hombre tonto
/ombɾe tonto/from spelling rules
The English phrase "dumb man" can be translated into Spanish as hombre tonto.
hombre tonto is used to describe a man who lacks intelligence or exhibits poor judgment. If you wish to emphasize the level of stupidity, you can use the adjective estúpido instead of tonto.
Which one should you use?
It is important to distinguish between intelligence and physical ability. While tonto refers to a lack of intelligence, the phrase hombre mudo refers to a man who is physically unable to speak. Furthermore, while hombre tonto is somewhat descriptive, the word idiota is a more common and sharper way to call someone a dumb man during casual conversation.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more informal or casual tone, you can use Tío tonto, where tío translates to "dude" or "guy". If you want to be colloquial and playful, Hombre bobo carries a sense of light-heartedness.
How do you pronounce it?
/ombɾe tonto/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- ¡Ese tío tonto siempre hace las mismas tonterías!That dumb guy always does the same silly things!
- Ese chavo tonto no entiende nada de lo que le explicamos.That dumb dude doesn't understand anything we explain to him.
- Ese hombre tonto perdió su dinero.That dumb man lost his money.
- Es un hombre tonto y sin juicio.He is a dumb man without judgment.
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are discussing a coworker's mistake.
- JavierMira lo que hizo mi jefe.Look at what my boss did.
- ElenaEs un hombre tonto, Javier.He is a dumb man, Javier.
- JavierTienes razón, no sabe nada.You are right, he knows nothing.
- ElenaEs increíble que trabaje allí.It's incredible that he works there.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hombre, tonto, CC BY-SA 4.0.
