ten cuidado
/ten kwidado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "watch yourself" is translated into Spanish as ten cuidado.
This phrase is a warning used to tell someone to be careful to avoid danger or making a mistake. Note that while it covers physical safety and mistakes, it does not carry the same idiomatic sense of a threat, such as "watch your back" or "beware of me", that "watch yourself" can sometimes imply in English.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the imperative form of tener (to have) and cuidado (care), literally meaning "have care".
Which one should you use?
While ten cuidado is used for general caution, if you need to warn someone of an immediate, sudden danger like a car approaching, it is more natural to shout ¡Cuidado! instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, you can use the phrase Ojo (con)… idiomatically to express caution or to say "watch out for…".
How does it change in a sentence?
The form changes depending on who you are addressing: use tened cuidado for an informal group in Spain, and tengan cuidado for an informal group in Latin America. For a single person in a formal context, use tenga cuidado.
Did you know?
- The noun cuidado shares a common ancestor with the English word 'cogitation', both stemming from the Latin 'cogitare', meaning 'to think'.
- In Spanish, cuidado is technically the past participle of the verb cuidar, which means 'to take care of' or 'to nurse'.
Examples in context
- Ten cuidado.Watch yourself.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase ten cuidado.Tatoeba #4557122 by swyter, translation #64496 by CK
- ¡Cuidadito con tomar demasiado café, te pondrá nervioso!Watch out for drinking too much coffee, it will make you nervous!
- Ojo con los perros sueltos en la calle.Watch out for loose dogs on the street.
Example conversation
Elena sees Mateo walking near a construction site.
- ElenaTen cuidado, Mateo, hay un agujero allí.Watch yourself, Mateo, there is a hole there.
- MateoGracias, Elena, no lo había visto.Thanks, Elena, I hadn't seen it.
- ElenaEs un lugar muy peligroso.It is a very dangerous place.
- MateoLo tendré en cuenta.I will keep that in mind.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cuidado, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
