cohibido
/koiˈbido/
In Spanish, self conscious is expressed as cohibido.
The term refers to feeling nervous or uncomfortable because you are worried about what other people think of you. You typically use the verb sentir (to feel) with this adjective to express being in that state, such as in the phrase sentirse cohibido. Additionally, the reflexive verb cohibirse can be used to describe the act of becoming inhibited or drawing oneself out of a social situation.
Which one should you use?
While cohibido describes the temporary feeling of being self-conscious or inhibited in a specific moment, tímido describes a permanent personality trait of being shy.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, pena is used to describe the sensation of self consciousness, embarrassment or shame.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective cohibido must agree in gender and number with the person. A woman would be cohibida, a group of men or a mixed group would be cohibidos.
How do you pronounce it?
/koiˈbido/
When do people say it?
The informal phrase ponerse colorado/a refers to the act of blushing when feeling self-conscious or embarrassed.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, dar pena can also mean to feel pity for someone. This creates a potential misunderstanding where one person feels self-conscious and the other feels sorry for them.
- While cohibido focuses on the internal feeling, Spanish speakers often use the phrase dar pena to describe the situation. In this context, it does not mean 'to cause pain' but rather 'to be embarrassing' or 'to make one feel self-conscious'.
- While cohibido describes the internal feeling of being self-conscious, the Spanish phrase dar vergüenza is often used to describe an embarrassing situation that makes one feel that way.
Examples in context
- Tom se sintió cohibido de repente.Tom suddenly felt self-conscious.This sentence shows how to use cohibido to describe someone suddenly feeling self-conscious.Tatoeba #10650581 by DJ_Saidez, translation #7965345 by Hybrid
- Cuando hablo en público, siento mucha timidezWhen I speak in public, I feel very self conscious
- Siempre tengo vergüenza al conocer gente nuevaI always feel self conscious when meeting new people
- Me siento acomplejado/a cuando me comparo con los demásI feel self conscious when I compare myself to others
- Me siento cohibido cuando hablo en público.I feel self conscious when I speak in public.
- No seas cohibido, la gente no te mira.Don't be self conscious, people aren't looking at you.
Example conversation
Alejandro and María are at a party.
- AlejandroNo quiero bailar porque me siento cohibido.I don't want to dance because I feel self-conscious.
- MaríaNo te preocupes, Alejandro, nadie te está mirando.Don't worry, Alejandro, nobody is looking at you.
- AlejandroAun así, me pone nervioso la gente.Even so, people make me nervous.
- María¡Ven conmigo, María te ayudará a soltarte!Come with me, María will help you loosen up!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry cohibido, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
