Can "Que coraje" be translated as "So courageous!" or "How courageous!" ?
I am new to spanish. Please advise.
Gracias.
Eng Joo
3 Answers
Hello, Eng Joo, welcome to the forum!
Yes, it can be translated as ":How courageous!" There is nothing wrong with "So courageous", either, but it is not as exact a translation.
The word "coraje" can also mean "anger", so you will need to look at the context of the sentence to see which meaning it has.
I hope that you will return to the forum with more questions. Good job!
Technically...
¡Qué coraje! = What courage! or Such courage!
How courageous! does convey the same idea and could be used as a translation, but "How courageous!" would be more like ¡Qué valiente!
It's a slight difference, but coraje is a noun (courage) and courageous is an adjective. So, in Spanish, the Qué + noun usually approximates English's What + noun or Such + noun, while Spanish's Qué + adjective usually approximates English's How + adjective.
English has a variety of translations that will work, however, for the Qué + adjective/noun pattern when being used to express amazement or that something is exceptional in some way.
Qué coraje could be translated as any of the following...
What courage!
Such courage!
That's some courage!
That's some kind of courage!
Talk about your courage!
You can throw a "man" in front of them for extra effect (Man, what courage!).
another option, How brave! you´re so brave! he´s so brave!
however, you need context to be sure that the phrase ¡qué coraje! is not being used ironically, or as a criticism, to convey the idea that you´re showing a lack of shame for doing something.
