Inklingo

How to Say "cheesy" in Spanish

The Spanish word forcheesyis cursiB1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.

English → SpanishB1

cursi

adjectiveB1informal
overly sentimental or romantic
A large, fluffy pink plush heart decorated with white lace and shiny glitter.

Examples

No seas tan cursi, no me digas esas cosas delante de la gente.

Don't be so cheesy, don't say those things to me in front of people.

La decoración de la fiesta era un poco cursi con tantos corazones rosas.

The party decorations were a bit tacky with so many pink hearts.

Me parece cursi escribir poemas de amor en servilletas.

I think it's corny to write love poems on napkins.

One word for everyone

This word doesn't change based on gender. You can say 'él es cursi' or 'ella es cursi'—the ending always stays as an 'i'.

Ser vs. Estar with Cursi

Use 'ser' if someone has a cheesy personality, and 'estar' if they are just acting or looking cheesy at a specific moment.

Avoid 'cursa'

Mistake:Esa película es muy cursa.

Correction: Esa película es muy cursi. Even if the object is feminine, the word always ends in 'i'.

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