How to Say ‘Oh, you shouldn't have!’ in Mexican Spanish
¡Ay, no te hubieras molestado!
eye noh teh oo-BYEH-rahs moh-lehs-TAH-doh
[eye noh teh oo-BYEH-rahs moh-lehs-TAH-doh]
🇲🇽 In Mexico: This is the expected gracious reaction to a gift, not a real complaint. A warm reply is no es nada "it's nothing".
Phrase Breakdown
¡Ay, no te hubieras
eye noh teh oo-BYEH-rahs
Oh, you shouldn't have
'Ay' expresses surprise or warmth. The 'h' in 'hubieras' is silent: AI, noh teh oo-BYEH-rahs.
¡Ay, no te hubieras preocupado!
Oh, you shouldn't have worried!
Words in this phrase
Ay
[eye]
oh
Exclamation of sympathy or disappointment.
Ay, qué mal que no hay agua caliente.
Oh, that's bad that there is no hot water.
no
[noh]
not
Used to make a word or group of words negative.
No voy a ir.
I am not going.
te
[teh]
yourself
Refers back to the person addressed.
Mírate en el espejo antes de salir.
Look at yourself in the mirror before going out.
hubieras
[oo-BYEH-rahs]
you had (would have)
Past subjunctive of 'haber'; in 'no te hubieras...' it politely means 'you shouldn't have'.
Si hubieras venido, te habría gustado.
If you had come, you would have liked it.
molestado!
moh-lehs-TAH-doh
bothered / gone to the trouble!
This is the past participle of 'molestarse' (to bother oneself). The whole phrase is a polite reply when someone gives you a gift: moh-lehs-TAH-doh.
No se hubiera molestado.
You shouldn't have gone to the trouble.
Words in this phrase
molestado
[moh-lehs-TAH-doh]
bothered
Past participle of 'molestar(se)', to bother or go to trouble.
No se hubiera molestado.
You shouldn't have bothered.
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