What does it mean word for word?
Literally, me pican las bolas translates to "the balls itch me". This follows the Spanish grammatical structure where the body part is the subject and the person is the indirect object.
Which one should you use?
While me pican las bolas is a vulgar way to express the sensation, you should use me pican los testículos if you want to express the same physical sensation in a medical or non-vulgar manner.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase me pican las bolas is vulgar and should only be used in highly informal or crude contexts. For a formal way to express itching in the genital area, you can say Estoy experimentando picazón en la zona genital. Another informal variation is Me pican los huevos, where huevos is a colloquial term for testicles.
Did you know?
- The verb picar can describe an itch, but it also means 'to sting' or 'to peck' like a bird, and is the same word used for the spicy sensation of a chili pepper.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, saying tener huevos (literally 'to have eggs') is a compliment used to describe someone with great courage or 'balls'.
- The word picar is polysemic, meaning it can describe an itch, a sting, or the action of a bird pecking with its beak.
Examples in context
- Me pican las bolas debajo del pantalón.My balls are itchy under my pants.
- No puedo concentrarme, me pican las bolas.I can't concentrate, my balls are itchy.
- Creo que me pican las bolas por el sudor.I think my balls are itchy because of the sweat.
Example conversation
Mateo is complaining to Lucía while sitting on the sofa.
- MateoLucía, me pican las bolas.Lucía, my balls are itchy.
- Lucía¡Qué asco, Mateo! No me digas eso.How gross, Mateo! Don't tell me that.
- MateoEs que no aguanto más.It's just that I can't stand it anymore.
- LucíaVe al baño y soluciónalo tú mismo.Go to the bathroom and fix it yourself.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
