The official language of the Dominican Republic is Spanish, although in the coastal tourist areas, English, French, Italian, and German are all spoken. Dominican Spanish is a far cry from the official Spanish of Spain. Less formal and laced with innuendo and colloquialisms, it is a hard form of Spanish to get hold of, especially when Dominicans drop S’s off the ends of words. But Dominicans are usually very happy to know that a foreigner wants to learn their language and are very patient listeners and teachers. Most are willing to walk you through whatever you’re trying to say and correct you politely when you make an error. They may even be eager to learn a few words in your language in exchange.

Dominican Spanish is filled with riddles and limericks used to describe even the most mundane of occurrences. It is a sort of oral tradition passed down for generations. If you are faced with an expression and you don’t understand it, politely ask for an explanation. Although the translation might not be as funny in your language, it is probably a laugh-riot in Spanish, so try to conjure a giggle.