Hangover in Spanish: Slang words for the day after

You know those times when you enjoyed a wild night out, where the drinks kept flowing and you somehow managed to stay up for hours in full-on party mode? You may struggle to tell your friends all the details of what happened last night, but the one thing you’re sure of is that, today, you’re hungover!

Hopefully your sorry state is something you can still laugh about with your friends, so it’s a good time to learn a peppy variety of different ways to say hangover in Spanish! We’ll see basics like resaca and crudo in Spanish slang, and then get into a bunch of strictly regional Spanish hangover terms like chuchaqui and guayabo.

You may not be sobered up yet by the time you reach the end of this post, but at least you’ll know some choice terms to say that you’re hungover in Spanish!

Una resaca

The most common word for a hangover in Spanish is una resaca. It’s used as a noun like the English term, so we use the verb tener to say we have a hangover. We sometimes omit the article, so both tengo una resaca and tengo resaca are good translations for I have a hangover in Spanish.

Resaca is the straightest translation of hangover in Spanish, and it’s widely recognized across Latin America and Spain. So if you’re looking for a neutral term that most Spanish speakers will understand, resaca is your safest bet.

• I drank too much last night and I have a hangover. My head hurts a lot. – Bebí demasiado anoche y tengo resaca. Me duele mucho la cabeza.

• I have a really bad hangover, I just want to sleep. – Tengo una resaca muy fuerte, solo quiero dormir.

Una cruda, Crudo/a

Crudo normally translates as raw or undercooked in English, so it’s most common when describing food that’s not ready for eating. Another translation is crude, which is suitable for giving a negative opinion of something like a piece of news or a situation.

When we use crudo in Spanish slang, however, we’re talking about being hungover. In this sense, there are two ways to use crudo in Spanish: as a noun and an adjective.

As a noun, we only use the feminine form: a hangover is una cruda.

As an adjective, we use the verb estar to say that someone is hungover. The adjective ending needs to match the gender of the person who’s hungover, so él está crudo means he is hungover and ella está cruda means she is hungover.

• I can’t take any more of this hangover. I need an ibuprofen. – No puedo más con esta cruda. Necesito un ibuprofeno.

• Alejandro is hungover, I don’t think he will come. – Alejandro está crudo, no creo que venga.

• Don’t talk so loud, I’m hungover, please. – No hables tan fuerte que estoy cruda, por favor.

Jumado/a

In several Caribbean countries, such as Costa Rica and Cuba, the adjective jumado is frequently used to describe being hungover. It’s used with estar, and needs to match the gender of the hungover person, so you might hear your Costa Rican girlfriend say estoy jumada after a heavy night of drinking!

Jumado may not be understood outside the Caribbean, but within this regions it’s the go-to word for saying you’re hungover in Spanish. If you’re spending time there, using the local slang of jumado will definitely help you blend in!

• I’m hungover, I can’t look at bright lights. – Estoy jumado, no puedo ver luces fuertes.

• That girl is hungover, she’s wearing sunglasses. – Esa chica está jumada, lleva lentes de sol.

Una goma

In Central American countries like Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, the feminine noun una goma is used to refer to a hangover. It’s used similarly to resaca, so tengo goma is the preferred way for Central Americans to say I have a hangover in Spanish. It’s a very regional term, so when dealing with the morning-after effects of alcohol, you’re unlikely to hear goma outside of Central America.

• When you drink rum, the hangover is terrible. – Cuando bebes ron, la goma es terrible.

• The boys drank a lot last night and they have a hangover. – Los muchachos bebieron mucho anoche y tienen goma.

Un ratón, Enratonado/a

In Venezuela, a hangover is often referred to as un ratón, which translates literally as a mouse. It’s used with tener, with or without the article, so tengo ratón is your best bet in Venezuelan slang to say I have a hangover.

As an adjective with the verb estar, you can say enratonado or enratonada to mean that you’re hungover.

These slang terms are unique to Venezuela, and are quite quirky compared to the more-literal terms used elsewhere!

• If you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, you will wake up with a hangover. – Si bebes alcohol con el estómago vacío, despertarás con ratón.

• My head hurts a lot, I’m hungover. – Me duele mucho la cabeza, estoy enratonado.

• My sister’s hungover. – Mi hermana está enratonada.

Un chuchaqui

In Ecuador, the word for a hangover is un chuchaqui. It’s less known outside of Ecuador, but it’s the go-to term within the country for expressing the aftermath of a night of heavy drinking.

• Want a soup for your hangover? – ¿Quieres una sopa para el chuchaqui?

• Drink water to make your hangover go away. – Toma agua para que se te pase el chuchaqui.

Un guayabo, Enguayabado/a

Normally, un guayabo is actually a guava tree, but for some reason it’s also the slang word for a hangover in Colombia. This term also has an adjective form: enguayabado and enguayabada.

• Did you take a pill for your hangover? – ¿Te tomaste una pastilla para el guayabo?

• Sabrina has slept all day because she’s hungover. – Sabrina ha dormido todo el día porque está enguayabada.

• My children are hungover because they went out to celebrate yesterday. – Mis hijos están enguayabados porque ayer salieron a celebrar.

Mala caña

In Chile, a less common but widely understood term for a hangover in Spanish is mala caña. Caña is the Spanish word for sugarcane, and since many alcoholic drinks in Latin America are made from sugarcane, caña is a common slang term for liquor or alcohol. Mala caña is therefore literally bad sugarcane, which is a fitting reference to alcohol’s effect on the body. What a poetic way to say you’ve got a hangover!

• I’m hungover, I don’t want to go out today. – Estoy con mala caña, no quiero salir hoy.

• I can tell you’re hungover from far away. – Se te nota la mala caña desde lejos.

Conclusion: Hangovers in Spanish

Well, what better way to help you sober up than a fun lesson on how to say you’re hungover in Spanish! Or maybe you’re still feeling it, but at least you can say you have a hangover in Spanish!

It might seem silly, but enriching your vocabulary with slang not only helps you sound more natural but also gives you insight into the diversity of the language across different regions. So whether you’re enratonado in Venezuela, you’ve got a nasty chuchaqui in Ecuador, you’re feeling enguayabado in Colombia, or you woke up with mala caña in Chile, you’re now well prepared to engage in juicy conversations about the night before with native speakers and sound like a true local!

Finally, if you’re still in the mood for a drink, we’ll leave you with a couple of other posts that’ll come in handy during happy hour!

Cheers in Spanish: From Salud to Chinchín and more

¡Salud! An International Guide to Beer in Spanish