Insulting is an art form. Although it may seem like an easy task, not everyone has the ability to do it with style and elegance.
So, if you want to go beyond “shitty sailors,”we’ve put together a list of Catalan insults you need to know to win your nextverbal sparring match.
We know some insults sound old-fashioned, yes, but is there anything better than seeing the look on your friend’s (or enemy’s) face when you yell “tros de quòniam” at them?
Here’s our little guide to being a proper, feisty Catalan:
Aixafaguitarres: That’s the friend who ruins absolutely everything, a total pain in the neck. You’re better off not having one around if you want to have a good time at a party (or anywhere else).
Babau: Some of you will surely remember the children’s song about Gripau blau babau. Ababau isa harmless person who thinks everything is fine, never complains about anything, and lets everyone walk all over them. It’s actually a little sad, to be honest.
Baliga-balaga: This is the typical person who can’t get serious when they need to. Maybe it’s fun to have them around sometimes for a good laugh, but when things get serious, stay away from him or her.
Bocamoll: That loudmouth, chatty person you can’t ask to keep a secret because they’ll blab it right away—I’m sure someone’s already popped into your head.
Botifler: This is the typical person who, when the time comes, switches sides and betrays their own. Someone who doesn’t care who they are or where they come from and prefers to side with the enemy.
Brètol: Perfect for yelling at a car with an Andorran license plate that’s passing you on the right on the AP-7. He’s a scoundrel, a cheeky bastard, a total asshole, basically.
Carallot: Remember Ralph from The Simpsons? Well, he’s a bit of a carallot. He’s basically the typical dimwit, slow on the uptake, and clueless about everything.
Source: Shutterstock
Cap de suro: Yell this at someone who’s really stupid, who does everything wrong and seems like they’re not capable of anything else. We love its literal translation: “cork head” or “airhead.”
Cul d’olla: A very useless person, a ” ximple ” as we’d say in Catalan. So you can call your boss that—someone who never solves anything and lacks decision-making and leadership skills.
Capsigrany: Acapsigrany is basically a dimwit, a bit of a fool. If after explaining something to someone forty times, they still get it wrong, call thema capsigrany and don’t feel a bit bad about it.
Curt de gambals: It has a similar meaning tocapsigrany, butit’s more like someone who’s short-sighted, who just can’t get it together.
Dropo: This is a slacker, a professional shirker—someone who doesn’t like to lift a finger. He’s usually sitting on the couch with his phone while you’re cleaning up the vacation home where you spent the weekend with friends. And yes, he hasn’t washed a single dish—don’t even expect it; it goes against his nature.
Escanyapobres: Literally “poor-choker.” A stingy or tight-fisted person who doesn’t want to spend money on anything. Jokes about Catalans are off-limits (or not) here.
Estaquirot: Unlike adropo, this person surely has good intentions and wants to help. The problem? They’re a bitscatterbrained and end up getting in the way more than helping.
Figaflor: Used to describe someone who is weak, lacks backbone, and doesn’t know how to face life’s adversities.
Galifardeu: A show-off or a bully; these people come off as terrible right from the start. No one has asked them for anything, and they’re already looking down on you.
Ganàpia: This is how you’d refer to that adult with Peter Pan syndrome who keeps acting like a kid and doing silly things even though they’re over 30.
Llepaculs: A brown-noser as big as a cathedral. Mr. Brown-Noser. Its literal translation is “ass-kisser.”
Llepafils: A typical fussy eater who can’t be persuaded to leave the kids’ menu. We have no proof, but no doubt either, that they’re on Team Tortilla Without Onions.
Malparit: A true classic. One of the most versatile insults, it literally means “badly born” or “ill-begotten,” and is used whenever you want to yell something at someone. Did someone cut you off on the left? Malparit. Are they giving you bureaucratic hassles at the SEPE? Malparits. Did someone steal your phone? Malparit.
Mitja merda: This translates to “half a piece of shit,” which is nothing—just a coward, a good-for-nothing, a wimp. If you get into a fight with a mitja merda, you’re bound to win; he’s probably five feet tall and less intimidating than a grandmother crocheting.
Source: Shutterstock
Pallús: The right word is “slow on the uptake.” In other words, it takes their brain too long to process things.
Panxacontenta: A carefree person, to the point where they couldn’t care less about anything. They’re always happy and don’t get stressed out by doing nothing. Sometimes, a panxacontenta brightens our day with their good humor, but other times they end up getting on our nerves with their lack of concern for life.
Poca-solta: A lifelong scoundrel. You probably have more than one in your inner circle. Or… is it you?
Pocavergonya: Although it resembles the Spanish “pocavergüenza,” in Catalonia it’s used as a poisoned dart to describe a professional cheeky person. He’s the one who cuts in line at the supermarket, the one who never pulls out his wallet when the bill comes, or the one who parks in your driveway “just for five little minutes.” He’s not quite a criminal, but he’s so thick-skinned you could chip ice off his face.
Pocatraça: Not just clumsy, but incredibly clumsy. A total klutz—they failed art class because they couldn’t cut anything, and you’d better not let them hold even a plate. Deep down, we’re all a little bit pocatraça.
Sòmines: If you have one around, you’re sure to get on your nerves. A sòmines is someone who’s very slow, with absolutely no mental agility. Sometimes you can’t understand how someone can take so long to process something so simple.
Tanoca: Someone who’s slow on the uptake, who’s harmless, who thinks everything’s fine, and who lets others lead them around.
Torracollons: The usual pain in the ass. A total pain when you have one around.
Tòtil: The Catalan equivalent of “you’re a dork” or “we’re a bunch of dorks.” For example, if you lose playing soccer against 12-year-olds, maybe you’re a bit of a tòtil.
Trinxeraire: We’ve all been one at some point in our lives, especially as teenagers, when we spent long hours on the streets with no goals or direction. It means drifting aimlessly through life, and even though we may seem like functional adults, we’re still a little lost.
Tros de quòniam: It’s a way of saying “annoying” but a bit more elegantly. The perfect word to insult a friend who won’tstop bugging you.
Pixapins: We all know it: it’s the derogatory term used in Catalonia to refer to people who live in the city—especially in Barcelona—and who often take advantage of holidays or weekends to go on day trips to the countryside. It literally means “pine pee,” and is used to describe those who, despite living in urban environments, seek to escape to nature in their free time.
Nyicris: A frail, physically weak, or scrawny person . Perfect for describing someone who looks like they’re going to break in the wind.
Belda asolellada: Literally, a “sun-dried chard.” It describes someone who has no blood in their veins, who is dull, lazy, and seems like they’re going to fall apart at any moment. If someone stands there gawking at the shrews while everyone else is going full throttle, they’re a bleda assolellada. They don’t bother anyone, but their lack of vitality is a bit exasperating.