Which one should you use?
Use estuve drogado instead of estaba drogado if you are referring to a completed, specific period of time during which you were high.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal situations, you can say Estaba bajo los efectos de alguna sustancia (I was under the influence of some substance) or Me encontraba en un estado alterado debido a una sustancia (I was in an altered state due to a substance). In casual conversation, the colloquial expression estaba colocado is commonly used. Additionally, the slang expression estaba volado is used to describe being high or flying.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The slang expression estaba volado is used in several Latin American countries.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the imperfect tense (estaba) to describe a continuous state in the past. If the speaker is female, the adjective must change from drogado to drogada.
How do you pronounce it?
/estaba dɾoɡado/
Did you know?
- Using the word drogado can sometimes carry a heavier social stigma than the English 'high', as it often implies a clinical or criminalized state of drug use.
- In some Latin American countries, volado can also describe someone who is scatterbrained or forgetful, even if they are not using drugs.
- Spanish often uses the reflexive verb drogarse to describe the act of getting high, which emphasizes the action as something the person did to themselves.
Examples in context
- Yo estaba drogado.I was high.
- No lo recuerdo bien porque estaba drogado.I don't remember well because I was high.
- Él me dijo que estaba drogado.He told me that he was high.
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are talking about a party from last night.
- Sofía¿Qué te pasó anoche?What happened to you last night?
- MateoNo sé, creo que estaba drogado.I don't know, I think I was high.
- SofíaPor eso no contestabas mis mensajes.That's why you weren't answering my messages.
- MateoLo siento, Sofía.I am sorry, Sofia.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
