te mato
/te mato/from spelling rules
The Spanish phrase for "I kill you" is te mato.
te mato is used as a threat to tell someone that you will end their life.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the object pronoun te (you) and the first-person singular present indicative of matar (to kill).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Latin America, a regional expression used to convey a similar threat is ¡Te voy a borrar del mapa!, which means "I'm going to erase you from the map!"
How does it change in a sentence?
Although te mato is commonly used as a threat in the present tense, the grammatically correct way to express the future tense "I will kill you" is te mataré.
How do you pronounce it?
/te mato/
Did you know?
- In some Latin American dialects, the phrase me matas is used not to describe death, but to say that someone is making you laugh uncontrollably.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, using the formal lo mato or la mato instead of te mato would actually make the threat sound much more chilling and calculated.
- The Latin root of mato originally referred to a ritual sacrifice or honoring a deity by killing an animal, rather than a common murder.
Examples in context
- ¡Si me sigues molestando, te mato!If you keep bothering me, I'll kill you!
- ¡Aléjate o te mato!Get away or I'll kill you!
- ¡Te mato si tocas mis cosas!I'll kill you if you touch my things!
Example conversation
A heated argument between two siblings over a broken toy.
- María¡Ese es mi juguete y te mato si lo rompes!That is my toy and I'll kill you if you break it!
- JavierNo seas exagerada, María.Don't be dramatic, María.
- María¡Te lo digo en serio, te mato!I'm serious, I'll kill you!
- JavierEstá bien, no lo tocaré.Fine, I won't touch it.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mato, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
