This document provides Spanish slang terms across several categories: 1. Arguments and annoyance - Terms used to express annoyance or anger like "dar la paliza" (to hassle someone), "cabrear" (to get pissed off), and "tocar las narices" (to piss someone off). 2. Eating and drinking - Slang related to food and alcohol like "papear" (to snack), "ir de tapeo" (going for tapas), "empinar el codo" (drinking heavily), and "tener un pedo" (to be drunk). 3. Friends and relationships - Informal words for friends, family and partners such as

1. 1.Argument
You're getting on my nerves
Dar la paliza (*) Lit. To give (someone) the thrashing. To bug/hassle (someone).
Se pasa el día dándome la paliza en el trabajo (*) She spends the day bugging me at
work.
Un tío/Una tía paliza, pesado/a, pelma (**) An annoying man/woman.
Ser un plomo/plomazo (*) Lit. To be (as heavy as) lead. To be very dull and boring.
Applies to both people and things.
Su última novela es un auténtico plomazo (*) His latest novel is an absolute yawn.
Ser un muermo (*) Something or someone so quiet and/or boring that you fall asleep.
La discoteca fue un muermo total (*) The nightclub was dead.
Me importa un pimiento(*)/pepino(*)/comino(*)/pito(*)/tres cojones (***) Lit. I
care as much as a pepper/cucumber/cumin seed/a whistle/three testicles. In other words,
I don't give a damn.
Nuestra opinión le importa un pepino (*) He doesn't care what we think.
Get lost
Cabrearse (*) To get pissed off.
Estar cabreado (**) To be pissed off.
Me estás cabreando (*) You're getting on my nerves.
Estoy cabreado (*) I'm pissed off.
Tocar los huevos/las narices (***/*) Lit. To touch (someone's) testicles/noses (yes, in
plural to add more drama!). To piss (someone) off.
Lleva todo el día tocándome las narices y se va a arrepentir (*) She's been getting
on my nerves all day and she's going to regret it.
Dar la lata/ser una lata (*) Lit. To give the tin/ be a tin. To be a pain.
Deja ya de dar la lata y vete a dormir (*) Lit. Stop giving the tin and go to sleep. Stop
being such a pain and go to sleep.
El horno no está para bollos (*) Lit. The oven is not ready for buns. It means you're not
in the mood for any nonsense.
¡Pírate! ¡Lárgate! ¡Piérdete! (**) Ways of saying: Get lost!
¡Déjame en paz! (*) Lit. Leave me in peace! Leave me alone.
¡Vete a freír espárragos! (*) Lit. Go off and fry asparagus. Basically disappear and do
whatever you want as long as it is out of my sight!
¡Vete a hacer puñetas! (**) Lit. Go off and make lace cuffs! Las puñetas were very
fashionable in the olden days, with very intricate designs requiring meticulous and patient
job. Hence a way of telling someone to get lost.

2. ¡Vete a la mierda! (R) Lit. Go off to the shit! Obviously the rudest expression of the lot.
Looking for trouble
Borde (*) Lit. Edge. Used when someone has a bad attitude.
Es una tía super borde (*) She's a girl with really bad attitude.
Tener mala sangre/leche/uva (*) Lit. To have bad blood/milk/grapes. To be a badtempered, nasty person.
Hay que tener mala uva para echarla así de casa (*) You need to be quite nasty to
kick her out of home like that.
Un animal, un/una bestia, un/una bruto/a (*) Lit. An animal, a brute. Used to
describe someone when they use unnecessary force.
¡Tío, eres un bestia, lo has vuelto a romper! (*) Mate, you're too much, you've broken
it again!
Cabrón/Cabrona (**) Lit. Cuckold. Based on the word cabra "goat" with the intensifier,
it means "bastard/bitch".
La muy cabrona le robó el dinero (**) The bitch stole his money.
Poner los cuernos (**) Lit. To put horns (on somebody). To cuckold somebody. Hence
the connection with una cabra, a goat (see above).
2.Eating and drinking
Eating
Picar (*) To nibble.
¿Hay algo para picar? Is there anything to nibble?
Papear (*) To nosh.
El papeo is "nosh" or "grub". From the word papo/papada, the bit of flesh under the
chin.
Ya es hora de papear algo (*) It's about time we ate something.
Ir de tapeo (*) To go for tapas.
¿Por qué no nos vamos esta noche de tapeo? Why don't we go out for tapas tonight?
back to the top
Drinking
Una birra (*) Slang for beer, borrowing the Italian word for it.
Empinar el codo (*) Lit. To straighten up one's elbow like a pine. To have quite a few
drinks, referring to your arm's position when drinking.
A estas horas ya estará en el bar empinando el codo (*) At this time he'll already be

3. at the bar having a few pints.
Beber como una esponja (*) Lit. To drink like a sponge. To drink a lot.
Tener un pedo, peo (*) Lit. To have a fart. To be in a state of drunkenness. Not to be
confused with tirarse un pedo, peo (**) to fart.
Manolo tiene un pedo de mucho cuidado (**) Lit. Manolo has a very well cared for fart.
Manolo's really drunk.
Estar pedo, peo (**) To be drunk.
Estar mamado/a (*) Lit. To be breast-fed. Another way to refer to drunkenness.
Echar la pota/la pastilla/la papilla (**) Lit. To throw out the pan/the tablet/the baby's
puree. To be sick.
Ya echó la pota dos veces (**) He's already been sick twice.
Una resaca (*) A hangover.
¡Joder! ¡Menuda resaca tengo! Fue el puto vino de ayer (**) Bloody hell! I am so
hungover! It was that crap wine yesterday.
3.Friends and family
Un tío/Una tía (*) Lit. An uncle/aunt, but you'll hear these words a lot, particularly
amongst young people, to refer to birds/blokes. Used on its own, it refers to a mate.
Hola tío, ¿qué tal? Hello mate, how's things?
El/La colega, El/La colegui (*) Lit. Colleague. Mate, pal.
¿Qué pasa, colega? (*) What's up, mate?
El/La tronco (*) Mate, pal. Less frequent but more streetwise. Lit. a tree trunk.
Tranqui tronco (*) Chill out, mate!
La basca/la peña (*) The folk, the gang, the posse. A group of friends or people in
general.
Vinieron Ángel y toda la basca (*) Ángel came along with the whole gang.
Ayer había mucha peña en el bar (*) There were a load of people in the bar yesterday.
El pariente/La parienta (*) Lit. The relative. The old man/The missus.
Mi pareja Lit. My partner. Applies to both members of an unmarried couple.
Es/son buena gente (*) Lit. He/She's/They're good people. He/She's/They're good
trustworthy.
Es un poco coñazo (**) pero buena gente (*) He's a bit of a pain but a good guy.
Legal (*) Lit. Legal, but applied to people it means you can really trust them.
Es un tío legal (*) Lit. He's a legal uncle. He's a good bloke.
Al final se portó como una tía legal (*) Lit. In the end she behaved like a top sport.
Ser un cachondo/una cachonda (mental) (*) Applies to people with a good sense of
fun.
No paramos de reír en toda la tarde, es que es un cachondo mental... (*) We did

4. not stop laughing the whole evening, he is bonkers ...
Warning - don't confuse with estar cachondo/cachonda (***) which means "to be on
heat/horny"!
4.Girls and Boys
Una tía, un tío (*) Lit. An aunt, an uncle. These are the generic slang terms for
girl/woman and boy/man. Used withoutun/una, it refers to a mate.
Me lo dio esa tía de ahí (*) That bird over there gave it to me.
¿Qué tal, tío? ¿Cómo andamos? (*) What's up, mate? How are you?
Una tía buena, un tío bueno (*) Lit. A good aunt, a good uncle. Slang for a fit girl or boy
- drop un/una to use it as an exclamation.
Estar bueno/a (*) To be fit (gorgeous). Not to be confused with ser bueno/a, to be
good.
¡Hay que ver lo buenísimo que está Enrique!(*) Enrique is really fit!
Estar potable (*) Potable means drinkable, but used with estar this means to be fit
(gorgeous).
Not to be confused with ser potable, to be drinkable.
Un chorbo, una chorba (*) Although it can mean fit (attractive), it is specifically used to
refer to somebody's boyfriend/girlfriend.
Esa tipa es la chorba de Jorge (*) That chick is Jorge's bird.
Éste es el chorbo de Marta (*) This is Marta's bloke.
Una piba, un pibe (*) A young girl, boy - especially used amongst younger people. The
term is in general use in Argentina and Uruguay, where it originated before crossing the
Atlantic to become a cool word in Spain.
5.Going out
Ir/Salir de marcha (*) Lit. To go out on a martial parade. To go out and party and have
a good time. Other words you can use in its place include juerga, movida, farra (*).
¡Menuda marcha hay en Ibiza! (*) There's some night life in Ibiza!
El fin de semana me voy de juerga a Madrid (*) This weekend I'm going out partying
in Madrid.
Pasarlo bomba/en grande (*) To have a great time.
Lo pasaron en grande con Anita (*) They had a ball with Anita.
Un chiringo/chiringuito (*) Although it literally means a beach stall selling drinks and
tapas, it also refers to most drinking bars/pubs. Ir de chiringos is a common expression
that means to go out drinking.
Un garito (*) Una garita is a sentry box, but this slang masculine version refers to any
drinking venue.
Esta es la zona de garitos (*) This is the bar area.
El/La de la vergüenza (*) This is the name given to the last bit of food left in a shared
platter. Literally, it means "the one that brings shame" because everybody feels a bit guilty
about taking it.
¿Alguien quiere la de la vergüenza? (*) Anyone want the last one?

5. No, cómetela tú. No, you can have it.
La Dolorosa (*) is Our Lady of Sorrows. It literally means "the painful one" and is used to
refer to the restaurant bill in a sarcastic way.
Pide la dolorosa, veremos cuánto nos clavan (*) Ask for the bill, let's see how much
they rip us off for.
6.Good and Bad
Good
Una gozada (*) This noun applies to anything that's a very pleasant experience.
Es una gozada verle jugar (*) It's really great to see him play.
Guay (*) Cool. This is a catch-all adjective to describe anything that's cool.
¡Mira qué zapatos más guays! (*) Look! Such cool shoes
Guay del Paraguay (*) Lit. Cool from Paraguay. As cool as it gets - a silly rhyme that
reinforces the idea of cool.
El móvil que se compró está guay del Paraguay (*) The mobile he bought is really,
really cool.
Alucinar (*) Lit. To hallucinate or make hallucinate. To trip. It assumes the object you're
praising has had such an impact it is comparable to an hallucinogenic drug.
Se compró un coche de alucina (*) Lit. He bought a car that makes you trip. He bought
an incredible car.
Bad
¡Mierda! (**) Shit!
As in so many other languages, when something goes wrong there's an immediate cry
announcing excrement.
¡Mierda, he vuelto a perder las llaves! (*) Shit, I've lost the keys again
...de mierda (**) Lit. ...of shit.
From that follows that whatever's gone wrong is made of excrement.
¿Dónde están las llaves de mierda? (*) Lit. Where are the keys of shit? Where are the
damn keys?
Una mierda (**) Lit. A piece of shit. In Spanish you actually quantify it.
No me acuerdo porque tengo una memoria de mierda (*) I can't remember because
my memory's rubbish.
Chungo/a (*) Dodgy.
Es una tía un poco chunga (*) She's a bit of a dodgy bird.
Hortero/a (*) Naff and corny.
You may also hear hortera, ending in -a, even when talking in the masculine. Also: una
horterada, something as naff and camp as "knickers".
No te pongas esa chaqueta tan hortera (*) Don't wear that naff jacket.

6. 7.Health
Poor health
Estar pachucho (*) Lit. To be overripe. To be poorly.
Estar hecho polvo (*) Lit. To have turned into dust. To be knackered/poorly.
Warning - don't confuse with echar un polvo (***), literally to throw a piece of dust,
which means to have sexual intercourse.
Estar achacoso (*) To suffer ailments of old age but it can also be used in a more general
sense to indicate you're not feeling your best.
Está muy achacoso con sólo 25 años (*) He has so many aches and pains and he's just
25.
El/La matasanos (*) Lit. The one who kills the healthy. A derogative or humorous way to
refer to a doctor.
Son las pastillas que me recetó el matasanos (*) They're the pills the doctor
prescribed me.
Good health
Estar como un cañón (*) Lit. To be like a canon, i.e. in great health and full of energy.
Desde la operación está como un cañón (*) Since the operation he's as good as new.
Ser mano de santo (*) Lit. To be a saint's hand. You can use this expression to refer to
something that has done you a lot of good.
El anís es mano de santo para el estómago (*) Aniseed is a miracle cure for the
stomach.
Estar vivo/a y coleando To be alive and kicking. In Spanish, instead of kicking, you wag
your tail.
Sano/a como una manzana (*) Lit. To be as healthy as an apple, i.e. to have very good
health.
The human body
El tarro, el coco (*) Lit. The jar, the coconut. Both mean the head.
Me duele el tarro (*) I have a headache.
Comerse el tarro/el coco (*) Lit. To eat away at the jar/coconut. Figuratively speaking it
means worrying thoughts are eating away at your brain.
No me comas el tarro con tus historias (*) Don't bug me with your tales.
En pelotas/En pelota picada (*) Literally "in balls". Butt naked.
Abrió la puerta en pelotas, ¡imagínate! (*) He opened the door butt naked, can you
imagine!

7. La jeta (*) Literally, the nose of some animals, but in human slang, the full face. Also
used to indicate that someone is cheeky:
Y no ha vuelto a pagar, ¡qué jeta tiene! (*) Yet again she hasn't paid, what a cheek!
Las patas (*) Lit. Legs of an animal or a thing. However, for comic effect it can refer to a
person's legs.
Llevo todo el día andando. ¡Tengo las patas rotas! (*) I've been walking around all
day. My legs are broken!
La panza (*) Lit. An animal's belly. Used to refer to the well-rounded human variety,
hence Sancho Panza's name in Don Quixote.
8.Interjections
¡Ah!/¡Ajá! (*) I understand.
¡Anda! (*) Good heavens! Surprise.
¡Noo! (*) No! I don't believe it.
Mmm ... (*) I'm thinking.
¡Ojalá! (*) I wish
Ojalá haga sol. I wish it would be sunny. Or someone may say 'I hope you win the
lottery', and you reply ¡Ojalá! The etymology is quite interesting as it comes from the
Arabic law šá lláh, meaning 'If Allah wishes'.
¡Guau! (*) Wow! That's great!
¡Cuidado! / ¡Ojo! (*) Watch out!
¿Qué?/¿Eh? (*) I don't understand.
¡Ay! (*) Ouch! That hurts.
¡Pufff...!/¡Uf! (**) Yuck, yuck (smell).
¡Puag! (**) Yuck, yuck (taste).
¡Caray!/¡Caramba! (*) Blimey!
9.Money
La pasta, la plata (*) Dosh. The literal meaning of pasta is the same as in English (from
Italian). Plata is literally "silver" and it's also the generic term for money in Argentina and
Uruguay.
¿Te queda pasta? Have you got any dosh left?
Costar una pasta (gansa) (*) To cost a lot.
Ese Ferrari le debe haber costado una pasta gansa (*) That Ferrari must have cost
him some dosh.
Pagar un ojo de la cara/un riñón (y la mitad del otro)/un huevo/dos huevos (**)
Lit. To spend an eye in your face/a kidney (and half the other), or one, or even two,
testicles (eggs). To spend "an arm and a leg".
Tuve que pagar un huevo por el viaje (**) I had to pay through the roof for the trip.
Clavar (*) To charge excessively, to rip off. Lit. To hammer in - imagine the feeling you
get when having to pay over the odds!
Me clavaron 10 euros por una botella de agua (*) I had to pay 10 euros for a bottle of

8. water.
Una clavada (*) A rip-off.
¿20 euros? ¡Vaya clavada! 20 euros? What a rip-off!
Ser (un/a) agarrado/a (*) To be tightfisted. Agarrar means to clutch, so when you're
clinging on to money that's what you become.
Nunca paga una ronda, es un agarrado (*) He never pays for a round, he is so
tightfisted.
10.Moods
Embarrassment
Quedarse/estar cortado/a (*) Lit. To be left cut/To be cut. To lose one's nerve/tongue
(out of embarrassment).
Intenté hablar con ella pero me quedé cortado (*) I tried talking to her, but
embarrassment stopped me.
Ser un/a cortado/a (*) To be a very shy and embarrassed person.
Para esas cosas soy muy cortada (*) I'm very shy about that sort of thing.
Fear
(No) tener cojones/huevos (**) Lit. To (not) have the testicles/eggs. To (not) have the
balls.
¿A qué no tienes huevos para decírselo? (**) I bet you don't have the balls to tell him.
Acojonarse (**) To get/have your balls in your throat (from fear).
El examen de conducir me acojona mogollón (**) The driving test scares me to death.
See also: cojones
Happiness
Estar como unas castañuelas (*) Lit. To be like some castanets. To be very happy.
María está como unas castañuelas con su nuevo novio (*) María is as happy as a
clam with her new boyfriend.
Estar loco/a de contento (*) Lit. To be crazy with happiness.
Están locos de contento con el bebé (*) They are delighted with the baby.
Sadness
Un bajón (*) Lit. A big drop, for example when travelling on a plane. Figuratively, a
downer.
Le ha entrado un bajón desde que rompieron (*) He's been on a downer since they

9. split up.
Depre (*) Short for depresión. Used when you're heading for depression but not quite
there yet.
Ser (un/a) depre (*) is to be a pessimist.
Es un tío depre - siempre contando sus penas (*) He's a pessimistic bloke - always
talking about his problems.
Estar depre (*) To be down.
Confusion
Estar zombi (*) Lit. To be like a zombie. To be scatterbrained, to think or act aimlessly.
Hoy no puedo concentrarme, estoy zombi total (*) I can't concentrate today - I'm
completely scatterbrained.
Estar en Babia (*) To have your head in the clouds. Babia was the retreat of early
Castilian kings in the Middle Ages: when they were there, they didn't have a clue what was
going on.
Es un incompetente total, siempre está en Babia (*) He's completely incompetent, his
head's always in the clouds.
Madness
Tener un cacao mental (*) Lit. To have cocoa in your mind. To have your mind in a
mess. Cocoa needs a lot of stirring, hence the feeling in your head.
Estar como una cabra (*) Lit. Like a goat. Figuratively, mad as a hatter.
Se quiere ir a vivir a Siberia - está como una cabra (*) He wants to go and live in
Siberia - he's mad as a hatter.
Faltarle un tornillo (*) Lit. To be missing a screw. To have a screw loose.
¿Para eso llamas a las dos de la madrugada? ¿Y a ti qué tornillo te falta? (*) Is
that why you're ringing at 2am? You got a screw loose or something?
11.Play up/Play down
Un pelín (*) Lit. a tiny hair, meaning a very little bit, often used to soften your statement.
¿Puedes bajar la tele un pelín? Can you turn the telly down a wee bit?
Un mogollón de... (*) In Spanish, this word evokes abundance, chaos, lots of things or
people.
Había (un) mogollón de tráfico (*) There was heavy, chaotic traffic.
una pasada (de...) (*) When something goes past its limit (whether time or quantity)
you say se ha pasado, "it's gone over". Hence una pasada means "a lot".
Esos pantalones me gustan una pasada (*) I like those trousers a lot.
cantidad (de...) (*) Used with either la or una, cantidad means "quantity". On its own
however, it's slang for "a lot" as above. Cantidad de... is also used with adjectives to
mean "very".
Había cantidad de gente en el concierto (*) There were loads of people at the gig.
Tela (*) Lit. "fabric" or "cloth". It's used in the following expressions to indicate there are

10. lots of things to do or something is excessive: ¡Tela! ¡Manda tela! ¡Tela marinera!
Hace tela de frío (*) It's freezing cold.
12.Religious Terms
Hostia
Hostia (**) Lit. Host. Colloquially used to mean several things:
Dar/pegar una hostia (**) To hit, slap or smack.
Como no te calles, te voy a dar una hostia (**) If you don't shut up, I'm going to
smack you.
... de la hostia (**) Lit. ... of the host
This expression is added to nouns to indicate if something's very good, very big or very
intense:
Tengo un frío de la hostia (**) I am absolutely freezing.
Se compró una casa de la hostia (**) She bought a massive house.
Es la hostia (**) Lit. It's the host
It's amazing, funny, cool or incredible; it can be applied to people and things:
Su nuevo coche es la hostia, tiene de todo (**) His new car is amazing, it has the lot.
La Virgen
La Virgen María (*) is Mother Mary, but la virgen is used colloquially to mean the
following:
... de la virgen is added to nouns to indicate if something's very good, very big or very
intense.
¡Virgen Santa! ¡Virgen Santísima! (*) Oh my God! Goodness me!
¡Virgen Santa! ¿Qué te ha pasado? (*) Oh my God! What happened to you?
Dichoso
dichoso/a (*) Lit. full of happiness, usually of a religious nature. However, it's mostly
used to curse something that's gone wrong:
Ya se ha vuelto a estropear el dichoso ordenador (*) The damned PC has broken
down again.
13.Special meanings
Madre
Madre, "Mother" appears very often in colloquial Spanish.
Ciento y la madre (*) Lit. A hundred and the mother. Too many people.
No pudimos entrar porque éramos ciento y la madre (*) We were not allowed in

11. because there were too many of us.
¡La madre que te/lo/la/os parió!(**) Lit. The mother who gave birth to you/him/her ...
This expression denotes anger or annoyance with someone.
¡Madre mía! ¡Mi madre! ¡Madre! (*) Lit. My mother! Mother!
A common exclamation showing fear, surprise, etc.
¡Madre mía! ¡Qué perro más enorme! My God! What a huge dog!
See also: ¡Virgen!
See also: ... de puta madre
Un rollo
Un rollo is literally a roll (of paper or other material), but in colloquial speech it has many
different meanings.
Un buen/mal rollo (*) Lit. A good/bad roll. Something good/bad
Meterse en asuntos de pareja es siempre un mal rollo (*) To meddle in other
people's relationships is always a bad idea.
Enrollarse bien/mal (also ser enrollado/a) (*) Lit. To roll up well/badly. To get on
well/badly with somebody or something. To be cool.
Son muy enrollados con las fiestas que organizan (*) They are very cool with the
parties they give
Es un rollo (*) Lit. It's a roll. It's a bore (a thing or a situation).
No vayas a ver esta película, es un rollo (*) Don't go to see this film, it's a real bore.
Tener un/medio rollo(*) Lit. To have a/half a roll. To have something going.
Sí, Antonio tuvo medio rollo con Carmen (*) Lit. Yes, Antonio had half a roll with
Carmen. Yes, Antonio had something with Carmen.
Leche
Leche, literally "milk". This totally harmless substance acquires a new dimension when it
comes to slang ...
Una leche (*) Lit. A milk. A crash, a smack, a punch.
Como sigas dando la lata te va a dar una leche... (*) If you carry on being a pain
she's going to thump you ...
Tener mala leche (*) Lit. To have bad milk. To be very bad tempered.
Yo le tengo miedo, tiene una mala leche de la hostia (*) I'm scared of him, he has a
really awful bad temper.
... de la leche (*) Lit. ... of the milk. A hell of a lot of ...
Tengo un constipado de la leche (*) I have a terrible cold.
Ser la leche (*) Lit. To be the milk. To be the pits.

12. Ana es la leche, ha vuelto a llegar tarde hoy (*) Lit. Ana is the milk, she was late
again today. Ana is unbelievable, she was late again today.
14.Society
Un pijo/una pija (*) A posh, stuck-up person. This easily identifiable social group tend to
dress in labels, have lots of money and speak in a very particular way. It can also be used
as an adjective to indicate that something or somewhere is posh.
Ayer cenamos en un restaurante muy pijo (*) Yesterday we had dinner in a very posh
restaurant.
Una maruja - maruja (*) is a conversational form of María and a generic term for
housewives with little education and interest in others' comings and goings. You may be
compared to one if you start gossiping.
No seas maruja (*) Lit. Stop acting like a maruja.
Un/una pureta (*) What younger people call older people, who they invariably consider
uncool.
El tío ese es un pureta, tendrá treinta años (*) That guy's oldish, he's about thirty.
Un/una cursi (*) Applies to someone affected or twee, especially in an old-fashioned way.
Also applies to novels, films or song lyrics that are sugary.
Es tan cursi que parece que vive en el siglo XIX (*) She's so twee she looks like she's
living in the 19th century.
Un/una guiri (*) If you're reading this you probably are one - it's a general term to
designate a foreign tourist and foreigners in general.
El/la facha (**) A loaded word, it was originally slang for "fascist" but many left-wingers
also apply it to anyone right-wing or conservative, not only in politics but in social
attitudes.
Es una manifestación de fachas en contra del matrimonio gay (**) It's a "fascist"
demonstration against gay marriage.
15.Swearing
Coño, carajo
Coño, carajo These can express surprise, anger or simply be used to give emphasis.
Literally, and respectively, they are the female and male private parts. They're much more
widely used metaphorically in a naughty rather than rude sense, nothing like their literal
translation in English.
¡Coño, qué hambre tengo! (**) Blimey, I'm hungry!
¿Vienes de una vez, coño? (**) For heaven's sake, are you coming or not?

13. ¿Qué/cómo/dónde coño... ? (**) What/how/where the hell... ?
¿Dónde coño están las llaves? (**) Where the hell are the keys?
Un coñazo (*) A real pain (figuratively speaking).
Este tío es un verdadero coñazo (*) This guy is a real pain.
Joder
Joder (also pronounced joer) (**) Literally it has the same meaning as the English Fword, but it's more often used with its figurative meanings. It usually means to "cock up"
something or to be "screwed up":
¡Ya la han jodido! (**) They've already screwed it up!
Nos han jodido con tantos impuestos (**) They've screwed us with so many taxes.
Joder on its own is used exactly like coño above, to indicate surprise, anger or admiration:
¡Joder, cómo llueve! (**) Hell, it's peeing down!
Jopé, jopelines, jolines, jolín (*) These are a few euphemisms to replace joder. They're
usually used by children or adults who want to avoid swearing.
Puta
Puta is short for prostituta. At times it's used in its proper sense, but more often as a
very strong insult, especially if a family connection is made, in phrases that would
translate as "son of a prostitute" or "your prostitute mother". However, it's actually more
commonly resorted to as an adjective to express anger.
Puto/a (as an adjective and always in front of the noun)
Tengo que ir al puto médico (**) Lit. I have to go to the prostitute doctor. I have to go
to the effing doctor.
... de puta madre (**) Lit. ... of the prostitute mother
Although it may sound contradictory, this is a praising expression meaning "very good" or
"excellent". It can be applied to people and things:
Tiene un coche de puta madre (**) Lit. He has a car of the prostitute mother. He has a
fantastic car.
Warning - do not confuse ... de puta madre with tu puta madre (***), which is an
expression used as an insult, usually a rude reply to someone who's already insulted you.
Hijo/a de puta (R) Lit. Son/daughter of a whore
Depending on the context, tone and how well you get on with the person you're talking to
it may be said not necessarily as an insult.
Huevos, cojones, pelotas
Huevos literally means "eggs" and pelotas are "balls", but these words are also slang for
"testicles" (cojones). The expressions with these words are endless and in many

14. instances you can use either word. Here are a few useful expressions, but don't be
surprised if you hear testicles mentioned in other contexts!
Estar hasta los huevos/cojones de ... (***) Lit. To be up to the eggs/testicles with...
To be fed up with...
Estoy hasta los huevos/cojones de Arturo (***) I've had enough of Arturo.
Tener huevos/cojones (**) Lit. To have eggs/testicles. To be brave.
Para hacer eso hay que tener muchos huevos (**) To do that you need to have balls.
¡Y un huevo/cojón! (***) Lit. And an egg/testicle! The meaning is similar to the English
"Yeah, right!" or "No way!" but a bit ruder.
¡Y un cojón me voy a levantar yo a las 7 para ayudarle! (***) No way am I getting
up at 7 to help him!
Por huevos/cojones (***) Lit. For eggs/testicles. It means a reason is not required for
someone to do something.
Tiene que venir a las 8 por huevos (***) Lit. S/he has to come at 8 for eggs. S/he has
to come at 8 because s/he has to.
Costar un huevo (**) Lit. To cost an egg. Used to indicate that something is very
expensive.
Este abrigo me costó un huevo (**) This coat cost me a fortune.
16.Techonology
Un emilio/ismael (*) This is a comic take on the English word "email". Both words are
actually Christian names. The proper word is un correo electrónico.
Un ordeñador (*) A comic take on the Spanish word for a computer, un
ordenador. Ordenar is to put things in order, to arrange them. Ordeñar is to milk a cow
or a goat. The phonetic similarity aids the comic effect resulting in the absurdity of the
comparison.
Una parabólica (*) Not a maths formula, but short for una antena parabólica, a
satellite dish.
El/La güeb (*) The web.
Un/una güeb (*) A website.
Comic effect is achieved by subverting the original English spelling.
Mandar un texto (*) To send a text message.
The principles of texting in Spanish are the same as in English, i.e. shorten words, drop
vowels and use the phonetic values of letters spelt out.
tbo mñn = te-be-o, i.e. te veo mañana - c u 2moro, i.e. see you tomorrow
nos bmos to2 aki = nos be-mos to-dos aki, i.e. nos vemos todos aquí we'll all meet
here
q kk = qué ka-ka, i.e. qué caca, what crap tqm = te quiero mucho, I love you lots