More than 'loco': The many ways to say crazy in Spanish
Even people who don’t speak Spanish know that 'loco' means crazy, but there are plenty of other amusing ways to describe madness in Spain.
Loco/a is the Spanish adjective for mad or crazy, in the sense of someone who is insane or mentally unstable.
It can also be used as a noun to name a mad person, un loco or una loca.
If you want to say that someone has gone mad, you say se ha vuelto loco/a.
English has a wide array of expressions and words to describe craziness, and as we’re about to see, Spanish is no different.
Estar como una cabra - To be like a goat
Example:
Este tío está como una cabra.
This guy is barking mad.
Estar como una regadera - To be like a watering can
Example:
¡Madre mía! ¡Estás como una regadera!
Oh my! You're bananas!
Estar mal de la olla - To not be well of the pot
Example:
¿Pero qué te pasa? ¿Estás mal de la olla?
¿What’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad?
Faltarle un tornillo - To lack a screw
Example:
Le falta un tornillo, por eso vive en un árbol.
He’s got a screw loose, that’s why he lives in a tree.
Estar mal de la cabeza - To not be right in the head
Example:
Marcos está mal de la cabeza, yo que tú lo evitaría.
Marcos isn’t right in the head, if I were you I’d avoid him.
Faltarle un agua/hervor - To be lacking some water/boiling
Example:
A mi abuela le falta un hervor, es muy mayor ya.
My gran’s lost her marbles, she’s very old now.
Estar colgado/a - To be hanging
Está colgado, va por la calle desnudo.
He’s batshit crazy, he walks around naked outdoors.
Irse a alguien la pinza/la olla - To lose one’s clothes peg/pot
Example:
¡Se te ha ido la pinza! ¿Por qué has hecho eso?
You’ve gone mad! Why did you do that?
Estar chiflado/chalado
Example:
Es el típico profesor chiflado.
He’s the typical mad professor.
Estar majareta/majara
Example:
Cuidado con la chica esa, está majara.
Careful with that girl, she’s not all there.
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See Also
Loco/a is the Spanish adjective for mad or crazy, in the sense of someone who is insane or mentally unstable.
It can also be used as a noun to name a mad person, un loco or una loca.
If you want to say that someone has gone mad, you say se ha vuelto loco/a.
English has a wide array of expressions and words to describe craziness, and as we’re about to see, Spanish is no different.
Estar como una cabra - To be like a goat
Example:
Este tío está como una cabra.
This guy is barking mad.
Estar como una regadera - To be like a watering can
Example:
¡Madre mía! ¡Estás como una regadera!
Oh my! You're bananas!
Estar mal de la olla - To not be well of the pot
Example:
¿Pero qué te pasa? ¿Estás mal de la olla?
¿What’s wrong with you? Have you gone mad?
Faltarle un tornillo - To lack a screw
Example:
Le falta un tornillo, por eso vive en un árbol.
He’s got a screw loose, that’s why he lives in a tree.
Estar mal de la cabeza - To not be right in the head
Example:
Marcos está mal de la cabeza, yo que tú lo evitaría.
Marcos isn’t right in the head, if I were you I’d avoid him.
Faltarle un agua/hervor - To be lacking some water/boiling
Example:
A mi abuela le falta un hervor, es muy mayor ya.
My gran’s lost her marbles, she’s very old now.
Estar colgado/a - To be hanging
Está colgado, va por la calle desnudo.
He’s batshit crazy, he walks around naked outdoors.
Irse a alguien la pinza/la olla - To lose one’s clothes peg/pot
Example:
¡Se te ha ido la pinza! ¿Por qué has hecho eso?
You’ve gone mad! Why did you do that?
Estar chiflado/chalado
Example:
Es el típico profesor chiflado.
He’s the typical mad professor.
Estar majareta/majara
Example:
Cuidado con la chica esa, está majara.
Careful with that girl, she’s not all there.
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