Panamanian Spanish has diverse influences, which you can trace back to various corners of the world. Indigenous communities, Andalucia, the Caribbean and the United States have all shaped the evolution of this variety of Spanish. Panamanian Spanish has its own distinctive pronunciation and a lush jerga (slang), even compared with the Spanish spoken in neighboring countries. If you’ve ever heard Panamanian actor Ruben Blades or baseball player Mariano Rivera speak, you know what we mean. And if you haven’t? Worry not, because we’ll cover the fundamentals of Panamanian Spanish — from pronunciation to slang — in this guide. You’ll speak like a panameño (Panamanian) in no time!
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Languages in Panama
Spanish is the official language of Panama, as set forth in the country’s 1972 constitution. The vast majority of the country’s 4.4 million inhabitants speak Spanish as their mother tongue. Even so, Panama is home to at least 19 other languages, including Panamanian Creole English (268,000 speakers), the indigenous language Ngäbere (168,000 speakers) and Kuna (57,000 speakers).
Geography, history and Panamanian Spanish
The Republic of Panama borders Costa Rica on the west and Colombia on the east. As such, it acts as a sort of bridge connecting Central America with South America. Panama is bi-coastal, too, with the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south.
This unique location has led to some interesting linguistic outcomes. For example, Panamanian Spanish shares features in common with other Caribbean nations, such as the aspiration of the final “s” as well as a rapid pace of speaking.
From 1903 until 1999, the United States controlled the so-called “Panama Canal Zone,” a ten-kilometer-wide area of land stretching from the Caribbean to the Pacific used to construct the Panama Canal. As a result of this century-long intervention, a number of English words are still used daily in Panamanian Spanish. For example, the word parkear (to hang out with friends) comes from the English word “park.” Another example is the district name Arraiján, which allegedly comes from the English phrase “at right hand” (referring to its location on the right side of the Panama Canal’s Pacific opening).
Pronunciation of Panamanian Spanish
So, how does Panamanian Spanish sound? As in much of Latin America, Panamanian Spanish uses the seseo, which erases any clear distinction between the letters “s,” “c,” and “z.” For example, the word casa (house) is pronounced like caza (she/he/it hunts).
Also, in some regions of Panama, the “ch” sound is softened into an “sh” sound. So, the word mucho (a lot) sounds more like /MOO-sho/. Other examples of this include:
- hecho (done), pronounced /EH-sho/
- ochenta (eighty), pronounced /o-SHEN-ta/
In Panamanian Spanish, it’s common to drop the final “s” sound, too. So a phrase such as “las palabras mas usadas” (the most used words) sounds like /la palabra ma’ usada/. Which can be a challenge for a beginner.
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Grammar of Panamanian Spanish
Panamanian Spanish uses the voseo, another form of the informal tú (you). Other countries in Latin America also use the voseo, including Costa Rica and Argentina. The more common use of vos in Latin America results in a simple monophthong (single vowel sound) conjugation. But in Panama, vos is conjugated into a diphthong similar to what you might hear in European Spanish. Here’s a table comparing the different conjugations:
| Verb | Panama (singular you) | Latin America (singular you) | Mexico (singular you) | Spain (plural you) |
| cantar (to sing) | vos cantaís | vos cantás | tú cantas | vosotros cantaís |
| ser (to be) | vos sois | vos sos | tú eres | vosotros sois |
| hablar (to talk) | vos habláis | vos hablás | tú hablas | vosotros habláis |
Note: The singular “you” — vos — and the plural “you” — vosotros — dont’ have the same meaning. In Panama, Latin America and Mexico, these translate to “you sing, you are, you talk,” while in Spain they translate to “you all sing, you all are, you all talk.”
Panamanian Slang
One of the most obvious ways to determine if someone is speaking Panamanian Spanish is through slang. Here are a few words you may hear in daily life:
- que xopa? /ke SO-pa/ (what’s up?)
- habla (what’s up?)
- ayala (oh no; used as an interjection to express surprise, disappointment or anger)
- bochinche (gossip)
- parkear (to hang out with friends)
- cocobola (bald)
- burundanga (snacks)
- chichi (baby)
- chopear /shop-eh-AR/ (to shop)
- buco (a lot)
- fren (friend)
- pinta (pint of beer)
- prity (pretty)
- palo (tree)
Talk with your “fren” in Panamanian Spanish
Regional pronunciations, the use of vos and a whole lot of slang (some English-influenced) all combine to make Panamanian Spanish unique. Still, Panamanian Spanish shares a lot in common with other Caribbean varieties of Spanish, from dropping the “s” to speaking at a faster pace. Historical influences from the United States are quite clear in Panamanian slang, while the use of voseo, common across Latin America, shapes up distinctively in Panamanian Spanish. These are some fundamentals of Panamanian Spanish to get you started. Before you know it, you’ll be able to parkear with your Panamanian friends!
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Alison Maciejewski Cortez
Alison Maciejewski Cortez is Chilean-American, born and raised in California. She studied abroad in Spain, has lived in multiple countries, and now calls Mexico home. She believes that learning how to order a beer in a new language reveals a lot about local culture. Alison speaks English, Spanish, and Thai fluently and studies Czech and Turkish. Her tech copywriting business takes her around the world and she is excited to share language tips as part of the Lingoda team. Follow her culinary and cultural experiences on X.
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