Cómo decir que te encuentras mal (coloquial de España)

Tarjeta vocab: cómo decir que te encuentras mal en coloquial europeo.

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Dannis

2 min reading time

Colloquialisms and slang At a doctor's, pharmacy Vocabulary

Keywords:

estar malo pachucho pocho constipado

In Spain, the most colloquial way is: "estar malo." E.g.: "Estoy malo" / "Me he puesto malo" (in informal speech, instead of "estoy enfermo").

"pachucho" / "pocho" = feeling a bit unwell, mildly sick, said in an affectionate way. E.g.: "Estoy un poco pachucho hoy." (Rough idea: nothing serious, just feeling weak/off.)

Careful with "constipado": in Spain it means "to have a cold, a runny nose." It is NOT "constipated" in English. E.g.: "Estoy constipado, tengo mocos."

"estar hecho polvo" = to be very weak/exhausted because of illness. E.g.: "Con la gripe estoy hecho polvo." (In English: "I feel completely wiped out.")

At the pharmacy/doctor’s office: "tengo mocos" (I have a runny nose), "tos seca" (dry cough), "¿andas con décimas?" ("décimas" = a slight fever, a bit over normal temperature). These are very common phrases in Spain.

Comprehension check:

In Spain, “Estoy constipado” means…

Estoy resfriado

Estoy estreñido

Estoy deprimido

In Spain, "constipado" = a cold (runny nose), NOT "constipated." So the correct option is 1: "Estoy resfriado."

Think about your nose and tissues, not your stomach.

Complete: In colloquial Spanish in Spain, we say “___ malo”.

estoy

soy

tengo

People say "estoy malo" (not "soy/tengo"). This is the colloquial standard expression for feeling unwell.

It’s a temporary state, not a permanent characteristic.

Which expression indicates a mild, almost affectionate kind of feeling unwell?

Estoy pachucho

Estoy hecho polvo

Estoy muy chungo

"Pachucho/pocho" = a light, not serious discomfort. "Hecho polvo" = feeling very bad, exhausted. "Muy chungo" = serious. So the correct answer is "Estoy pachucho."

Think of something mild, not serious.