s go,” “enough already!” or “stop.”
Dios te bendiga – pronounced “ben-dee-ga” – is a phrase that unaccompanied women hear a lot from men on the streets. It translates to “God blessed you,” and the speaker is simply complimenting the woman on her physical beauty. On the other hand, a man might also say bendigame to a woman, which means that he wants to know her in the Biblical sense of the word. Keep in mind that, while Dominican men are hopeless flirts, they’re also harmless – so there’s no need to take umbrage at such comments. The best response is simply to ignore it and keep walking – as Dominican women do.
Tiene menudo? may sound like you’re asking for a bowl of tripe in a Mexican restaurant – or perhaps inquiring about a certain popular boy band of the 1980s – but it actually means “do you have any small change?” Assuming you won’t be doing any panhandling, you may find this phrase most useful before getting into a taxi or mounting a motoconcho when the only folding money you’re carrying is a large bill.
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