te voy a pegar
/te boi a peɡaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I will hit you" is translated into Spanish as te voy a pegar.
This phrase is used as a threat to physically strike someone.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase te voy a pegar literally translates to "I am going to hit you".
Which one should you use?
While te voy a pegar is the most common way to express this threat in spoken Spanish, te pegaré is the grammatically direct future tense version.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, you may hear te daré una hostia to mean "I will hit you". In Mexico, a casual way to say this is te voy a madrear. In Argentina, te voy a reventar is used as an aggressive way to express the threat.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun te is used when addressing a single person informally. To address a group of people, use os voy a pegar in Spain or les voy a pegar in Latin America and formal Spanish in Spain.
Did you know?
- In Spain, a very common way to threaten someone is to say te daré una hostia. While 'hostia' is the word for the 'Eucharist' in a religious context, here it is used as a slang term for a blow or a hit.
- The verb pegar originally meant to smear something with 'pitch', a sticky substance like resin or tar. This shares a common ancestor with the English word 'pitch'.
- The verb pegar is also used to describe clothes or colors that match well. If an outfit pega, it means the styles complement each other.
Examples in context
- ¡Si no dejas de molestar, te voy a pegar!If you don't stop bothering me, I will hit you!
- ¡Cuidado, que te voy a pegar!Watch out, or I will hit you!
- ¡No me hagas enojar o te voy a pegar!Don't make me angry or I will hit you!
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are arguing over a toy.
- Lucía¡Dame mi juguete ahora mismo!Give me my toy right now!
- JavierNo quiero, es mío ahora.I don't want to, it's mine now.
- Lucía¡Suéltalo o te voy a pegar!Let go or I will hit you!
- JavierEstá bien, toma tu juguete.Fine, take your toy.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, pegar, te, voy, CC BY-SA 4.0.
