When learning a new language, there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to find the right words to express your feelings or thoughts. That’s why in this article we compiled 11 Spanish phrases that will help you express your frustration.
This list contains common expressions of frustration that Spanish speakers around the world use. Some of these phrases can also be used to express other feelings, as a result, you will need to use a proper tone of voice to show your frustration. Make sure you read the descriptions carefully so you find the right expression for your situation.
1. Estar hasta la coronilla – To be sick of…!
Estar hasta la coronilla is one of the most popular Spanish phrases to express frustration. We use this phrase to either express our frustration about an activity that we or someone else is doing. It can be translated as:
- To be done with
- Had enough
- To be sick of
- Have had it up to here
This is the phrase structure that we use when expressing our frustration about activities:
Estar hasta la coronilla de + [verb infinitive form]
¡Estoy hasta la coronilla de tener que tomar el camión todas las mañanas!
I’m so sick of having to take the bus every morning!
¡Ya quiero salir de vacaciones! Estoy hasta la coronilla de estudiar y hacer tarea
I want to go on vacation! I’m so done with studying and doing my homework
You can also use ‘estar hasta la coronilla’ to express your frustration about someone’s actions.
Estar hasta la coronilla de + que [verb subjunctive form]
¡Laura! ¿Dónde está mi suéter? Estoy hasta la coronilla de que agarres mis cosas
Laura! Where is my sweater? I’ve had enough of you taking my things
¡Ya basta! Estoy hasta la coronilla de que me digas cómo hacer mi trabajo
Enough! I’m done with you telling me how to do my job
Take Note: This expression is quite popular in Spanish. However, each Spanish speaking country may have its own version of this phrase. These are some of the most common variations: Estar hasta el copete, Estar hasta el gorro, Estar hasta las narices.
2. ¡Ya Estuvo Suave! – Enough!
In Mexico, ya estuvo suave is a very popular phrase to express frustration. It can be translated as ‘enough’ or ‘that’s enough’. Mexican speakers use this phrase of frustration to express that they can no longer keep doing something or that they won’t tolerate someone’s behavior anymore. Among Mexican speakers, ‘ya estuvo suave’ can have the following variations:
- ¡Ya estuvo bueno!
- ¡Ya estuvo!
¡Ya estuvo! ¡Cállense!
Enough! Shut up!
Oye, ya estuvo suave, deja a mi hermana en paz
Hey, that’s enough! Leave my sister alone
¡A ver, ya estuvo bueno! ¡No voy a seguir hablando de esto!
Ok, that’s enough! I’m not going to keep talking about this!
Take Note: On top of expressing frustration, ‘ya estuvo’ can also be used to demand someone to stop doing something or to express disbelief about a certain event taking place.
3. ¡Por el Amor de Dios! – For God’s sake!
This is another popular Spanish expression of frustration and it can be translated as ‘for God’s sake’ or more directly as ‘for the love of god’. ‘Por el amor de Dios’ is one of the strongest ways to express your frustration short of using curse words. Just like in English, in Spanish, we use this phrase to express our frustration because someone’s actions are affecting us.
¡Por el amor de Dios! ¡Ya déjenme en paz!
For God’s sake! Just leave me alone!
¡Ay, por el amor de Dios! ¿Por qué se tarda tanto en cobrarle?
¡Oh, for the love of God! Why is it taking so long to charge?
Clara, te dije que necesitaba estos papeles para hoy, ¡por el amor de Dios!
Clara, I told you I needed this paperwork for today, for God’s sake!
Take Note: ‘Por Dios’ is the shortened version of ‘por el amor de Dios’, as a result, you can also use it as a way to express your frustration.
4. ¡Maldita sea! – Damn it!
‘Maldita sea’ is another common expression that you can use to convey your frustration in Spanish. This expression is translated as ‘damn it’ or ‘blast!’. We can apply it when a situation or someone’s actions are making us unhappy and frustrated.
¡Maldita sea! ¡Apenas son las 3! ¡Ya me quiero ir!
Damn it! It’s just 3 o’clock! I want to go!
¿Dónde está Marco? ¡Maldita sea, le dije que llegara temprano!
Where is Marco? Blast! I told him to arrive early!
No encuentro mis llaves…¡maldita sea! Las dejé en la mesa
I can’t find my keys…damn it! I left them on the table
Take Note: In some situations, you may find that people use ‘maldición’ instead of ‘maldita sea’. ‘Maldición’ is also an expression of frustration but since it’s a little bit outdated it’s more common to find it in books or tv shows.
5. Ya / Ay ya – Enough!
¡Ya! is a Spanish word that people use to express both anger and frustration. It means ‘enough’. ‘Ya’ implies that we want an action or event to stop. As a result, it’s very useful when an activity is getting on our nerves.
¡Ya! Es la última vez que les pido que me dejen en paz
Enough! This is the last time that I ask you to leave me alone!
A ver, ¡ya! Tenemos que entregar esto mañana y no hemos hecho nada
Oh, enough! We have to deliver this tomorrow and we haven’t done anything
You could also use ‘Ay, ya’ to express your frustration about an activity. In this context, this expression could be translated either as ‘enough’ or ‘that’s enough’. Here are some examples:
¡Ay, ya! Ya no puedo seguir más con este trabajo
That’s enough! I can’t keep going with this job
¡Ay, ya, Luisa! Deja de quejarte y déjame trabajar
Enough, Luisa! Stop complaining and let me do my job
6. ¡Ándale! – Come on!
Ándale is another Mexican slang word that you can use to express your frustration. In this context, ‘ándale’ means ‘come on’. We can use this word to show our frustration or lack of patience and to hurry people along.
¡Ándale! ¡Tengo que hacer una llamada!
Come on! I have to make a call!
¡Dame mi teléfono! ¡Ándale! ¡No tengo todo el día!
Give me my phone! Come on! I don’t have all day!
¿Todavía no estás listo! ¡Ándale! Tenemos que irnos en cinco minutos
You’re not ready yet? Come on! We have to leave in five minutes
Take Note: In Mexican Spanish, ‘ándale’ is a rich word with multiple meanings. If you want to use it to indicate frustration, you’ll need to make sure to use the proper tone of voice.
7. ¡Dios mío! – Good Lord!
Dios mío is another common way to show your frustration in Spanish. This phrase could be translated as ‘Good Lord’ or ‘Oh My Good’. Just as in English, we can use ‘Dios mío’ to express our frustration about a certain situation or person.
Dios mío, ¡qué lentas son las cajeras!
Good Lord, the cashiers are so slow!
¿Trajiste los ingredientes que te pedí? ¡Dios mío! Te dije que los necesitaba para hoy
Did you bring the ingredients that I asked you? Good Lord! I told you I needed them for today
If you want to show a higher degree of frustration, instead, you could use ‘Ay, Dios mío’.
Ay, Dios mío, ¡pero si esto está muy fácil de hacer, Diana!
Good Lord! This is very easy to do Diana!
¿Otra vez se te olvidaron las llaves? ¡Ay Dios mío! ¡Pon más atención!
Did you forget the keys again? Good Lord! Pay more attention!
8. ¡Dame paciencia, señor! – Give me strength!
‘Dame paciencia, señor’ or ‘Dame fuerzas, señor’ are other two popular and standard phrases to show your frustration. Both of them can be translated as ‘give me strength’ or ‘give me strength, lord’. We can apply them when someone’s actions or behaviors are getting on our nerves or to express frustration about an activity that we cannot complete.
¡Dame paciencia, señor! ¡Ahí viene la latosa de la vecina!
Give me strength, Lord! Here comes my annoying neighbor!
¿Ya viste cuánto tráfico hay? Vamos a llegar tarde, ¡dame paciencia, señor!
Did you see how much traffic there is? We’re going to be late, give me strength, Lord!
No entiendo porque la cajera está platicando en lugar de atendernos, ¡dame fuerzas, señor!
I don’t understand why the cashier is chatting instead of working, give me strength, Lord!
9. El horno no está para bollos – Not be a good time!
El horno no está para bollos is a Spanish expression that we use to express our frustration but also to warn people that this feeling is getting worse and they need to leave you alone. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re frustrated with the person that is talking to you, you could be frustrated by something else and use this phrase to ask for space. ‘El horno no está para bollos’ could be translated as ‘not be a good time.
No me molestes ahorita, el horno no está para bollos
Don’t bother me right now, it’s not a good time
Olga, el horno no está para bollos, si estás bromeando, no tengo tiempo
Olga, it’s not a good time, if you’re joking around, I don’t have time
Nelly, no puedo ayudarte hoy, el horno no está para bollos. Habla con Edgar.
Nelly, I can’t help you today, it’s not a good time! Talk to Edgar
10. Me voy a volver loco – I’m going to go mad!
Me voy a volver loco is a common Spanish expression that we use to express that our frustration is becoming anger. It means ‘I’m going to go mad’. Notice that ‘loco’ is a masculine adjective, as a result, this word needs to change depending on the gender of the speaker.
Here are some examples of how to use this expression.
¡Me voy a volver loco! ¡Les dije muy claro que llegaran temprano!
I’m going to go mad! I told you very clearly to arrive early!
¿Cuánto tiempo más nos van a tener esperando? ¡Me voy a volver loca!
How much longer will they have us waiting? I’m going to go mad!
Notice that the previous examples are not being used to talk directly to the person or root cause that is causing your frustration. In that case, this expression would be translated as ‘to drive crazy’.
[Person / Cause] + me + ir [conjugated] + volver loco
Claudia e Iván, ¡me van a volver loco con sus errores!
Claudia and Ivan, you’re going to drive me crazy with all your mistakes!
Laura, ¿dónde están los papeles que te pedí? ¡Me vas a volver loca!
Laura, where are the papers that I asked you for? You’re going to drive me crazy!
11. Ash / Ay – Oh, dear! / Oh my God
‘Ash’ and ‘Ay’ can also be used to express frustration in Spanish. Both words can be translated as ‘oh dear’ or ‘oh, my God!’. When using them keep in mind that
- ‘Ash’ is only used in Mexico and it’s quite popular among women.
- ‘Ay’ can be used to express other feelings, as a result, your tone of voice is quite important.
- ‘Ash’ is considered a little bit more aggressive than ‘ay’: it could be interpreted as asking someone to get lost.
¡Ash! ¡Te dije que llegaras temprano! ¡Ya empezó la película!
Oh, my God! I asked you to arrive early! The movie has already started!
¿Trajiste el libro que te presté? ¡Ay, Mayra! ¡Te lo pedí desde la semana pasada!
Did you bring the book that I lent you? Oh, dear, Mayra! I asked you to bring it a week ago!
Wrapping Up
Learning how to express your frustration in Spanish will allow you to be more fluent in your conversations. In this list, we presented you with 11 options that you can use to express your frustration about a person or a situation. Remember that in this context, your tone of voice is quite important, but this shouldn’t be difficult if you’re truly frustrated!
Now, you’re ready to choose your favorite expression and start applying it to your daily frustrations in life.