caramba
/kaˈɾamba/
The English word golly is translated into Spanish as caramba.
Meaning: Translations (intj)
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈɾamba/
Did you know?
- The word caramba is a euphemism designed to avoid saying carajo, which is a much stronger and potentially offensive swear word.
- Spanish has many 'masked' exclamations like caramba that swap a single letter or sound to turn a taboo word into a harmless one.
- While caramba expresses surprise, using it with a specific tone in some regions can signal annoyance or impatience rather than amazement.
Examples in context
- ¡Dios mío, qué sorpresa!Golly, what a surprise!
- ¡Cielos, no puedo creerlo!Golly, I can't believe it!
- ¡Caray, qué rápido pasa el tiempo!Golly, time flies!
- ¡Guau, qué bonito!Golly, how beautiful!
- ¡Dios mío, esto es increíble!WOW, this is incredible!
- Caray, qué sorpresa tan grande.Golly, what a big surprise.
- ¡Guau, qué buen truco!Golly, what a great trick!
- ¡Madre mía, qué maravilla!Golly, how marvelous!
- Caramba, no sabía eso.Golly, I didn't know that.
- ¡Caramba, mira ese perro!Golly, look at that dog!
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are walking in a park when they see a large, colorful bird.
- Lucía¡Caramba, Mateo, mira ese pájaro!Golly, Mateo, look at that bird!
- MateoEs increíble, Lucía.It is incredible, Lucía.
- LucíaNunca había visto algo así.I have never seen anything like it.
- MateoEs un momento muy especial.It is a very special moment.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “golly” translations and entries caramba, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries caramba, CC BY-SA 4.0.
