Tips for Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish

Question

Anyone have any ideas/tips/hints on how to become more adept at hearing the Puerto Rican dialect of Spanish?

Most of the patients at the clinic where I interpret are from Puerto Rico and while I have gotten better at hearing this dialect of Spanish it is still difficult for me at times and I am at a loss of how to improve.

A bazillon thanks to anyone who has any insight to offer

Answer 1

Something very important to keep in mind is that many Puerto Ricans either aspirate or eliminate the "s" at the end of syllables or at the end of words. Here are a few examples:

[es-pe-rár] -> [eh-pe-rár] -> [e-pe-rár], [r?áz-?o] -> [r?áh-?o] -> [r?á-?o], [pu?és-ta] -> [pu?éh-ta] -> [pu?é-ta], etcétera.

I would also recommend listening to some of the great Salsa music from Puerto Rico like Eddie Santiago y El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

Oye hermano mio estoy de acuedo... jaja... salsa y reggaeton, que buena pachanga se hacen. ;-) - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

I would not recommend listening to reggaeton in order to learn to speak or even understan Puerto Ricans at large. Reggaeton uses its own slang, and much of it is not endorsed, or at least really used, by a lot of Puerto Ricans.. - Gekkosan, Jan 5, 2012

Hey Gekko, depends on where you from, no? Reggaeton has actually become a large reprensation for the people, especially with groups like Calle 13. They help motivate movements against a over-powered government and similar issues. - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

You should really read some of Calle 13's lyrics in specific, they won alot of awards at the Premios this past year and they're are definently educated. You know we're compas so please don't take any of what I say here wrong. Good to hear from you man ;-) - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

Answer 2

Well to start with, I disagree with farallon7... alot. I learned a good part of my Spanish from Puerto Ricans and they never sounded like that. More than anything what you need to remember is Puerto Ricans are, for the most part, extremely fast talkers. More common traits of their accent would be the very audible "eating of the D" in their words. For instance, they turn "apretado" into "apretao". As well, the "S" in words is commonly made silent. An example of this would be, "esta" turning into "e'ta".

What I suggest for the sake of your sanity, listen to lots of Spanish music (especially Reggaeton if you want to learn the current Puerto Rican lingo) and learn the more general Spanish first. Puerto Ricans have a massive vocabulary of slang, and that doesn't help with the fact they talk like they're trying to set a World Guinness record or something. My point being, fast talking plus slang based dialect equals a very difficult learning process if you don't already have an advanced understanding of the Spanish language.

I hope I have not just rambled here and you find this useful.

Then you need to pay more attention to the way they speak Spanish, because that is the number one reason they are well known in the Spanish community! Probably because they speak fast you cannot hear it! - farallon7, Jan 5, 2012

As I said, I learned from Puerto Ricans, and am pretty sure I would have been taught that anunciation if true. I learned from Americanized & native Puerto Ricans, so there really is no way for me to have missed it and in fact I tend to talk fast myself. - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

Just saying, even if there are a few out there that have such an impediment, it would be unreasonable to relate that to the mass. All opinion is welcome in these sorts of threads though. ;-) - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

Farallon:"The the number one reason they are well known in the Spanish community!"? "They speak fast"? What's the "Spanish community"? And guess what? A lot of speakers sounf "fast" when we don't have a grasp of their language... - Naomi_Callas, Jan 5, 2012

And here I thought the # 1 reason Puerto Rican are well known in the so-called Spanish community was Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. ;-) - Naomi_Callas, Jan 5, 2012

Jajaja, no way, the new phenomenon is Wisin y Yandel. ;-) - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

I asked 2 Venezuelan friends about the Puerto Rican accent a year or so back and the r -> l thing is exactly what the mentioned. I've also definitely heard it myself but I have a feeling it's really only done by people with a low level of education - murkilator, Jan 5, 2012

I used to hang with alot of those... no cigar amigo. Maybe it's the way the people who here it that way listen, not the way Puerto Ricans are speaking. ;-P - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=1609393. It definitely exists. - murkilator, Jan 5, 2012

I would not recommend listening to reggaeton in order to learn to speak or even understan Puerto Ricans at large. Reggaeton uses its own slang, and much of it is not endorsed, or at least really used, by a lot of Puerto Ricans. - Gekkosan, Jan 5, 2012

Lol, again, see my response on your other reply. jejeje ;-P - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

Answer 3

The only think I can tell you is that Puerto Ricans tend to replace the letter "R" with "L" when speaking. I.E. ¿Que voy a hacer? (They would say, "¿Que voy a hacel?" "Vamos a orar" they would say, "Vamos a oral" On the other hand, there are several words that are very commonly used in Puerto Rico.

• • Abombao - Algo dañado.
  • Achaques - Dolor muscular
  • Afrentao - Persona egoísta o glotón.
  • Afuego - Se refiere a algo brutal o bien.
  • Ajumao - Borracho.
  • Atorrante - Vagabundo.
  • Arao - Idiota o maniquí.
  • Abochornao - Avergonzado/a.
  • Bendito - Simpatía hacia una persona o tristeza. Frustación o desesperación.
  • Brutal - Asombroso.
  • Bruto - Que no sabe nada
  • Bizcocho- Pastel.
  • Caco - Que escucha reggaeton.
  • Cel/Celú/Celúlar - Teléfono Móvil.
  • Cafre - Persona vulgar.
  • Charro - Que hace el ridículo.
  • China - Naranja.
  • Chota - Persona que cuenta todo.
  • Capear - Acción de comprar drogas ilegales.
  • Cuneta - Canal de desagüe.
  • Enchisman - Persona molesta.
  • Farandulero/a - Que le gusta la fama. Que sigue a un cantante o un equipo de deporte.
  • Fiebrú - Fanático de algo.
  • Guillú/úa - Persona orgullosa.
  • Guineo - Banana.
  • Guagua - Autobús, coche grande. Ejemplo: SUV.
  • Jevos - Novios.
  • Jienda - Emborracharse.
  • Juyir - Huir.
  • Mai/Mami - Término corto para Madre o Mamá.
  • Maceta - Persona que no da dinero fácilmente. Otro término vulgar utilizado para "Pene".
  • Nene/Nena - Chico/Chica
  • Pantallas - Pendientes, aretes.
  • Pai/Papi - Término corto para Padre o Papá.
  • Pataleta - Demostración de rabia.
  • Pelao - Que no tiene dinero.
  • Pana - Amigo cercano.
  • Pendejo/a - estúpido/a.
  • Prender - Encender.
  • Raitrú - Que es cierto (verdad).
  • Tráfala - Persona que tiene problemas en la calle o expediente criminal.
  • Zafacón - Bote de basura.

That's a very wide generalization, and it's not true of all Puerto Ricans. In fact, I lived in PR for a long time, teaching Spanish, and I never heard anyone do that (at least at the public school in which I taught) - Naomi_Callas, Jan 5, 2012

I have to agree with Naomi here - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

Sorry, that's my experience with the Puerto Ricans I have met! - farallon7, Jan 5, 2012

"Raitrú" is just a bastardization/amalgamation of two English words: "Right" and "truth." - Naomi_Callas, Jan 5, 2012

You could always check out my Puerto Rican slang dictionary for those terms too. ;-) - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

Where can I find that dictionary, DJ? - Naomi_Callas, Jan 5, 2012

Aqui http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/110930/puerto-rican-slang-posted-by-dj-huero - DJ_Huero, Jan 5, 2012

Well, I HAVE heard many Puerto Ricans pronounce the 'R' as an 'L'. It's very common. - Jack-OBrien, Jan 5, 2012

I have heard OF it, but I haven't heard it myself. Nevertheless, it's been documented; it's all over the internet, lol. Check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_Spanish . It talks about their dialectal characteristics. - Goldie_Miel, Jan 5, 2012

I live in Puerto Rico. Farallon is right - many of these words are common slang here. - Gekkosan, Jan 5, 2012

Thanks guys! I was feeling a little smashed here! - farallon7, Jan 6, 2012

Hey, nobody smashes anybody here bro, we're all here to learn... I just disagree from first hand experience (growing up and learning from Puerto Ricans) about your opinion. Just to be clear Gekko, never said anything about the words... - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

they are accurate slang, bastardizations of English or not. =] - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

Answer 4

I am not really sure how to help you. I live in Puerto Rico, but "becoming more adept at hearing" is a little vague for me. I might be able to give you a few pointers if you can say what sorts of things are difficult for you.

In my travel experience, the only real way of getting used to an accent is to be exposed to it, to get the ear used to it.

My personal difficulty is with some of the Caribbean Island English accents, for example. But after a day or two in whatever island, it all starts to flow.

Answer 5

I work in a prison very closely with inmates. Many of my inmates are either from Puerto Rico or from Philadelphia with family in Puerto Rico. I find no differences in the Spanish language that they speak compared with anything I read on this site. What I do notice is a lot of slang, which I have even asked them about. They told me it's specifically Puerto Rican slang.

You don't say where you are, but the slang used by Puerto Ricans outside of PR (say New York or Florida), and particularly prisoner slang is not necessarily the same regularly used by non-criminal people who live in Puerto Rico. - Gekkosan, Jan 5, 2012

Hmmmm... this touches on moral discrimination, might not be the place we want to go. I will just say there are good, normal people in prison. =] - DJ_Huero, Jan 6, 2012

I am in Pennsylvania. That is why I have so many inmates from Philadelphia. Many of them have lived in Puerto Rico or have close family there. There is spanish slang they use that originates in Puerto Rico, some is street slang and some is just slang. - DATS_Flanagan, Jan 7, 2012