Inklingo

How to Say "nasty" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “nasty” is “desagradable” — use this for general unpleasantness, especially for strong smells or when describing a person's unpleasant nature..

English → Spanish

desagradable

deh-sah-grah-DAH-bleh/desaɣraˈðable/

adjectiveA2general
Use this for general unpleasantness, especially for strong smells or when describing a person's unpleasant nature.
A colorful storybook illustration showing a small child character holding a piece of visibly rotten, brown fruit. Green wavy lines symbolizing a foul odor are rising from the fruit, and the child is recoiling slightly with a wrinkled nose.

Examples

El olor en la cocina era muy desagradable.

The smell in the kitchen was very unpleasant.

No quiero trabajar con él; es una persona muy desagradable.

I don't want to work with him; he is a very disagreeable person.

Tuvimos una experiencia desagradable en el aeropuerto.

We had an unpleasant experience at the airport.

Gender Agreement Tip

Since 'desagradable' ends in '-e', it describes both masculine and feminine things without changing its ending. You only need to make it plural: 'desagradables'.

Using Ser vs. Estar

When describing a permanent or typical characteristic (like a person's personality), use 'ser': 'Él es desagradable'. For a temporary state (like a bad taste right now), use 'estar': 'La sopa está desagradable hoy'.

Forgetting the Plural

Mistake: “Las personas desagradable.”

Correction: Las personas desagradables. (Adjectives must match the noun's number.)

asqueroso

ahs-keh-ROH-soh/as.keˈro.so/

adjectiveB1general
This word implies a strong sense of disgust, typically used for extremely unpleasant tastes or smells that make you feel sick.
A close-up illustration of a pile of bright green, bubbly slime mixed with several pieces of rotting, brown fruit.

Examples

Ese olor es asqueroso, ¿qué es?

That smell is disgusting, what is it?

La sopa estaba fría y asquerosa, no pude comerla.

The soup was cold and gross; I couldn't eat it.

La película tenía escenas asquerosas que me hicieron taparme los ojos.

The movie had disgusting scenes that made me cover my eyes.

Adjective Agreement

Like most Spanish adjectives, 'asqueroso' must match the thing it describes in both number (singular/plural) and gender (masculine/feminine). Remember: asqueroso, asquerosa, asquerosos, asquerosas.

Forgetting Gender Change

Mistake: “La comida era asqueroso.”

Correction: La comida era asquerosa. (Because 'comida' is feminine, the adjective must also be feminine.)

feo

FAY-oh/ˈfe.o/

adjectiveB1general
Use this to describe unpleasant or difficult situations, moments, or even bad weather.
A child sitting on the ground looking sad next to a large puddle of spilled, melted ice cream, illustrating a bad situation.

Examples

Tuvimos un momento feo cuando se rompió la máquina.

We had a bad/unpleasant moment when the machine broke.

El jefe nos puso en un aprieto feo.

The boss put us in a nasty situation.

Hizo un tiempo muy feo toda la semana.

The weather was very nasty/bad all week.

Describing Situations

When 'feo' is applied to abstract concepts like 'momento' (moment) or 'asunto' (matter), it takes on the meaning of unpleasant, difficult, or morally wrong.

sucio

SOO-thee-oh (Spain) / SOO-see-oh (Latin America)/ˈsu.θjo/

adjectiveB1informal
This refers to 'nasty' in the sense of being unfair, dishonest, or unsportsmanlike, often in a competitive context.
A cartoon character's hand secretly sliding a single playing card from under a table while looking around nervously, symbolizing deceit or dishonesty.

Examples

Ganó el partido con un juego sucio y muchas trampas.

He won the match with dirty play and lots of cheating.

Ese dinero sucio proviene de actividades ilegales.

That dirty money comes from illegal activities.

No hagas comentarios sucios delante de los niños.

Don't make indecent comments in front of the children.

fea

FEH-ah/ˈfe.a/

adjectiveA1general
Use this feminine form when 'nasty' describes something visually unappealing or ugly, like a painting or a piece of art.
A single, centrally placed, green, lumpy, disproportionate monster face with mismatched eyes and warts, illustrating the concept of being ugly.

Examples

La pintura que compró es realmente fea.

The painting she bought is really ugly.

Tuvimos una experiencia muy fea en el viaje.

We had a very nasty/bad experience on the trip.

¡Qué fea está la tormenta!

What a bad storm!

Gender Agreement

'Fea' is the feminine singular form. Remember that adjectives must match the noun they describe: use 'fea' for singular, feminine nouns (like 'chica' or 'mesa').

Placement

Like most Spanish adjectives, 'fea' usually comes immediately after the noun it describes: 'la casa fea' (the ugly house).

Mixing Genders

Mistake: “El perro es fea.”

Correction: El perro es feo. (The dog is masculine, so the adjective must be 'feo'.)

Don't confuse 'feo/fea' with 'desagradable' or 'asqueroso'

Learners often use 'feo' or 'fea' for smells or tastes, but 'desagradable' and 'asqueroso' are the correct terms for those senses. 'Feo/fea' is primarily for visual ugliness or unpleasant situations/behavior, not sensory disgust.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.