How to Speak Miami: An Unofficial 305 Dictionary

Florida is already pretty culturally distinct, but thanks to a hodgepodge of influences, Miami somehow manages to take things even further. From its Indigenous peoples to the early settlers and Bahamian immigrants who built the city, to waves of immigrants who followed from the Caribbean and Central and South America, Miami has continually added to its lexicon over the years.

"It's only when you leave Miami that you realize exactly how special and insanely dysfunctional the city is," says Andrew Otazo, the Cuban-American author of the book The Miami Creation Myth. "You grow up in this bubble and you think this is reality for the rest of the world, but it’s absolutely not."

Otazo speaks from first-hand experience. After graduating high school, he left the 305 to attend the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He quickly found that his manner of speaking set him apart from the rest of the student body. "I was not welcome in many spaces, and it tipped me off that my upbringing and environments were different and special," he says.

Since the pandemic, Otazo has noticed a shift in Miami’s population. He says tech and crypto bros who moved to the city almost act like an expat community unto themselves, rarely showing interest in the town that's been here for decades. "Miami is just a backdrop for their Instagram profile and not a real place that has real things going on with real people," he adds.

When it came to putting together a list of Miami glossary terms, New Times couldn’t think of a better person to turn to than Otazo, Miami’s premier and funniest cultural anthropologist — unofficially, of course. "I’m just a guy who makes silly memes," he points out.

Editor’s note: Miami is a multicultural city with much more than Cuban-American and Latin influences. The author of this list is Latino, so the terminology might lean more heavily in that direction.

Arroz con mango: The Cuban way of saying, "clusterfuck." The literal translation is "rice with mango," meaning two things that seemingly do not go together (although mango sticky rice is a popular dessert in Southeast and South Asia).

The Beach: When someone in Miami says they are going to the Beach, they are not necessarily talking about spending the day on sandy shores. Instead, they are most likely referring to the City of Miami Beach. You'll need context clues to decipher whether they mean "the beach," or the "Capital B" Beach. Locals also tend to abbreviate cities and neighborhoods. Examples include Coral Gables (the Gables), Coconut Grove (the Grove), and the Florida Keys (the Keys). There are exceptions, though. Nobody refers to Miami Lakes as "the Lakes."

BFE: An acronym that stands for "Bum fuck Egypt" or "Buttfuck Egypt." It is used to describe something that's very far away or inaccessible (e.g., "She lives in BFE.")

Bro: Miami’s answer to California’s "dude," "bro" is a versatile term. Helpfully, it is gender neutral. Your friends — male, female, nonbinary — are bros. Your mom is bro. Your grandmother is bro. You can elongate the "o" to express surprise or frustration (e.g., "Brooooooooooo!").

Eating shit: A literal translation of the Spanish-language phrase "comiendo mierda," it’s used to express that you are doing nothing and most likely bored. For example, "I’m not doing anything; I’m just here, eating shit."

Getting down from the car: Another literal translation, this is a uniquely "Miami" example of how Spanish has influenced the way the city expresses itself. In English, you’d tell someone to "get out of the car," but in Spanish, you’d say "bájate del carro." Hence, "get down from the car."

Irregardless: Often criticized as not being a real word, it’s recognized by both Merriam-Webster and the American Heritage Dictionary as a nonstandard variation of "regardless." It is often used to mock the Miami accent.

Key rats: A terminology for people born and raised on Key Biscayne. Key rats love their secluded village and spend their free time on a boat.

La Sagüesera: A Spanish-language bastardization of the term "Southwest area," which refers to the broader southwestern quadrant of Miami-Dade County, especially areas with a large Latino population. It’s often said with pride.

Literally: Often incorrectly used for emphasis — "I was literally going to die!" When a Miamian says "literally," they never mean it literally. Bonus points if you add a nasally inflection to better approximate the Miami accent.

Pata sucia: An insult usually lobbed at women. The literal translation is "dirty foot," but it is essentially a very Miami way to describe someone as trashy. It is sometimes used literally, such as when you see a woman hobbling out of Space with her high heels in hand.

Pero, like: A Spanglish verbal filler used when you need a pause to think about what you are saying. It translates to, "but, like."

Qué cute!: A Spanglish term used to express that something is adorable. It translates to "how cute!"

Qué pena: This simple phrase can mean many things, depending on how it’s used. It can mean "what a shame" or "too bad," but it can also mean "how embarrassing."

Super- (prefix): An overused prefix in Miami. Anything can be "super" here: super cute, super far, super sexy, super smart, etc. Much like "literally," Miamians do not actually mean it to sound as assertive as it tends to come across.

Supposably: Like "irregardless," most people do not consider this a real word. However, both Merriam-Webster and the American Heritage Dictionary recognize it as an adverb. Similarly to "irregardless," it is often used to mock the Miami accent.

Ya tú sabes: Borrowed from Caribbean Spanish, it means "you already know," but it’s meant to come off as shady and leaves the listener to guess precisely what occurred. E.g., "She went home with him and ya tú sabes."

Yeah, no, yeah: A needlessly complicated way to express agreement.