Vaina Shot Glass

In most instances when Colombians say “vaina” its meaning is very close to the English words “stuff” or “thing”. It is a very versatile word with many meanings, depending on context. Dominicans also use the word...alot! Vaina has four main meanings. It can be translated as thing, stuff or something, such as “Esa vaina es fea”, which signifies that thing is ugly. Vaina can also be used as an exclamation, such as “¡De vaina¡”, which means by chance! Or “¡Qué vaina!”, which signifies darn it. Thirdly, it can carry the sense that someone thinks they are better than someone else. “Echar vaina” means to brag and “privar en vaina” means to be arrogant. Finally, “Tratar de vaina” means to treat someone with indifference.