Angry in Spanish: 19 phrases for different levels of anger

Anger is something that we all experience at some point in our lives. Anger is an intense and often overwhelming feeling that can manifest itself in various ways. Learning how to express anger effectively is crucial for healthy communication and emotional well-being.

Knowing how to express that you’re angry in Spanish can enhance your ability to communicate in a variety of contexts, whether you’re interacting with people in social settings, traveling, or engaging in relationships with Spanish speakers.

In this post we’ll explore different ways how to say angry in Spanish, ranging from standard expressions to colloquial ways of saying that you’re mad in Spanish slang. In addition, we’ll discuss related verbs and phrases, shedding light on how to articulate the causes and intensity of anger.

Let’s begin!

Phrases about being Angry in Spanish

If you want to hear Mafalda give some explanations of the five most common ways to describe your anger in Spanish, along with a couple more ways to say you’re about to explode, check out our video. For even more expressions, read on!

Let’s start off with some basic ways to express the sentiment of anger in Spanish. We’ll introduce both the adjectives describing the state, and the verbs that describe the process.

Since our Spanish anger adjectives describe an emotional state, they are always used with the verb estar. For an added layer of intensity in your expressions of anger in Spanish, you can employ superlatives with these adjectives.

Remember that, as Spanish adjectives, the main words we’ll be introducing in the following expressions need to agree in gender and number with the person they’re describing. We’ll start with the masculine singular forms that end in -o here in order to lighten the text, but we’ll be sure to use some of the other forms with -a, -os, and -as in our example sentences.

Most of these adjectives also have a corresponding reflexive verb used to talk about the thing that’s causing us to be upset, as opposed to simply referring to the state of anger itself. In other cases, the verb ponerse is used instead, meaning to become or to get.

It’s noteworthy that when expressing anger towards someone, the preposition con is utilized, whereas when the subject is upset about something, we use the preposition por.

Now let’s take a look at these angry Spanish phrases!

Estar enojado, Enojarse

Enojado is the standard adjective in Spanish for angry, so estar enojado means to be angry. When the angry person is female, the adjective becomes enojada to match the gender.

Enojado can be used in both formal and informal contexts, and it can be translated variously as angry, mad, or upset. Enojarse, meaning to get angry, is the corresponding verb.

• Mi hermana arruinó mi vestido favorito y estoy enojada con ella. – My sister ruined my favorite dress and I’m mad at her.

• No quiero hablar ahora, estoy enojadísimo. – I don’t want to talk now, I’m super mad.

• Estoy muy enojada por lo que dijiste hace rato. – I’m very upset about what you said earlier.

• Me enoja que me interrumpas cuando hablo. – It angers me that you interrupt me when I’m talking.

As we saw in our second example above, we can intensify the degree of the emotion using superlatives, whether by incorporating adverbs or a suffix.

Estar enfadado, Enfadarse

Estar enfadado is another common way to say you’re angry in Spanish. It can also be used in formal and informal contexts.

• Estoy enfadado con mis padres por no dejarme ir a la fiesta. – I’m mad at my parents for not letting me go to the party.

• Estoy muy enfadada. No quiero ver a nadie en este momento. – I’m very angry. I don’t want to see anyone right now.

• ¿Cómo pudiste olvidar nuestra cita? Estoy enfadadísimo. – How could you forget our date? I’m very angry.

• Me enfada que dejes los platos sucios todo el tiempo. – It makes me angry that you leave dirty dishes all the time.

Estar molesto, Molestarse

We can use molesto to indicate that you’re upset or annoyed. It’s used to convey mild to moderate levels of frustration, and it’s common in both casual and formal contexts. Molestarse is the corresponding verb, meaning to be bothered or to be upset.

• Estoy molesta porque dejé el paraguas en el autobús. – I’m upset because I left my umbrella on the bus.

• Estoy molesto con Luis porque olvidó mi cumpleños. – I’m upset with Luis because he forgot my birthday.

• Nadie me dijo que había código de vestimenta. Estoy muy molesto. – Nobody told me there was a dress code. I am very upset.

• Me molesta que siempre quieras decirme qué hacer. – It upsets me that you always want to tell me what to do.

Estar bravo

Bravo is an informal adjective we can use for expressing that you’re angry in Spanish. Translating to angry or mad, bravo adds another layer to expressing frustration, emphasizing a more intense level of anger.

• ¡Estoy bravo porque perdiste mi juguete favorito! – I’m mad because you lost my favorite toy!

• Estoy brava con Juan por cómo me trató en la fiesta anoche. – I’m mad at Juan for the way he treated me at the party last night.

• No puedo esconder que estoy bravísimo por el incidente. – I can’t hide the fact that I’m very angry about the incident.

• Estoy muy brava contigo, no me fastidies. – I’m really mad at you, don’t bother me.

As you may have noticed, bravo doesn’t have a corresponding reflexive verb. In addition to being used with estar as we’ve seen with the examples so far, it can also be used with the reflexive verb ponerse. Ponerse bravo describes the process of getting angry or becoming angry in Spanish.

• Me puse brava cuando la vi usando mi ropa. – I got angry when I saw her wearing my clothes.

• Si no contestas mis llamadas, me pongo bravo. – If you don’t answer my calls, I get angry.

• Se pusieron muy bravos porque no los dejaron entrar. – They got very angry because they didn’t let them in.

Estar furioso, Enfurecerse

Estar furioso, meaning to be furious, is a step up from simply being angry, implying a heightened level of emotion. The reflexive verb used to describe the process of becoming furious or becoming infuriated is enfurecerse.

In some Hispanic countries, like Mexico and El Salvador, fúrico is used instead of furioso.

• ¡Me mentiste! ¡Estoy furiosa contigo! – You lied to me! I’m furious with you!

• Mi papá está furioso conmigo por ir a la fiesta sin permiso. – My dad is furious with me for going to the party without permission.

• ¡Ya basta! ¡Estoy furiosísima, no quiero verte más por aquí! – That’s enough! I’m absolutely furious, I don’t want to see you here anymore!

• ¡Estoy tan fúrico que voy a gritar! – I’m so furious that I’m going to scream!

• Me enfurece que quieras hacerme quedar mal frente a mis colegas. – It infuriates me that you want to make me look bad in front of my colleagues.

In addition to working with the verb estar and having a corresponding verb, furioso can also be used with ponerse to convey the action of getting angry.

• Me pongo furiosa cada vez que mi esposo deja la ropa tirada en la sala. – I get furious every time my husband leaves his clothes lying around the living room.

• No me gustan tus amigos, siempre me ponen furioso con sus chistes crueles. – I don’t like your friends, they always infruriate me with their cruel jokes.

• Mis papás se pusieron furiosos cuando mi hermana llegó tarde a la cena. – My parents got furious when my sister was late for dinner.

Estar encolerizado, Encolerizarse

This expression is somewhat less prevalent in everyday conversations but might be encountered in the realms of news, literature, or more formal settings. Estar encolerizado can be translated as to be infuriated in English, and it implies an exceptionally elevated level of anger.

Because encolerizado already indicates high degree of fury, it’s somewhat redundant to add additional superlatives. Nonetheless, some people still use them, and this extra fury can even be found in some literature.

• Tu hermano estaba encolerizado y lanzó su teléfono por la ventana. – Your brother was infuriated and threw his phone out the window.

• Estoy tan encolerizado que me duele la cabeza. – I’m so angry that my head hurts.

• Perdón por las cosas que te dije ayer. Estaba encolerizadísima. – I’m sorry for the things I said to you yesterday. I was very angry.

• Me encoleriza mucho ver cómo te trata tu jefe. – It infuriates me to see how your boss treats you.

Estar harto, Hartarse

Estar harto translates to being fed up, sick of, or tired of. It’s a strong expression of frustration and irritation with a situation or person, and it’s used in informal settings.

It’s not that common to hear this expression with the superlative using the suffix -ísimo, but it’s still grammatically correct, so you may sometimes hear someone say estoy hartísimo when they’re totally fed up.

The corresponding reflexive verb is hartarse, which translates along the lines of to become fed up or to get sick of.

• Estoy harto de que me dejes plantado. – I’m fed up with you standing me up.

• Francamente, estamos hartos de escuchar discutir por lo mismo. – Frankly, we are tired of hearing you argue about the same thing.

• Me harta tu constante mal humor. Nos vemos cuando se te pase. – I’m sick of your constant bad temper. I’ll see you when it wears off.

• Estoy hartísimo ya. No quiero continuar con esto. – I’m sick of it already. I don’t want to continue with this.

Another variant that uses this adjective is tener harto, which emphasizes the person or thing that’s getting the angry person fed up, essentially pointing the finger at someone or something. In this construction, the verb’s subject is the thing causing distress, and the object the person who’s getting upset about it.

• Me tiene harto tu impuntualidad. Si vuelves a llegar tarde, te despido. – I’m sick of your lack of punctuality. If you’re late again, I’ll fire you.

• Me tienen harta tus chismes en el trabajo. Deja de hablar de los demás. – I’m sick of your gossip at work. Stop talking about others.

• El egoísmo de tus primos nos tiene hartos. Qué bueno que tú no eres así. – We’re sick of your cousins’ selfishness. It’s a good thing you’re not like that.

Estar cabreado, Cabrearse

This is a very common way to say you’re pissed off or mad in Spanish slang, particularly in Spain and Ecuador. The corresponding reflexive verb, cabrearse, translates as to get pissed off or to get mad in Spanish slang.

Besides being highly informal, some people also consider cabreado to be somewhat vulgar, so be careful with this expression.

• El entrenador estaba cabreado porque nadie hacía la rutina correctamente. – The trainer was pissed because no one was doing the workout correctly.

• Ayer estaba cabreadísima porque mi carro no encendía. – Yesterday I was pissed off because my car wouldn’t start.

• ¿Se cabreó tu novio por lo que le dijiste? – Did your boyfriend get mad because of what you said to him?

• ¡Estoy muy cabreado y solo quiero irme a casa! – I’m really pissed off and I just want to go home!

Estar emperrado, Emperrarse

Continuing with our ways to say angry in Spanish slang, emperrado is used in Mexican slang to say that you’re very angry.

In other countries, emperrado doesn’t have this same connotation, and instead refers to being stubborn or fixated with something. As a way to say angry, on the other hand, this expression is quite vulgar, so like with most slang, be careful to only use it in informal contexts to avoid misunderstandings.

• ¡No quiero volver a verte jamás, estoy emperrada contigo! – I never want to see you again, I’m mad at you!

• Mi papá descubrió que reprobé el examen de matemática y ahora está emperrado. – My dad found out I failed my math test and now he’s very angry.

• ¿Escuchaste lo que me dijo? ¡Estoy emperradísimo! – Did you hear what he said to me? I’m so mad!

• ¡No te me acerques que estoy muy emperrada en este momento! – Don’t come near me, I’m really mad right now.

• ¡Me emperra que nunca te disculpes cuando me dices algo hiriente! – It makes me so mad that you never apologize when you say something hurtful to me!

Estar arrecho, Arrecharse

Arrecho is colloquial term is widely used in various parts of Latin America, especially in Venezuela. Depending on the context, arrecho can even have positive connotations, such as surprise and admiration. However, as a way to say angry in Spanish slang, it conveys a sense of being angry, upset, or annoyed.

Note that in some countries like Colombia, arrecho is used to describe a person who is sexually aroused. Regardless of the connotation, this expression is considered to be very vulgar, so make sure you’re with the right audience if you choose to use it.

• Estoy arrecho porque manché mi camiseta favorita. – I’m mad because I stained my favorite T-shirt.

• ¿Por qué estás arrecha si no te dije nada? – Why are you mad if I didn’t tell you anything?

• Estoy arrechísima con mi amiga porque olvidó que hoy teníamos planes juntas. – I’m very mad at my friend because she forgot we had plans together today.

• Parece que están muy arrechos. No quisieron ni almorzar con nosotros. – It looks like they’re really mad. They wouldn’t even have lunch with us.

• Me arrecha que quieras actuar como si nada hubiera pasado. – It makes me mad that you want to act like nothing happened.

Estar emputado, Emputarse

Emputado is a more explicit way of saying you’re angry in Spanish slang. This expression is mostly just used in Colombia. It’s very informal, and should be perceived as strong language. With this in mind, it’s essential to be sensitive of the context and audience when using emputado.

• Estoy emputado, pasé tres semanas haciendo el proyecto y mi jefe lo descartó. – I’m so mad, I spent three weeks doing the project and my boss scrapped it.

• Empezó a llover y se me dañó el paraguas, estoy emputada. – It started to rain and my umbrella stopped working, I’m so mad.

• Otra vez se comieron el almuerzo de tu hermano, está emputadísimo. – Once again they ate your brother’s lunch, he’s really mad about it.

• Mi papás estaban muy emputados ayer por como te portaste. – My parents were really pissed off yesterday because of the way you behaved.

• ¡Me emputa que tomes mis cosas sin permiso! – It makes me so mad that you take my things without permission!

Phrases for describing Anger in Spanish

So far we’ve covered all the different expressions for expressing anger in Spanish with a series of adjectives, from the standard enojado to how to say angry in Spanish slang. Now let’s look at some additional idiomatic Spanish anger phrases.

Some of these have English counterparts, making it easier for learners to understand them, while others have backgrounds with different cultural particularities.

Qué rabia, Me da rabia

Translating to how infuriating or that makes me angry!, these phrases are commonly used to convey irritation about a specific situation or behavior.

• Qué rabia que la recepcionista siempre llegue tarde y nadie le llame la atención. – It makes me angry that the receptionist is always late and nobody ever reprimands her.

• Me da rabia que mis papás nunca me escuchen. – It makes me angry that my parents never listen to me.

• Me da mucha rabia toda esta situación. – This whole situation makes me very angry.

Me revienta

This expression translates literally to it makes me burst, and it’s widely used in Mexico. Me revienta is used to imply that something drives you crazy, expressing intense frustration or annoyance.

• No sabes cómo me revienta que me levantes la voz. – You don’t know how it pisses me off when you raise your voice at me.

• Si sabes que a mamá le revienta que derrames agua en el piso, no lo hagas y ya. – If you know it upsets mom when you spill water on the floor, just don’t do it.

• ¿Conoces a Sofía? A todos nos revienta que sea tan mala con sus compañeros. – Do you know Sofia? We all hate it when she’s so mean to her classmates.

Estoy que exploto

Like the previous one, this phrase conveys a high level of anger or frustration. It translates to I am about to burst.

• Perdí mis llaves, se robaron mi billetera y mi teléfono se descargó. ¡Estoy que exploto! – I lost my keys, my wallet was stolen, and my phone battery is dead. I’m about to burst!

• ¡Ya no me regañes más! ¿No ves que estoy que exploto? – Don’t nag me anymore! Can’t you see that I’m about to explode?

Subírsele la mostaza

This colloquial expression used in Argentina and Peru can be translated as turn up the mustard or the mustard got to them and it’s used to describe someone getting angry or losing their temper.

• A la profesora se le subió la mostaza y nos dejó un montón de tarea como castigo. – The teacher lost her temper and left us with a lot of homework as punishment.

• Antes de que lo supiera, se me subió la mostaza y ya estábamos discutiendo de nuevo. – Before I knew it, I lost my temper and we were arguing again.

Me hierve la sangre, Hace que me hierva la sangre

These expressions mean my blood boils and it makes my blood boil. They convey anger by emphasizing the visceral nature of the emotion.

• Me hierve la sangre cuando la gente arroja basura en la calle. – It makes my blood boil when people throw their trash in the street.

• Detesto cuando las personas son groseras con los meseros, hace que me hierva la sangre. – I hate it when people are rude to waiters, it makes my blood boil.

Sacar de las casillas

This phrase translates to it takes me out of my squares and finds its origin in traditional board games like Backgammon or Checkers. Casilla in Spanish translates to box or square, referring to the points on the board where players move their pieces. When an opponent lands on one of these points they take you out of your square, which can be an unexpected and frustrating event for the player.

Sacar de las casillas is used to mean that someone or something drives you crazy or makes you lose your composure due to irritation.

• Su actitud es tan molesta que me saca de mis casillas. – His attitude is so annoying that it drives me out of my mind.

• No fue mi intención gritarte, es que a veces me sacas de mis casillas. – I didn’t mean to yell at you, it’s just that sometimes you really get on my nerves.

Sacar de quicio

Similarly to the previous expression, sacar de quicio is used to convey the idea of annoying or irritating someone to the point of exasperation.

Sacar de quicio translates literally as to take out of the hinge or to unhinge. In English, it can be interpreted as it gets on my nerves or it drives me crazy.

• No puedo estar ni un minuto en su presencia, todo lo que dice me saca de quicio. – I can’t stand a minute in his presence, everything he says drives me crazy.

• ¿Puedes prestarme atención? Me saca de quicio cuando te hablo y no me escuchas. – Can you pay attention to me? It gets on my nerves when I talk to you and you don’t listen to me.

Estar a nada de

This phrase is used to convey being extremely close to reaching a breaking point or losing one’s temper. It can be used like the English phrases I’m this close or I’m on the verge of.

• Ya no lo soporto. Te juro que estoy a nada de perder la cabeza. – I can’t take it anymore. I swear I’m this close to losing my mind.

• Me has molestado tanto que estoy a nada de cancelar nuestra cita. – You’ve annoyed me so much that I’m this close to canceling our date.

Conclusion: How to talk about being angry in Spanish slang

Now you’re ready to let everyone know that you’re in a bad mood in Spanish! How about a quick recap before parting ways?

Today we covered plenty of Spanish exclamations of frustration. We considered that they vary in both formality and intensity, whether as a subtle expression of being upset or as an outright declaration of fury. We also learned that these are usually formed with the verb estar and that most have a corresponding reflexive verb, while several also work with the reflexive verb ponerse.

We covered both the most basic angry Spanish phrases, along with ways to say angry in Spanish slang with distinct regional connotations. Just remember to handle slang with care, as its appropriateness varies across contexts and audiences.

Finally, we included a selection of other Spanish phrases for expressing anger to enrich your arsenal when navigating moments of discontent or frustration.

And there you have it! While we sincerely hope that moments of anger are infrequent for you, we’ve equipped you with an array of angry Spanish phrases to aptly communicate your emotions when needed. Until our next post, take care!