nervios
/ˈneɾbjos/
The English phrase "nerves" is translated into Spanish as nervios.
In informal conversations, you might also hear the phrase tener mariposas en el estómago to express the feeling of having butterflies in the stomach.
Which one should you use?
While nervios is the noun for "nerves", you should use nervioso if you want to use the adjective "nervous" to describe a person.
How does it change in a sentence?
Nervios is a masculine noun and is almost always used in its plural form when referring to the sensation of anxiety or agitation.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈneɾbjos/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures los nervios is used as a vague diagnosis for a wide range of emotional or physical ailments that do not have a clear medical cause.
- You may hear the expression estoy con los nervios a flor de piel, meaning the nerves are 'at the flower of the skin'.
- A person might say they have 'los nervios destrozados' if they are completely exhausted or frazzled, which translates to having 'destroyed nerves'.
Examples in context
- Me pone de los nervios.It gets on my nerves.This sentence is useful for expressing that something gets on your nervios.Tatoeba #2137081 by Shishir, translation #51263 by CK
- El ruido me pone nervioso.The noise gets on my nerves.This sentence shows how noise can affect your nervios.Tatoeba #1612890 by marcelostockle, translation #47756 by CK
- Él tiene nervios de acero.He has nerves of steel.This sentence uses nervios to describe someone with nerves of steel.Tatoeba #1737445 by hayastan, translation #13637632 by araneo
- Tengo muchos nervios antes de la presentación.I have a lot of nerves before the presentation.
- Existe una cierta ansiedad entre los candidatos antes de una entrevista de trabajo.There is a certain level of nervousness among the candidates before a job interview.
- Siempre me pongo muy nervioso/a antes de hablar en público.I always get very nervous before speaking in public.
- 24 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro is preparing for a job interview and Elena is supporting him.
- Elena¿Estás bien, Alejandro?Are you okay, Alejandro?
- AlejandroSí, pero tengo muchos nervios.Yes, but I have a lot of nerves.
- ElenaEs normal tener los nervios a flor de piel.It is normal to have your nerves on edge.
- AlejandroGracias por intentar calmarme, Elena.Thanks for trying to calm me down, Elena.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry nervios, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
