Spanish · Emotions & Descriptions

"Terrible" in Spanish: terrible

terrible

Say it: teh-RREE-blehadjective/te.ˈri.βle/

Terrible in Spanish is terrible. It does not change for gender. ¡Qué terrible! marks bad news.

Bad day

Hoy fue un día terrible.
Today was a terrible day.
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How to pronounce terrible

Say it

teh-RREE-bleh

/te.ˈri.βle/

teh-RREE-bleh. Rolled rr. Stress RREE.

"Terrible" in Spanish: quick reference

SpanishEnglish
terribleterrible

Strong negative.

qué terriblehow terrible

Sympathy or shock.

terriblesterrible (plural)

Several things.

un día terriblea terrible day

Everyday complaint.

How to use terrible in real life

  1. 1Bad day

    Hoy fue un día terrible.

    Today was a terrible day.

    Terrible with día.

  2. 2Traffic

    El tráfico está terrible esta mañana.

    Traffic is terrible this morning.

    Terrible for intensity.

  3. 3Sympathy

    Qué terrible. ¿Estás bien?

    How terrible. Are you okay?

    Qué terrible reaction.

Mistakes English speakers make with terrible

Incorrect: Una noche terriblea.

Correct: Una noche terrible.

Do not add -a. Terrible stays the same.

Incorrect: Fue un día terribles.

Correct: Fue un día terrible.

Singular terrible with un día. Terribles is plural.

Good to know

Terrible is strong. Soften with malo or feo for milder gripes. In some regions horrible is also common. ¡Qué terrible! shows empathy.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Hearing about a canceled flight

  1. ChatPal

    Qué terrible. Cancelaron tu vuelo.

    How terrible. They canceled your flight.

  2. You

    Sí. Fue terrible. Tres horas en fila.

    Yes. It was terrible. Three hours in line.

  3. ChatPal

    Qué terrible. ¿Ya tienes otro boleto?

    How terrible. Do you already have another ticket?

  4. You

    Todavía no. Estoy en la app.

    Not yet. I’m in the app.

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"Terrible" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "Terrible" in Spanish

Does terrible change for gender?

No. Terrible is the same for all genders.

How do I pronounce terrible?

teh-RREE-bleh. Roll the rr.

Is terrible too strong?

Yes for mild issues. Use malo for softer complaints.

Plural form?

Terribles.

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