arrugar la nariz
/aruɡaɾ la naɾiθ/from spelling rules
To scrunch your nose in Spanish is arrugar la nariz.
This phrase is used to describe the action of tightening the muscles of your nose so that the skin wrinkles, often to show dislike or disgust.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb arrugar (to wrinkle) and la nariz (the nose).
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb arrugar is a regular -ar verb. In the third-person singular preterite (past tense), it becomes arrugó as seen in arrugó la nariz (he/she scrunched/wrinkled their nose).
How do you pronounce it?
/aruɡaɾ la naɾiθ/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, arrugar is used as slang in certain Latin American countries to mean 'to chicken out' or lose one's nerve.
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, scrunching the nose while saying ¡guácala! is the quintessential non-verbal and verbal combination for expressing extreme disgust.
- The word nariz shares a common ancestor with the English word 'nasal'. Both stem from the same Latin root, nāris, which connects the two languages through their anatomical vocabulary.
Examples in context
- La modelo arrugó la nariz al oler la fragancia.The model scrunched her nose when smelling the fragrance.
- Ella arrugó la nariz al oler el queso fuerte.She scrunched her nose when smelling the strong cheese.
- Ella suele arrugar la nariz cuando huele algo malo.She tends to scrunch her nose when she smells something bad.
- Él empezó a arrugar la nariz por el olor a queso.He started to scrunch his nose because of the smell of cheese.
Example conversation
Daniel and María are tasting a strange dish at a restaurant.
- Daniel¿Te gusta la sopa, María?Do you like the soup, María?
- MaríaNo, me hace arrugar la nariz.No, it makes me scrunch my nose.
- DanielTienes razón, sabe muy extraño.You are right, it tastes very strange.
- MaríaNo quiero probarla más.I don't want to taste it anymore.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries arrugar, la, nariz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
