tienes piojos
/tjenes pjoxos/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you have lice" is translated into Spanish as tienes piojos.
This phrase is used to tell someone that they have small parasitic insects in their hair.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb tener (to have) in the second-person singular present tense and the plural noun piojos (lice).
Which one should you use?
The form tienes piojos uses the informal tú conjugation of the verb tener (to have). To say 'you have lice' using the formal usted address, use tiene piojos instead of tienes piojos. To tell a group of people that they have lice, use the plural form tienen piojos.
Did you know?
- Calling a very small or mischievous child a piojo can actually be an affectionate or joking term in certain Caribbean dialects.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, children are often subjected to a ritual called el peine or 'the comb', where a family member or peer meticulously searches the hair for 'piojos'.
- The word piojo is frequently used in slang across various Spanish-speaking countries to refer to a person of very little importance or a 'nobody'.
Examples in context
- ¡Mira, tienes piojos!Look, you have lice!
- Parece que tienes piojos.It looks like you have lice.
- Mira en el espejo, tienes piojos.Look in the mirror, you have lice.
Example conversation
Lucía is inspecting her younger brother Daniel's hair.
- LucíaDaniel, deja de rascarte la cabeza.Daniel, stop scratching your head.
- DanielEs que me pica mucho.It is just that it itches a lot.
- LucíaLo siento, pero tienes piojos.I am sorry, but you have lice.
- Daniel¿De verdad? Qué horror.Really? How awful.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
