How to Say "to grumble" in Spanish
The most common Spanish word for “to grumble” is “quejarse” — use this word for general, everyday complaining about something you are unhappy with..
quejarse
/keh-HAR-seh//keˈxaɾse/
Examples
Siempre se queja de la comida en la escuela.
He always complains about the food at school.
No me quejo, la vida me va muy bien.
I'm not complaining, life is going very well for me.
Si no te gusta el servicio, deberías quejarte con el gerente.
If you don't like the service, you should complain to the manager.
The Reflexive Pronoun
This verb is always used with 'reflexive pronouns' (me, te, se, nos, os). Even if you aren't complaining 'to yourself,' these little words are required for the verb to work.
The preposition 'de'
In English, you complain 'about' something. In Spanish, you almost always use 'de' to connect the verb to the thing you dislike.
Forgetting the 'se' pronouns
Mistake: “Yo quejo del frío.”
Correction: Me quejo del frío. (You must include 'me' for the verb to be correct.)
Using 'sobre' instead of 'de'
Mistake: “Se queja sobre su jefe.”
Correction: Se queja de su jefe. (While 'sobre' is understood, 'de' is the natural choice for complaints.)
gruñir
/groon-yeer//ɡɾuˈɲiɾ/
Examples
Mi abuelo siempre gruñe cuando tiene que levantarse temprano.
My grandfather always grumbles when he has to get up early.
Deja de gruñir y ayúdame con la limpieza.
Stop grumbling and help me with the cleaning.
Entró en la habitación gruñendo algo sobre el tráfico.
He came into the room muttering something about the traffic.
Describing Attitudes
When used for people, it's often followed by 'algo' (something) or 'por' (because of). It describes the manner of speaking rather than the specific words.
Quejarse vs. Gruñir
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