Recently “una amiga mía” (female friend of mine), who happens to be a very close friend here in Colombia called me “llorando” (crying). When I asked her what had happened, she told me her “novio” (boyfriend/fiancé) was such a horrible person.
“A propósito” (by the way), he happens to be an American. When I asked her what he had done, I noticed that she used several verbs to describe the awful things that he had done. I would like to share those verbs with you. I guess you can call them . . . Spanish Verbs For Things That Awful People Do.
How To Say To Humiliate Someone In Spanish
Mike humillaba a Juliana burlándose de ella por ser gordita.
Mike humiliated Juliana, making fun of her for being plump.
How To Say To Belittle Someone In Spanish
Mike menosprecia a Juliana por ser humilde. (Mike belittles Juliana for not having a lot of money.)
By the way, “humilde” can mean humble, but it is also what I would consider the *politically correct* way in Latin America to call someone poor. It sounds better than using the word “pobre” (poor) to describe someone.
3. Insultar – to insult
Mike insulta a Juliana porque no le gusta la sazón de ella.
Mike insults Juliana because he doesn’t like her cooking.
How To Say To Cheat On Someone In Spanish
La semana pasada Mike le puso los cachos a Juliana. (Last week Mike cheated on Juliana.)
Both “ponerle los cuernos a alguien” and “ponerle los cachos a alguien” are informal ways to say to cheat on someone. In Colombia, instead of saying “ponerle los cuernos a alguien,” they say “ponerle los cachos a alguien” — literally, “to put horns on someone.” Both “cuernos” and “cachos” mean horns. But if you want to sound a bit more formal then you can use the verb “engañar” and say:
Mike engañó a Juliana.
Mike cheated on Juliana.
How To Say To Abuse or Mistreat Someone In Spanish
Anoche Mike abusó a Juliana.
Por eso está en la cárcel.Last night Mike abused Juliana.
That’s why he’s in jail.
Actually he’s not in jail. “Desafortunadamente,” (unfortunately) in some ways Colombia is like the U.S.A. was many years ago. A man can physically abuse his wife or significant other and may or may not be arrested. Despite all the beautiful things about Colombia, it is still a “machista” (male chauvinistic) country in some ways.
I believe that we would all agreee that Mike is “una persona horrible” — (horrible person). Notice that the word “persona” is a feminine word but it can refer to a man or a woman. It is always “la persona” or “una persona” even when referring to a man.
If you haven’t already liked us on FaceBook and you would like to get more learning-Spanish tips like this, then “haz clic en ‘Like’ en nuestra página de Facebook” (click “Like” on our Facebook page):
