borracho
/boˈrat͡ʃo/
The English word 'wasted' can be translated to Spanish as borracho.
borracho is used to describe someone who is very drunk or stoned. While it specifically refers to alcohol, it is often used colloquially to mean 'wasted' in a general sense. Note that if you want to specifically describe being 'high' or stoned, other terms like colocado are more accurate.
Meaning: very drunk or stoned (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
Regional variations for expressing being wasted or tipsy include: in Spain, people may use estar bebido/a or estar piripi. In Argentina, the phrase estar en pedo is common to express being wasted.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the person or people being described. Use borracho for a man, borracha for a woman, borrachos for a group of men or a mixed-gender group and borrachas for a group consisting only of women.
How do you pronounce it?
/boˈratʃo/
Did you know?
- In Argentina, saying someone is en pedo to mean they are wasted literally translates to being 'in a fart'.
- The word borracho likely traces its roots back to the Arabic word marašš, which is a fascinating linguistic connection between Spanish and North African languages.
- In Spanish, the choice between ser borracho and estar borracho changes the meaning from 'being an alcoholic' to 'being currently wasted'.
Examples in context
- El señor Gómez estaba completamente ebrio durante la cena de negocios.Mr. Gomez was completely wasted during the business dinner.
- La fiesta terminó tarde y algunos invitados estaban borrachos al final de la noche.The party ended late, and some guests were wasted by the end of the night.
- Ana y Carlos salieron de fiesta anoche y terminaron bien pedos.Ana and Carlos went partying last night and ended up wasted.
- Después de un par de copas, Marta estaba bastante piripi y se reía de todo.After a few drinks, Marta was quite wasted and laughed at everything.
- El sábado salimos a tomar algo y terminamos en pedo en su casa.On Saturday, we went out for drinks and ended up wasted at his place.
- Él está muy borracho.He is very drunk.
- ¿Por qué estás tan borracho?Why are you so wasted?
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are at a party.
- Alejandro¿Viste a Juan?Did you see Juan?
- LucíaSí, creo que está borracho.Yes, I think he is wasted.
- AlejandroApenas puede caminar.He can barely walk.
- LucíaNecesita agua y descansar.He needs water and to rest.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry borracho, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries borracho, CC BY-SA 4.0.
