¡madre mía!
The phrase 'oh brother' is translated into Spanish as ¡madre mía!
The phrase ¡madre mía! is used to express surprise, shock, dismay or exasperation, serving a similar function to the English expressions 'oh brother' or 'oh my goodness'.
How does it change in a sentence?
This phrase is almost always accompanied by exclamation marks to convey the intended emotion.
Did you know?
- Spanish has several other 'family' exclamations like ¡me lleva la madre!, which expresses a much stronger level of frustration or anger than the surprised ¡madre mía!
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, saying ¡madre mía! can be accompanied by a gesture of placing the hand on the forehead or chest to emphasize the exasperation.
- The word madre is a close relative of the English word 'matron'. Both descend from the Latin mātrem via a shared Proto-Italic root.
Examples in context
- ¡Madre mía!, no puedo creerlo.Oh brother, I can't believe it.
- ¡Madre mía!, perdí mis llaves otra vez.Oh brother, I lost my keys again.
Example conversation
Mateo tells María that he broke his phone screen.
- MaríaMateo, ¿qué te pasó?Mateo, what happened to you?
- MateoSe me cayó el teléfono al suelo.I dropped my phone on the floor.
- María¡Madre mía!, ¿está muy roto?Oh brother, is it very broken?
- MateoSí, la pantalla está fatal.Yes, the screen is terrible.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries madre, CC BY-SA 4.0.
