Here in the 305, we don’t just do things differently, ya tu sabes que we speak differently too. In our vibrant melting pot of a city, it’s no wonder we’ve basically created our own language. Here’s a little Miami Slang 101 for you to find out just how much of a local you truly sound like!
1. Bro
It’s like bruh but with an “o” and it basically means dude or friend. Bro is a unisex word, meaning that irregardless (yes that’s a word, check number 4) of gender or age I’m a bro, you’re a bro, she’s a bro, your abuela’s a bro, everyone’s a bro. Get it, bro?
2. Dale!
Dale may famously be known as Pitbull’s catchphrase, but it’s a term that fits pretty much into any situation. It can literally mean anything from agreement (“dale!”) to disbelief (“daleee!”). The amount of “e’s” are directly proportionate to the intensity of our surprise.
3. Supposably
This is basically Miami’s version of “supposedly,” because pronouncing the “d” isn’t necessary. For example: “No, cause supposably I’m going on a date with Carlos tonight, pero like I’m not sure if I want to go out with him or not yet.”
4. Irregardless
This is also Miami’s version of “regardless,” but would you believe me if I said this is an actual word? According to Merriam-Webster, it’s correct to use “irregardless.” So stop making fun of our grammar ’cause we’ll keep using the word, irregardless!
5. Comiendo mierda
In other words, eating shit. No, we don’t literally eat shit. In Miami, the term means to be bored or doing nothing while passing the time. Let me illustrate with an example: “Bro whatchu doing later?” “Ay bro, nothing, just eating shit.” It comes from the direct translation of the Spanish “comiendo mierda.”
6. Literally
It’s actually pronounced “leeterally” and we use it to emphasize literally everything, countering the actual meaning of the word. For example, I didn’t literally die of heat yesterday, but it literally felt like I was. It’s literally so common I’ve used it four times in this paragraph and literally (there goes the fifth) at least once in every other paragraph in this article.
7. Pata sucia
You wouldn’t want to be called a pata sucia in Miami. It means “dirty feet” in Spanish. A pata sucia is that girl that takes off her high heels and walks around the club shoeless literally getting her patas all dirty. But hey, we’ve all been there after one too many shots!
8. Getty
Although a Getty isn’t really a house party, it usually ends up being one irregardless if you planned it or not. A Getty is a get-together with your closest friends, but then your friends usually end up bringing their friends, and they bring their friends….
9. Pero like
If you haven’t noticed already (you probably don’t live here then), Spanglish is key in Miami. “Pero like” is our way of saying “but like” because we like speaking English, pero like Spanglish is so much more fun!
10. Get down from the car
It’s simple, really. In Spanish, we say “bajar del carro,” which literally translates to “get DOWN FROM the car.” But the proper phrase, at least to everyone outside of Miami, is “get OUT OF the car.”
11. Ya tu sabes
It means “you already know” in Spanish, which is another way of agreeing with everything: “Bro, the party was super lit last night!” “Ya tu sabes.”
12. Cógelo con take it easy
Or “cógelo con teikirisi,” this phrase is usually said to someone who needs to relax or calm down from a situation. It’s pretty redundant, meaning to “take it with take it easy.”
13. No, yeah (yes), yeah, no (no)
We have a very particular way of agreeing and disagreeing, as in we agree and disagree with you at the same time. In the same sentence. Essentially, if we say, “No, yeah” that means “yes,” but if we say, “Yeah, no” that means “no.” If you ever get confused, just disregard the first word and take the last one as your answer.
14. Super
This is the single, most important adjective in our vocabulary. It’s not “really cool;” it’s “super cool.” The weather’s not “really hot;” it’s “super hot.” With emphasis on the “u” anything in Miami can be super, as in a suuuper popular restaurant or traffic that’s suuuper bad.
15. Chonga
Chongas are the Miami version of cholas, usually sporting dark lip liner, large hoop earrings, gelled hair and tight jeans with crop tops. See: “Chongalicious” by The Chonga Girls.