Spanish Students Beware: Profanity is Part of the Language!
One of the things that surprises Spanish students the most is that natives frequently use a lot of swear words. We’re not talking about any type of food, but rather those words that are often taboo. Despite their importance, some teachers don’t teach them in class, but they are part of the #spanish4life.
Exploring the Iconic “Joder”
To begin with, we have the most popular one in Spain: “joder”. This word is similar to the English “fuck”, but not in all cases. If you’re facing a problem, a surprise, something good or something bad, it’s your word.
From Exclamation to Verb
¡Joder! ¡Qué suerte!
“Joder” is an essential word for these situations. Even children have equivalents so that adults can’t forbid them. This way, when they don’t want to use bad language but want to express fear, surprise, or frustration, children can use “jope”, “jopeta”, or “jopelines”.
“¡Jopeta! ¡No tengo sueño!”
“¡Jopeta! ¡No tengo sueño!”
We also can’t forget that “joder” also functions as a verb. Just like its English equivalent, “fuck”, the original meaning of “joder” is to have sexual relations. However, in this context, it is even vulgar for Spaniards. Nonetheless, we can use “joder” as a verb if it means “to cause annoyance”.
“Mi amigo me está jodiendo con el ruido”
“Mi amigo me está jodiendo con el ruido”
However, unlike in English, it’s not common to use “joder” as an adjective next to a noun. So, we can’t say expressions like “el jodido libro” or “la jodida película” when talking about something that really bothers us. At least, it’s not a common usage.
Understanding and Integrating “Joder” in Spanish
No one forces us to use swear words like “joder” when we speak Spanish, but we must keep in mind that natives will use them. So it’s better not to feel offended. On the other hand, we don’t have to go to the opposite extreme and say “joder” in every context either.
Enhance Your “Joder” Expertise
A good option to improve your use of the word “joder” is to try a class at Jaleo Madrid. That way, we hope you can say, “¡Joder! ¡Qué buena experiencia!”.
