Spanish Swear Words from Spain: Meanings and Context
Spanish swear words can sound very different depending on the setting and speaker. In this lesson, Lucía explains expressions you may hear in Spain and the tone they carry.
Watch the lesson
Try it yourself
Listen for the strength and context of each expression. Write down one you should recognize but avoid using casually, and one milder alternative for everyday conversation.
Watch the original lesson on YouTube.
Edited lesson transcript and examples
Read the complete substantive lesson in its original order. This readable transcript is edited from the full original manual English captions and original automatic caption track, with Spanish forms and examples checked against the actual video graphics. Caption errors and punctuation are repaired. Contextual English translations and labelled learner notes are additions; the instructor’s coaching, humor and teaching priorities are retained. Chapter timestamps are approximate. Music and the brand bumper are omitted.
The lesson’s explicit language, original educational reminder, examples and playful closing are retained. Strength and affectionate use follow the instructor’s Spain context, with the original emphasis on judgment and close friendships; the order is the instructor’s teaching priority, not a universal scale of offensiveness.
- 0:00 — A spicy vocabulary lesson
- 0:25 — 1. Joder
- 1:15 — 2. Mierda
- 1:44 — 3. Coño and cojones
- 2:21 — 4. Gilipollas
- 2:55 — 5. Cabrón / Cabrona
- 3:16 — Study guide
- 3:27 — A quick round of lighter insults
- 3:53 — 6. Puta / Puto
- 4:31 — 7. The fuck-you series
- 5:09 — 8. Hijo / Hija de puta
- 5:47 — 9. Me cago en…
- 6:59 — Context and affectionate joking
- 7:32 — Closing
0:00 — A spicy vocabulary lesson
¡Hola, amigos!
Example translation: Hello, friends!
Welcome back to My Daily Spanish. Today we’re getting spicy: Spanish curse words, lots of them! Before we start, the original reminder: this is for educational purposes, so let’s keep it respectful and fun. The strongest curses come at the end. Ready to add some sass to your Spanish?
¡Vamos!
Example translation: Let’s go!
0:25 — 1. Joder
Joder
Example translation: To fuck; fuck! as an exclamation.
This is versatile: frustration or surprise. Literally, the verb means to fuck, but we normally use it here as an exclamation.
¡Joder, se me ha hecho tarde!
Example translation: Damn, I’m late!
Joder, qué pesado
Example translation: Fuck, he’s so annoying.
Use it carefully, with friends. It can also express a good mood when someone tells you good news.
Joder, qué bien
Example translation: Fuck, that’s great!
We also use forms of the verb.
Ya me he manchado la jodida camiseta
Example translation: I’ve already stained my fucking T-shirt.
Estoy harta del jodido móvil
Example translation: I’m sick of this fucking phone.
No me jodas
Example translation: Don’t fuck with me; or really?! in the surprised reaction shown.
¿Me estás jodiendo?
Example translation: Are you fucking kidding me?
Que te jodan
Example translation: Fuck you.
1:15 — 2. Mierda
Mierda
Example translation: Shit.
Use it when something goes wrong: you drop something, fail an exam, or burn the popcorn. Mierda!
Mierda, se me ha olvidado
Example translation: Shit, I forgot.
Vete a la mierda
Example translation: Go to hell; fuck off.
If you’re sick or sad, you can say:
Estoy en la mierda
Example translation: I feel like shit; I’m in a really bad state.
1:44 — 3. Coño and cojones
Coño
Example translation: Pussy, literally; fuck! or damn! as an exclamation in the lesson.
This can be offensive, but it also gives emphasis or expresses surprise.
¡Coño, qué sorpresa!
Example translation: Damn, what a surprise!
Coño and joder work as alternatives in these exclamations. They are different words in their other noun and verb uses. Coño literally means pussy; cojones is the anatomical counterpart, balls. I describe coño as more widely used in my Spain context. Both men and women use these exclamations.
Cojones
Example translation: Balls.
Déjame, coño
Example translation: Fuck, leave me alone.
Coño, cállate ya
Example translation: Fuck, shut up already.
Coño, qué bien
Example translation: Fuck, that’s good.
2:21 — 4. Gilipollas
Gilipollas
Example translation: Asshole; idiot, in the insults shown.
Now we start insulting people. This is harsh—stronger than just an idiot or a jerk in the examples I’m teaching. Use it carefully to vent about someone who really got on your nerves. Gilipollas has the same form for masculine and feminine.
La gilipollas de Eva me ha dejado tirada
Example translation: That asshole Eva left me stranded.
No se puede ser más gilipollas
Example translation: You couldn’t be more of an asshole.
Serás gilipollas
Example translation: You asshole!
Es que soy gilipollas por creer en ti
Example translation: I’m an idiot for believing in you.
2:55 — 5. Cabrón / Cabrona
Cabrón / Cabrona
Example translation: Bastard / bitch, in the insulting contexts here.
Cabrón is similar to gilipollas, like bastard. Cabrón for a man; cabrona for a woman.
Eres una pedazo de cabrona
Example translation: You’re a massive bitch. — original colloquial wording.
Learner note — Agreement with pedazo: The original una pedazo is colloquial agreement with the following feminine noun. FundéuRAE records that pattern in some speakers but recommends un pedazo, with the article agreeing with masculine pedazo. For standard written agreement: Eres un pedazo de cabrona. The source’s colloquial register is retained. Source: FundéuRAE: agreement with pedazo.
Sois unos cabrones
Example translation: You’re bastards.
La cabrona de mi hermana me ha roto un vestido
Example translation: My bitch of a sister has torn one of my dresses.
3:16 — Study guide
By the way, My Daily Spanish has a free study guide with a step-by-step process to help you learn Spanish faster. Download it using the link in the video’s description.
3:27 — A quick round of lighter insults
Before the harshest curses, here’s the instructor’s quick round of lighter bad words.
Idiota
Example translation: Idiot.
Estúpido
Example translation: Stupid.
Inútil
Example translation: Useless; a useless person.
Tonto
Example translation: Dumb; a fool.
Imbécil
Example translation: Imbecile; idiot.
Mamaculos
Example translation: Ass-sucker — the literal gloss in the original lesson.
Mamarracho
Example translation: A fool; a ridiculous person.
Okay, get ready for the next ones.
3:53 — 6. Puta / Puto
Puta
Example translation: Bitch, as a harsh insult in the lesson.
I really don’t like using puta as an insult against women. But another use is like fucking in English: puta and puto as emphatic adjectives.
Learner note — Meaning and grammatical role: Puto/puta also has a literal noun sense of prostitute. Bitch is the contextual English insult here; the adjective use in the following examples is a different grammatical role. Source: RAE dictionary: puto/puta.
Qué asco del puto móvil este
Example translation: I’m sick of this fucking phone; literally, how disgusting this fucking phone is.
Joder, estoy harta de tantos putos deberes
Example translation: Damn, I’m sick of so much fucking homework.
Quita ya la puta musiquita esa
Example translation: Turn that fucking music off now.
Joder con el puto wifi de los cojones
Example translation: Fuck this fucking goddamn Wi-Fi.
4:31 — 7. The fuck-you series
Que te follen
Example translation: Fuck you; literally, may someone fuck you.
If you want to be sassy and annoy the person who says that, take it literally and answer:
Ojalá
Example translation: I wish; if only.
Eso espero
Example translation: That’s what I’m hoping for.
Que te den
Example translation: Fuck you.
Que te folle un pez
Example translation: Fuck you; literally, may a fish fuck you.
I love that last one. If you like the video, please give it a thumbs up. Gracias!
5:09 — 8. Hijo / Hija de puta
Hijo de puta / Hija de puta
Example translation: Son of a bitch / daughter of a bitch, in the original insulting glosses.
The classic hijo de puta for a man, hija de puta for a woman. To make it worse:
Hijo de la gran puta
Example translation: Son of the big bitch — the stronger gloss used in the video.
Hijo de la grandísima puta
Example translation: Son of the big, big, big bitch — the video’s emphatic gloss.
Some feminine animal words are used as insults too.
Perra
Example translation: A female dog; bitch.
Zorra
Example translation: A female fox; bitch in the insulting use shown.
For this expression, the video uses perra.
Hijo de perra / Hija de perra
Example translation: Son of a bitch / daughter of a bitch.
5:47 — 9. Me cago en…
Me cago en…
Example translation: I shit on or in… — the literal pattern used in these curses.
A common one is:
Me cago en la leche
Example translation: I shit in the milk — a vulgar exclamation of anger or frustration.
I use it like fuck or joder, but describe it as stronger. You can escalate the curse by changing what comes after en.
Me cago en la mar
Example translation: Literally: I shit in the sea.
Me cago en la hostia
Example translation: Literally: I shit on the communion wafer.
Me cago en Dios
Example translation: Literally: I shit on God.
Me cago en la puta
Example translation: Literally: I shit on the bitch — the original insulting gloss.
Me cago en tu cara
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your face.
Me cago en tu madre
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your mother.
Me cago en tus muertos
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your dead relatives.
Add puto or puta to make it worse. You can combine things.
Me cago en tu puta cara, hijo de puta
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your fucking face, you son of a bitch.
Me cago en toda tu casta, asqueroso pedazo de mierda
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your entire lineage, you disgusting piece of shit.
And what I consider the worst curse in the lesson:
Me cago en tus putos muertos
Example translation: Literally: I shit on your fucking dead relatives.
Try not to use that one. It is extremely disrespectful. If someone says it, they may be really angry—or, in my judgment in the video, a really bad person.
6:59 — Context and affectionate joking
Context matters. Some of these curses can appear positively, but only with really close friends in the examples I describe. You might be a bit jealous while also being happy for your friend.
Mira qué guapa está, la cabrona
Example translation: Look how pretty she is, the bitch. — affectionate mock-jealousy in the original example.
¡Has aprobado! ¡Qué hijo de puta!
Example translation: You passed! You lucky bastard! — the friendly, mock-jealous context shown.
Tía, vete a la mierda, dibujas superbién
Example translation: Girl, fuck you—you draw really well. — the friendly example.
Learner note — Written spelling: The video writes súper bien. The intensifying prefix super- joins the single word bien: the standard spelling is superbién. The colloquial compliment and its register are unchanged. Source: RAE spelling guidance: super-.
Qué asco da la niña esta con tanta belleza
Example translation: That girl is so beautiful it’s disgusting. — the mock-jealous joke in the lesson.
7:32 — Closing
That was a tour of some of Spanish’s most colorful expressions. Understanding them is one thing; using them takes judgment and sensitivity to context. Thanks for joining the spicy lesson!
¡Hasta pronto!
Example translation: See you soon!
¡Adiós, cabrones!
Example translation: Bye, you bastards! — the instructor’s playful closing.
