November is moving in a strange direction in terms of Spanish learning, but here we go…

MIERDA lends itself to several different and ingenious expressions in Spanish. The list below is living proof:

• ¡Qué mierda!: This phrase is an expression of frustration, anger, or annoyance. It’s used when something goes wrong or is undesirable.
• Una mierda: This translates to “a piece of shit” or “crap.” It’s used to describe something as worthless, bad, or of poor quality.
• [noun] + de mierda: This translates to “of shit” or “shitty.” It’s used as an adjective to express dissatisfaction with something.
• Mucha mierda: This is the equivalent of the English phrase “break a leg.” It’s used to wish someone good luck, particularly before a performance, test or event.
• Hacerse mierda: I guess this phrase literally translates to “to turn to shit.” It’s a colloquial expression used to describe a violent or severe accident or to indicate that someone or something has been severely damaged or destroyed.

In some expressions, MIERDA and CARAJO are closely knit together

• Mandar a la mierda/al carajo a alguien: These phrases mean “to tell someone to go fuck themselves.” They are strong expressions of anger or frustration and are used to dismiss or reject someone in a rude or offensive manner.
• Irse a la mierda/al carajo: You would use these phrases to tell someone they crossed a line. Interestingly enough, when someone makes a positively surprising thing (for example they give us an important present) we sometimes also use it.

I hope you understand why I thought it was necessary to get into this after my last article on the body and bodily functions.

Until next time!

You might also want to read these articles:

• Memory, Ear, Intuition
  This article breaks down how ear, memory and intuition make for a killer combo in language learning.
• Phrasal Verbs in RPS
  Have you been crafting your own list of phrasal verbs in Spanish? This is the ultimate resource to extend it and take your understanding even further.
• Ir a los bifes
  Hungry for some new RPS idiom? Here you are, my friend.
• My curated list of Argentinian authors
  Up for a reading challenge? Pick an author from this list and start exploring the best of Argentine literature.
• Baader-Meinhof
  You know that experience of learning a new word and finding it multiple times afterwards? That’s Baader-Meinhoff in action.
• Muy gasolero = Thrifty
  In this post you’ll learn why in Argentina we use gasolero to mean thrifty.