terrible
/teh-REE-bleh/
terrible
This image illustrates the main meaning of terrible as "awful" or "very bad."
terrible(Adjective)
terrible
?awful, very bad
,dreadful
?causing fear or suffering
horrible
?extremely unpleasant
,awful
?very bad or unpleasant
📝 In Action
La película fue terrible, no me gustó nada.
A2The movie was terrible, I didn't like it at all.
Tuvimos un accidente terrible en la autopista.
B1We had a terrible accident on the highway.
Siento un dolor de cabeza terrible.
A2I have a terrible headache.
💡 Grammar Points
Matching with Nouns
'Terrible' is an adjective, a word that describes things. It needs to match the thing it's describing. The good news is it's the same for masculine and feminine things ('un día terrible', 'una noche terrible'). For plural things, just add an '-s' ('días terribles', 'noches terribles').
❌ Common Pitfalls
Placement Matters
Mistake: "Vi una terrible película."
Correction: Vi una película terrible. In Spanish, descriptive words like 'terrible' usually come *after* the thing they describe. It's the opposite of English and a great way to sound more natural!
⭐ Usage Tips
Your Go-To for 'Very Bad'
Think of 'terrible' as a strong and common way to say something is very, very bad. It's a perfect replacement for 'muy malo' (very bad) in many situations and makes your Spanish sound more expressive.
Used informally, terrible can act as an intensifier meaning "tremendous" or "huge," such as describing intense heat (un calor terrible).
terrible(Adjective)
tremendous
?very great in amount or intensity
,huge
?extremely large
awful
?used as an intensifier, like 'an awful lot'
,fierce
?e.g., a fierce hunger
📝 In Action
¡Qué fiesta tan terrible! Nos divertimos muchísimo.
B2What a tremendous party! We had a great time.
Tengo un hambre terrible, podría comerme un caballo.
B1I'm terribly hungry, I could eat a horse.
El nuevo cantante tiene una voz terrible.
C1The new singer has a tremendous/powerful voice.
💡 Grammar Points
Boosting Another Word's Power
In this use, 'terrible' doesn't mean 'bad'. Instead, it acts like 'very' or 'extremely' to make another word stronger. So, 'un hambre terrible' means 'extreme hunger,' not 'a bad-tasting hunger'.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing 'Bad' with 'Intense'
Mistake: "Hearing '¡Qué mujer tan terrible!' and always assuming it's an insult."
Correction: It could be an insult, OR it could mean 'What a formidable/impressive woman!'. The speaker's tone of voice and the situation are your best clues to figure out the real meaning.
⭐ Usage Tips
Listen for the Tone
This meaning is all about context and tone. If someone says something is 'terrible' with a smile or a sense of awe, they probably mean 'tremendous' or 'intense', not 'awful'.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: terrible
Question 1 of 1
A friend comes out of a concert and says with a huge smile, '¡El concierto estuvo terrible!' What do they most likely mean?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 'terrible' ever be used for something good?
Yes, absolutely! While its main meaning is 'awful' or 'very bad', it's often used informally to mean 'tremendous', 'intense', or even 'awesome'. For example, '¡Hace un sol terrible!' means 'The sun is intensely strong!', which could be good or bad depending on if you want to go to the beach or not. Always look at the context and listen to the speaker's tone.
Does 'terrible' change for masculine and feminine nouns?
Nope, it's one of the easy ones! 'Terrible' stays the same for both. You say 'un libro terrible' (a terrible book) and 'una casa terrible' (a terrible house). You only need to add an '-s' at the end when you're talking about more than one thing: 'libros terribles' or 'casas terribles'.