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How to Say ‘Damn it, what a mess!’ in Spain Spanish

¡Joder, qué lío!

hoh-dehr keh LEE-oh

[hoh-dehr keh LEE-oh]

Phrase Breakdown

¡Joder,

hoh-dehr

Damn! / Fuck!

A very common exclamation in Spain for frustration or surprise. The 'j' is throaty: 'ho-DEHR'. Stress falls on the last syllable. It is vulgar but used constantly in casual speech.

Example

¡Joder, qué frío hace!

Damn, it's cold!

Words in this phrase

Joder

[hoh-dehr]

Damn

An informal exclamation of frustration or anger.

Example

Joder, olvidé las llaves en casa.

Damn, I forgot the keys at home.

qué lío!

keh LEE-oh

what a mess!

'Lío' means mess or confusion. Say it 'keh LEE-oh', keeping the 'í' and the 'o' as two separate syllables.

Example

¡Qué lío de papeles!

What a mess of papers!

Words in this phrase

qué

[keh]

what / how

Exclamatory word used to express admiration.

Example

Qué bufanda tan bonita, me encanta el color.

What a beautiful scarf, I love the color.

lío

[LEE-oh]

mess

Noun for a confusing or chaotic situation.

Example

Tengo un lío en la cabeza.

My head is a mess.

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