How to Say "terrible" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “terrible” is “terrible” — use 'terrible' for a general, direct translation of 'terrible' when something is very bad or unpleasant, like a bad movie or a poor experience..
terrible
/teh-REE-bleh//teˈrible/
Examples
La película fue terrible, no me gustó nada.
The movie was terrible, I didn't like it at all.
Tuvimos un accidente terrible en la autopista.
We had a terrible accident on the highway.
Siento un dolor de cabeza terrible.
I have a terrible headache.
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').
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!
pésimo
Examples
La comida en ese hotel era pésima.
The food at that hotel was awful.
fatal
fah-TAHL/faˈtal/
Examples
La comida en ese restaurante era fatal, no pudimos terminarla.
The food at that restaurant was terrible; we couldn't finish it.
Mi entrevista de trabajo fue fatal. No creo que me llamen.
My job interview went terribly (was awful). I don't think they'll call me.
Always the Same Form
Unlike most Spanish adjectives, 'fatal' does not change its ending to match the noun's gender (masculine or feminine) or number (singular or plural). It always stays 'fatal'.
Overusing -mente
Mistake: “Hablamos fatalmente de la película.”
Correction: Hablamos fatal de la película. ('Fatal' can act as an adverb without the '-mente' ending.)
horribles
or-REE-blehs/oˈri.βles/
Examples
Las noticias que recibimos fueron horribles.
The news we received was horrible (or awful).
Tienen unos modales tan horribles que nadie quiere invitarlos.
They have such awful manners that nobody wants to invite them.
Esos colores son horribles para pintar la cocina.
Those colors are dreadful for painting the kitchen.
Plural Form of an Adjective
This word is the plural form of the adjective 'horrible.' Since 'horrible' ends in a vowel ('e'), we make it plural by adding '-s', resulting in 'horribles.' This form is used when describing two or more things.
Agreement is Key
Adjectives in Spanish must match the nouns they describe. Since 'horribles' is plural, it can only describe plural nouns (e.g., 'errores' or 'situaciones').
Forgetting the Plural
Mistake: “La comida fue horrible (talking about multiple dishes).”
Correction: Las comidas fueron horribles. (The adjective must match the plural subject 'comidas').
tremendo
treh-MEN-doh/tɾeˈmen.do/
Examples
Fue una tremenda equivocación confiar en él.
It was a terrible mistake to trust him.
El equipo sufrió una tremenda derrota en la final.
The team suffered an awful defeat in the final.
Meaning Shift
The meaning of 'tremendo' often depends on the context. If you are describing something negative, it intensifies that negativity (e.g., 'tremenda hambre' means severe hunger).
perra
/PEH-rrah//'pera/
Examples
Tuve una jaqueca perra todo el día de ayer.
I had a terrible migraine all day yesterday.
¡Qué vida más perra! Nada me sale bien.
What a miserable life! Nothing is going right for me.
Adjective Agreement
When used this way, 'perra' is an adjective and must match the gender of the thing it describes. For a feminine noun use 'perra' (una noche perra), and for a masculine noun use 'perro' (un día perro).
Choosing Between 'Pésimo' and 'Terrible'
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