1) Chévere

Probably the most common Venezuelan slang word you’ll

come across, this is generally a positive word, and can
describe something as “nice” to “amazing”.

(this word is also seen in Colombian slang)

 Estuvo chévere la reunión, te hace falta salir de la casa

más seguido – The party was fine, you need to come
outside more often

 Me siento chévere, ya se me ha pasado la gripe – I feel

fine, the cold I had is mostly gone now

 Él es muy chévere, te va a encantar cuando lo conozcas

– He’s super nice, you’re gonna love him when you meet
him
2) Pana

A noun and an adjective, meaning both “friend” and “friendly”

 ¿Conociste a Juan? Él es bien pana – Did you meet

Juan? He’s super friendly

 Tengo varios panas que te pueden ayudar con eso, si

quieres les puedo decir – I have a few friends that could
help you out with that, I can tell them if you want
3) Chamo
An all-purpose alternative like “bro” or “dude” that you can use
with both friends and strangers.

 ¡Chamo! Tiempo sin verte, ¿qué tal todo? – Dude! long

time no see, how’s everything?
4) Si va! or Dale

“Alright!”, or an energetic alternative to “¡Claro!”, a quick way

to make someone understand that you agree, or understood
everything.

 Si va! Nos vemos a las cinco entonces – Alright! See you

at five then.
5) Fino/Fina

Literally translates “fine”, used by Venezuelans as a “cool”

word, additionally, in a very similar fashion to the “Si va!”
above, it can be used to agree and leave off at the end of a
conversation.

 Está fina esa chaqueta, ¿puedo usarla? -That’s a pretty

cool jacket, can I wear it?
6) Chimbo: Lousy, cheap, a bootleg, or generally bad, covers
all the spectrum up until and including “sad”, but also boring,
so you can use it with low-quality stuff, or that friend too lazy
to something with the squad.
  Este carro está bien chimbo, le hacen falta como 3
repuestos. – This car is in a pretty bad state, it’s needing
around 3 replacement parts.

 Que chimbo eso, ¿necesitas ayuda con algo? – That’s

really bad, do you need help with anything?

 Anímate, no seas chimbo – Come on, don’t be such a

killjoy
7) Vaina

The most versatile and useful word across the entire

Caribbean, because “vaina” can be anything, from objects to
situations, equivalent to “thing”.

 Pásame esa vaina que tienes ahí – Throw me that thing

you have there

 No sé si pueda ir, me quedan varias vainas por hacer

acá – I don’t know if I will be able to go, I still have some
things to do here
8) Tal cual

“As it is”, an expression that just best translated as “just as it

is”, if it’s able to be translated at all.

 Si, el profesor me lo explicó así tal cual, pero no entendí

– Yeah, the professor explained it to me just like that, but
I didn’t understand
9) Burda
Really large quantities of something. Burda + de is used to
emphasize the adjective in a similar way to “a lot” or “really”,
depending on context.

 No entiendo esta oración, está burda de confusa – I

don’t understand this sentence, it’s really confusing

 Había que limpiar muchísimo porque había burda de

tierra por todos lados – We had to clean a lot because
there were tons of dirt everywhere
10) Coroto

Although this word has a couple of meanings, it’s similar to

“thing” and can refer to physical existing objects, usually
channeled towards “trinkets” or “your stuff” when made plural.
Alternatively, some people use this word to refer to the dishes
or cooking utensils in a kitchen.

 Remember to wash the dishes when you’re done eating

– Recuerda lavar los corotos cuando termines de comer

 Recoge tus corotos, nos vamos mañana temprano –

Pick up your stuff, we’re leaving early tomorrow
11) Enratonado

“To be en-ratted”, sort of, no exact translation of this, however,

the feeling of a hangover is something everyone understands
around the globe.
  Eso te pasa por tomar tanto, siempre amaneces
enratonado. – That’s what you get for drinking so much,
you always wake up with a hangover
12) Arrecho

Arrecho can mean “angry” or “furious”, but it can also mean

“awesome,” or “amazing”. The word “arrechisimo” is used
when something is reall, really awesome, or someone is
really, really mad.

Confusing, right? Normally the context will help you determine

what the intent of the person speaking is.

 No lo sigas molestando, que es muy fácil hacer que se

ponga arrecho – Stop bothering him, it’s really easy to
piss him off

 La película estuvo arrechisima – The movie was

extremely good
(sidenote: In Colombia this word has a completely different
meaning – to have a boner)

12) Ladilla

The literal meaning for this word a “crab”, but this is

Venezuelan slang for someone or something that is extremely
annoying.

 No seas ladilla, deja de preguntar lo mismo – Stop being

so annoying, stop asking the same thing over and over
13) Ladillado

Being annoyed, bored or tired of a repeating situation: all of

these situations represent ladillado.

 El ruido de la construcción ya me tiene ladillado – I’m so

done with the noise of that construction
14) Macundales

Similar to “coroto”. The origin of this word goes back to the

beginnings of oil extraction. It turns out that the foreign
companies that exploited the oil in Venezuela used tools of
the American brand “Mack and Dale”. When the working day
ended, the Venezuelan workers made sure they had collected
“all the macundales” – used to refer to these tools. Nowadays
it’s used to talk about “things” or “stuff” generally related to
suitcases and luggage.

 ¡Agarra tus macundales! ¡Nos vamos! – Pick up your

stuff! We are leaving!
15) Un pelo

“A single hair (of)” is a really good way to talk about a small

amount or level of something.

 Déjame descansar un pelo, estoy agotado – Let me rest

for a bit, I’m exhausted
16) Cotufas
This means “popcorn” in Venezuela. It comes from the English
sacks of corns which have an inscription “corn to fry”.

 ¿Podemos comprar cotufas ante de ver la película? –

Can we buy popcorn before watching the movie?
17) Pela Bolas

Also seen as “pelabola”, this Venezuelan slang is reserved for

a person that’s not necessarily going through his best
moment, perhaps due to a lack of cash or luck.

 No creo que pueda salir a comer mañana, estoy

pelando bolas esta semana – I don’t think I’ll be able to
go out and eat with you tomorrow, I’m not going to have
a penny this entire week
18) Echar los perros

In some countries this slang considered harassment or

threat, but in Venezuela and Colombia, it means to woo or try
to court a person you like.

 No sabía que le estabas echando los perros a ella – I

didn’t know you were hitting on her
19) Mamarracho

Most Venezuelans will laugh when they hear you use this
slang. This word is generally used to describe a ridiculous
thing or person, maybe some who is overly extravagant,
poorly dressed or simply, very weird.
It actually comes from an arabic word “muharrig”, which
means buffoon or clown.

Additionally, derived from it, you can also hear the

word “mamarrachada” which is used to describe poorly made
items, as well as actions. In this case, it’s lighter term with
more comedic intent.

 No parar de reírme cuando vi a ese mamarracho en la

televisión – I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw that
weird dude on TV

 Le encanta andar haciendo mamarrachadas – He loves

to go around doing silly stuff
20) Musiú

This word comes directly from the French word “Monsieur”

meaning “Mister” (but in French). It’s how Venezuelans used
to call strangers from Europe, even thought “gringo” has
become a really popular word for referring to foreigners –
whether they’re from North America or Europe, from time to
time you will also hear “musiú”.

 Hoy conocí a un musiú que me pidió direcciones, tenía

un acento raro – I met a foreigner today that asked me
for directions, he had a really weird accent
21) Muérgano
The word “moranger” (a member of a crew of pirates) was
later “Venezuelanized” as “muérgano” and it used to describe
someone who acts with bad or evil intentions. Nowadays, it’s
more lighthearted and mostly used as a term for kids.

 Ese niño es un muérgano, mira como se ríe – That kid is

a little rascal, look at how he laughs
22) Guachimán

Although “vigilante” is the correct word for a security guard,

Venezuelans prefer to use this word which is similar to
“watchman”.

 Dile al guachimán que te deje entrar – Tell the watchman

to let you in
23) Jeva

Not quite something to be throwing around, this is a not-so-

kind term for a woman, more specifically one who is in a
relationship. It’s generally used as “someone’s girl” (la jeva de
alguien).

 Pensé que ibas a venir con tu jeva – I thought you’d

come with your girl
24) ¡Si Luis!

A sarcastic “Yeah suuure”. A pretty direct way to tell someone

you don’t believe a word they’re saying.
  ¡Si luis! Como si no me hubieses dicho eso antes – Yeah
sure, as if you hadn’t told me that before
25) Echarse los palos

To go out and have a few drinks (even if it becomes more than

a few).

 ¿Vas a venir el sábado a echarte unos palos con

nosotros? – So are you coming on Saturday and drink a
few?
26) ¡Taima!

“Pause!” or “Stop!”. This word is a quick and harmless way to

stop an action or maybe someone talking, and collect your
thoughts. It is used mostly by children when playing.

 Taima, taima, ¿qué dijiste hace rato? – Wait a second,

hold on, what did you say a while ago?
27) Bululú

A “bululú”, simply put, is a disorganized crowd or a place so

full of people that it could be comfortable.

 ¿Y ese bululú que hay allá qué es? – What’s up with all
those people over there?
28)Guachafa
“Guachafa” or “guachafita” as it’s most commonly seen is a
disorder, a complete overlooking of rules at a certain place or
event, like a riot or more accurately a racket.

 Bueno, siéntense y dejen la guachafita, que hasta allá se

escucha – Come on and sit down, stop this mess, they
can hear you over there
29) Choro

Hopefully you never come across one, but “choro” is a word

for a petty criminal, only dedicated to stealing and mugging
people for their valuables.

 A Roberto un choro le quitó el teléfono y no tiene cómo

comunicarse. – Roberto got his phone robbed and has
no way to communicate now
30) Cuaima

An overly jealous girlfriend, the kind that won’t let your friend
go out at night, check his cell phone and block girls from his
social media account, spooky.

 Juan por fin se consiguió una novia, pero es demasiado

cuaima – Juan finally got a girlfriend, but she’s way too
jealous
31) Ñapa

Literally the “bonus” or “extra”, used for money, food, or any

item you can do with a little more of.
  El jefe me pagó mi sueldo con algo de ñapa por
conseguirle ese cliente – My boss gave me my salary
with a little extra for finding that client
32) Pea

If you were wondering about the consequences of one too

many “palos”, this is Venezuelan slang for being completely
hammered.

 Miguel carga una pea, lleva bebiendo desde ayer –

Miguel is completely wasted, he’s been drinking since
yesterday
33) Ratón

The inevitable aftermath of a “pea” is the hangover that

follows.

 Amanecí con demasiado ratón – I woke up with such a

hangover
34) Pavoso

Someone who is or has lately been particularly unlucky, and it

is believed that the person who also brings bad luck to those
who surround him.

 Tu si andas pavoso hoy – Wow you’ve been really

unlucky today
35) Pichirre
The kind of person who is not willing to share, or give in
general (aka stingy). Also used for someone who is dishonest.

 No seas pichirre, comparte un poquito que tengo

hambre – Don’t be so stingy, share a bit, I’m hungry
36) Pilas

Both “be careful” and “smart” in the same word, one given as
a warning and the second as a description of someone who
catches things with relative quickness.

 Pilas con ese cuchillo, lo afilé hoy – Be careful with that

knife now, I sharpened it today

 Tu primo es muy pilas, a mi hermano le costó una

semana entender ese tema en matemática. – Your
cousin is really smart, my brother took an entire week to
understand that math problem.
37) Quedao

Quite the opposite to the previous, literally translating

“lagging”, is someone who is slow to understand, commonly
used for those who don’t get jokes or social cues.

 Tu si eres quedao, ella lleva tiempo tratando de decirte

algo – You’re so slow, she’s been trying to tell you
something for a while now
38) Sacar la piedra
To completely get on someone’s nerves, similar to “to pop a
vein”, try not to get anyone using this around you.

 Me saca la piedra que sigan haciendo ruido a esta hora

– It really bothers me that they keep making noise at this
hour
39) Sifrino

A snobby kind of person who buys all of the most expensive

brands, yet probably haven’t worked a day in his/her life.

 Había un grupo de sifrinas en el centro comercial –

There was a group of snobby girls in the mall
40) Guircho

Coming from the English expression “wild child”, a “guircho” is

a badly socially-behaved person, rude and inconsiderate. It’s
mostly used in the western part of the country.

 Ese hombre si era guircho – That man was really rude