A word of warning: in this post I discuss curse words. dirty words. Bad words. Enter at your own risk.
We Argentinians are famously passionate, and our language reflects this —our curse words are particularly colorful and melodious. And quite inventive, too!
I can’t state this categorically, but Argentinians’s use of curse words is above average. It’s not just BOLUDO, CARAJO and LA PUTA MADRE that made it into mainstream speech, no no.
In this post I’m going to walk you through a side of a foreign language that challenges the idea that there are ‘bad words’. Rather, it seems they are good words in specific contexts and situations.
With this goal in mind, I’ll try to introduce you to some of the many words in the family and at the same time give you some reference on regards to how they are often used.
I’m talking to you, and I’m angry
- BOLUDO/A
- PELOTUDO/A
- FORRO/A
- HIJO/A DE (RE MIL) PUTA
- TARADO/A
- ESTÚPIDO/A
- IMBÉCIL
- PAJERO/A
- CONCHUDA
- MALCOGIDO/A
- CORNUDO
- PUTO
- PUTA
- LA PUTA QUE TE PARIÓ
- LA CONCHA DE TU MADRE
- LA CONCHA DE TU HERMANA
- SORETE
I’m not talking to anyone in particular, I’m just angry
The words below are used without addressing them to a specific recipient and are mostly used to show anger.
- LA PUTA MADRE
- ME CAGO EN LA PUTA MADRE
- LA RE PUTA MADRE
- LA REPUTÍSIMA MADRE
- LA (RE) CONCHA DE LA LORA
Go-to formulas
Now, let’s see the multiple applications for these nice little words:
¡Sos un/una + [CURSE WORD]!
Sos un/una | boludo/a |
pelotudo/a | |
forro/a | |
hijo/a de puta | |
tarado/a | |
estúpido/a | |
pajero/a | |
conchuda | |
malcogido/a | |
puto | |
puta | |
sorete (mal cagado) |
¡Qué + [CURSE WORD ] + DE MIERDA!
¡Qué | forro/a | de mierda! |
boludo/a | ||
pelotudo/a | ||
tarado/a |
¡Qué + [WORD THAT EXPRESSES AMOUNT] + [CURSE WORD]!
¡Qué | pedazo de | boludo/a! |
flor de | pelotudo/a! | |
reverendo | forro/a! | |
malcogido/a! | ||
conchuda! | ||
puto/a! | ||
sorete mal cagado! |
Imperatives
From a strictly linguistic point of view, it is interesting that many bad-sounding expressions also convey an order.
¡ANDATE A + FEMININE DEFINITE ARTICLE + [NOT A VERY NICE PLACE TO BE]!
Andate a | la | mierda |
| puta que te parió | |
| | concha de tu madre |
| | concha de tu hermana |
Of course, the ones below couldn’t be left out. I offer a literal translation next to them:
ANDÁ A CAGAR [go take a shit]
CHUPAME UN HUEVO [suck me an egg]
CHUPAME LA CONCHA [suck my pussy]
CERRÁ EL ORTO [close your ass]
Negative Imperatives
No me rompas | las pelotas |
los huevos |
No seas | boludo/a, pelotudo/a, forro/a, hijo/a de puta, tarado/a, estúpido/a, pajero/a |
Keep your ears perked, you’ll certainly hear some of these sooner or later.
If you’re serious about learning the small things that make Argentinian Spanish different, visit the Argentinian Spanish Crash Course. After all, the devil is in the details.
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Happy Spanish learning!
You might also want to read these articles:
- Ni la más p*ta ideaWhat do you say (informally) when you don’t have the faintest idea?
- Negative thoughtsCoping with negative thoughts is part of learning a language. A really decisive one, I’d say.
- Everyday Expressions with “¡Qué…!”Learn some cool expressions with Argentinian seasoning!
- Venture Out has its song!AI takes many shapes. The latest is Venture Out’s jingle.
- Binomial Pairs IIThis is part II of binomial pairs. Today it’s all about repetition. Today is all about repetition.
- 1 year of ‘Traé Alfajores’Traé Alfajores has turned a year, and it’s time to put some thought into it.