Hello #vivers! You've probably heard someone tell a friend that they're crazy on more than one occasion, or maybe you've told them so yourself. But if you want to seem like an expert, in today's article we're going to show you other ways to express the same thing just as a true native would do in Spain, which is how we teach it in our Spanish courses. And remember that in Cursalia.online you have free online Spanish courses.
First of all, although it is logical, it is necessary to clarify that all the expressions that we show you are usually used in a colloquial context and we do not use them to refer to people with mental health problems, but to refer to someone who behaves irrationally, inadequate, strange or illogical, that is, people who do small crazy things, attitudes that escape common sense.
1. Be like a goat
This phrase is used to indicate that the person behaves in a strange, extravagant or simply crazy way.
Why is it associated with goats? Most likely, this expression comes from ranchers who, observing the behavior of their goats, could verify that the offspring of sheep, cows or horses, when they were weaned, stayed calmly next to their mothers, while those of The goats (kids) ran away, so that the mother goats ran desperately, like crazy, after their babies so that no harm would happen to them. So if you want to indicate that someone is behaving in a strange or inappropriate way, you can say that he "is crazy."
2. Someone missing a screw
According to the RAE (Royal Academy of the Spanish Language), “someone missing a screw” It is when a person has little sense or lacks it.
Literally, just like a machine, missing a screw can cause it to malfunction. When we refer to a person we mean that he has some crazy ideas or does not behave with common sense, that is, he does not "work very well."
So, if you know someone who does things without logic, without sense, in short, who is crazy, that means that that person is missing a screw.
For example: This guy is doing stupid things all day. I think that It's missing a screw...
3. Hit someone's head/pot/tong
We say that “someone loses his mind, his jaw or his pot” when he is doing something crazy, behaving irrationally, or talking nonsense. But also when someone is distracted, he is confused about something or completely forgets about something. It is a colloquial expression that a Spanish native uses frequently and that we teach in our courses.
Example: "But how do you do those things, aunt!… You're losing your pot…" / "Oh! I left my wallet with the money and documentation at home... I've lost my grip... "
4. Being sick in the head / Not being right in the head
The truth is that this expression does not need many explanations as it is quite obvious. We use it to refer to someone who behaves unwisely.
5. Be like a shower
We use this phrase to say that a person has no logic or control and does things without using reason.
Its origin is probably due to the fact that a watering can is an object, made of metal or plastic, that we use to pour water on plants and flowers. This object, at the end, has many holes and there is a theory that the expression, which is not very prior to the XNUMXth century, was born when comparing that end full of holes, with the “holes” that a person metaphorically has in their head. when you lose your logic.
6. Being crazy
The term crazy It is common to use it, in a more casual than formal way, to indicate that someone he is not right in the head o is lack of judgment.
We find its origin in the Caló language (the language spoken by the gypsy people) in which the word 'chat' literally means 'and' (in reference to the action of moving from one place to another). And it was as a result of that meaning that it began to be used to refer to those people who were madly in love with someone, since these were used to 'go head' because of the passionate love they felt.
It did not take long for it to be used in Spanish as one of the many synonyms of the term 'crazy' and finally it was incorporated into the RAE Dictionary.
This expression is a little older and is out of use.
7. Being gone or crazy
These expressions are equivalent to the previous one, but more frequent. They are related to the verb “go”. Specifically, the second expression, “estar pirado/a”, comes from the verb “pirarse”, which in colloquial language means to leave a place. Therefore, when using these expressions we are saying that someone his head has gone or he has lost his mind (the pot or tong), that is, he is crazy.
8. Being crazy
According to the RAE, we use it colloquially to refer to someone who has lost his mind or behaves as such. It is also very common to use the expression “whistle something to someone” to show that you like something a lot just like we use “drive someone crazy. For example: uterine “I love chocolate” / “Chocolate drives me crazy.”
9. Being hung up
It is literally being under the influence of a drug. It is said of those who are in that situation and, figuratively, of those who behave as if they were like that, of those who act a little crazy, of course.
10. Being mad/majareta
The term majara has its origin in Arabic, ““mahrum”. This is linked to “haram” which means taboo or sin. This has given the term ““mahrum” a negative meaning such as excluded, prohibited, unfortunate, miserable, denied and that in the Arabic of al-Andalus was used with the meaning of poor man, which led to "crazy” a way of saying "crazy" something more compassionate.
Now that you know all these different ways to tell someone they are crazy, we can assure you that we are not crazy, nor are we nuts or have a screw loose for thinking that in our Spanish classes, you will learn these types of expressions that a native uses in their daily life. And if you can't come to our School in Madrid, start preparing yourself now with the best online Spanish courses, at Cursalia.online. Don't think twice and contact us if you need more information. WhatsApp, email and through our form contact.
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My name is Juan Carlos Casorrán and one of my facets in life is that I have bipolar disorder. Which does not define me as a person. Thanks to your article, I de-dramatize and have material to play jokes and have a healthy laugh with my family, friends, acquaintances and whoever is interested.
Thank you very much