Thread: What slang is used in Panama?

I'm aware of various Spanish slang terms but most of them seem to only be applicable to the area I visited (non-Panama).

What slang words are used in this region in particular? These are probably the most useful to know as they usually aren't taught in classrooms or if they are I believe they aren't covered in depth.

Are these slangs limited to Panama only or are they spread through out Latin America? I am very bad in Spanish. So it will be hugely helpful to me if I can get hold of some of those local slangs. Just hoping that they'll be easier to learn.

Here's one Panamanian guys love: "Que sopa?"
It's slang for "what's up?", but the literal meaning is
"What soup?" So, it's kind of funny.

My personal favorite is:
"listo para la photo".
Which means he's "ready for the picture".

But, what it means here is:
"He's so freaking wasted that he can barely function."

A lot of people are "listo para la photo" during
Carnivale. It's a great time to use that line. LOL...

Matt

Ah I wasn't aware of those phrases, I knew the literal meanings just not the slang definition. I think I've heard the "sopa" one used somewhere else before though. It's the first time I hear the "photo" one though, when I first read it my guess of what it stood for was not even remotely close...

Thanks for that

I know a bunch of slang from Panama but they're all the swear words so I don't know if I can post them. Plus, I learned them from my family that hasn't lived in Panama for years so I don't know if it's still used.

---------- Post added at 11:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:22 AM ----------

A quick google search yields: Panama FAQ - Panamanian slang is Solido and bien Pritty

Originally Posted by No-Non-Sense-Matt

Here's one Panamanian guys love: "Que sopa?"
It's slang for "what's up?", but the literal meaning is
"What soup?" So, it's kind of funny.

Matt

It´s actually "Que Xopa?" which means (in english) "What´s up?", but it actually means " What happened?"
you see... Que= what and Xopa= Pasó (past form of happen)

We panamanians write it with an "X" specifically to make a distinction with "sopa" (soup). in Panama many people tend to invert words. For example: is =si (yes) mopri= primo (cousin).

so we inverted "pasó", and to make a distinction wrote it with an "X". so it´s "Que Xopa?= Que Pasó? = What happened"


not to insult anybody, just wanted you people to not be confused