eres una vaca gorda
/eɾes una baka ɡoɾda/from spelling rules
The English phrase "you're a fat cow" is translated into Spanish as eres una vaca gorda.
This is an insulting expression used to call someone overweight.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of eres (you are), una (a), vaca (cow) and gorda (fat).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase eres una vaca gorda is informal because it uses the tú conjugation (eres) and is considered highly insulting.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because vaca is a feminine noun, the adjective gorda must also be in its feminine form. If you change eres to es, the subject changes from "you" to "she", resulting in es una vaca gorda.
What mistakes should you avoid?
It is grammatically incorrect to use the masculine article un or the masculine adjective gordo with the feminine noun vaca. Do not say eres un vaca gordo.
Did you know?
- Beyond insults, the word vaca appears in the common expression hacer una vaca, which means to pool money together for a shared purchase.
- The verb eres in this phrase is a rare linguistic fossil. It actually comes from the Latin future tense 'eris', meaning 'you will be', which eventually replaced the original Latin present tense form.
- Because vaca is a fixed feminine noun, calling a man a vaca sounds like a grammatical mistake to native speakers rather than a creative insult.
Examples in context
- ¡Eres una vaca gorda!You're a fat cow!
- No digas que eres una vaca gorda.Don't say that you're a fat cow.
- Ella me gritó: 'Eres una vaca gorda'.She shouted at me: 'You're a fat cow'.
Example conversation
Two people are having a heated argument in a hallway.
- Lucía¡Mira quien habla! Eres una vaca gorda.Look who's talking! You're a fat cow.
- DanielNo puedo creer que digas eso.I can't believe you're saying that.
- LucíaEs la verdad, eres una vaca gorda.It's the truth, you're a fat cow.
- DanielVete de aquí ahora mismo.Get out of here right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eres, una, vaca, CC BY-SA 4.0.
