There are so many things that are not enjoyable, but sometimes we don’t have the right words to express ourselves in regards to it.

This week I got this question from a student and it helped me realize how useful it can be to know the various degrees available to us.

For starters, in Argentina nobody would say:

• [x] apesta

It sounds foreign to us.

However we do have our own dear alternatives.

Our go-to most informal option is:

• [x] es una mierda

While this one sounds almost normal, it carries some extra weight. So we have other, more polite options:

• [x] es una porquería
• [x] es malísimo
• [x] es lo peor

In the example I was discussing, it was something along the lines of ‘not feeling well sucks’. My student could take any of the following roads:

• Sentirse mal es una mierda
• Sentirse mal es una poquería
• Sentirse mal es malísimo
• Sentirse mal es lo peor

And all of them would sound just right.

So there you have it. Ready to state your opinión when you don’t like something.

Happy learning,

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