Curse words exist in almost every language, and Spanish is no exception. In fact, curse words are many people’s introduction when it comes to learn Spanish. People use bad words in Spanish to express strong emotions, like anger, excitement, or frustration. Sometimes people use them as insults, to make a joke, or just as a habit.
Whether you like them or not, you will come across Spanish swears when interacting with people, as well as a lot of other Spanish vocabulary.
So, make sure to understand bad words in Spanish and when to use them (unless you want to offend the wrong person!).
| Spanish | Literal Translation | Intended Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Andate a la verga | Go to a c*ck | F*ck off, Go away |
| Boludo | Person with large testicles (Argentinian Spanish) | Stupid |
| Cabrón | Male goat | Bastard |
| Cagar | To sh*t | To ruin, to be screwed, to mess up |
| ¡Coño! | Female genitalia | F*ck! , c*nt |
| Los cojones | Balls | Courage, nerve |
| Chingar | F*ck (Mexican Spanish) | To drink a lot/knockback, to get angry, a bad situation, to f*ck |
| Concha | Female genitalia, shell | Mother F*cker (Argentinian Spanish) |
| Culo | Backside | Ass, referring to that part of the body |
| Estupido | Stupid | Stupid |
| Gilipollas | Silly, innocent, simple | Dumbass, idiot |
| Hijo de puta | Son of a b*tch | Son of a b*tch |
| La hostia | The host | Holy f*ck |
| Lámpara | Lamp (Colombian Spanish) | Arrogant |
| Joder | To F*ck | To annoy, to waste time, to express annoyance |
| Maldito/a | Cursed, damned | Damn |
| Mierda | Sh*t | Miserable, stingy |
| ¡Que te folle un pez! | I hope you get f*cked by a fish | Screw you, go away |
| ¡Que te den! | F*ck off | F*ck off, go away |
| ¡Que te den por culo! | Go f*ck yourself! | Go f*ck yourself, go away |
| ¡La madre que te parió! | Damn the mother who bore you! | Son of a b*tch! |
| Las Pelotas | Balls (Argentinian Spanish) | Courage, nerve |
| Pinche | F*cking (Mexican Spanish) | Lousy |
| Pollas en vinagre | Cocks in vinegar | My ass |
| ¡Puta madre! | Bitch mother | Goddammit!, Mother f*cker |
| Sapo | Frog (Colombian Spanish) | Snitch, gossip |
| Romper los huevos | To break balls (Argentinian Spanish) | To annoy |
| Tonto del culo | Idiot of the ass | Dumb ass |
| Vete al diablo/demonio | Go to the devil/demon | Go to hell |
Whether you use them or not, Spanish insults certainly add color to language! Even if they sound vulgar, you can use Spanish curses in a variety of ways. Keep reading to discover their versatility and a few use cases behind different Spanish swears.
1. Tienes cojones - You have “balls”
This Spanish curse word refers to testicles, but similar to English, it also has a figurative meaning. It translates to courage, nerve, or guts. When someone has cojones, they have the guts to do or say something. Like many Spanish swears, you can use the phrase in different ways in a sentence. For example:
2. Pollas en vinagre - Cocks in Vinegar (Pickled Dicks)
This Spanish swear word literally means “cocks in vinegar.” In English, it translates to “my ass.” People say pollas en vinagre when they want to write something off as having no value or to add emphasis. The expression may come from Murcia, Spain, where they had a tradition of pickling various foods. You can better understand the meaning through an example:
3. Chingar - F*ck
Bad words in Spanish vary from place to place. Chingar is originally from Mexican Spanish but has become popular throughout Latin America today. It has a lot of versatility and meanings. In some cases, it can mean a bad situation or place, such as:
4. Joder - F*ck
While Mexicans tend to use chingar, the rest of the Spanish-speaking world frequently use joder. Just like in English, the “F word” in Spanish has many colorful expressions. It can also mean kidding, screw off, to annoy, and much more! Take a look at a few examples:
5. Cagar - To Sh*t
This versatile curse word comes from Spain and has tons of variations to make it sound even more offensive. See below for a few examples of how to use it:
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