Is tremendo always a bad thing?

Question

Tremendo = tremendous. Almost always used in a good way in English. Tremendous! is a good thing. That boy is tremendous! He is great.

But in Spanish, look at our dictionary:

ponerse tremendo, -a -> to get very angry

Le dio una tremenda paliza -> he gave him a tremendous beating

So what if I said "Ese tipo está tremendo" -> That guy seems great to me? I find him quite good? Or bad maybe?

Ese tipo es tremendo -> Everyone knows that guy rocks, or everyone knows that guys a jerk? Or is there more (or less) to this "tremendo" concept?

How can you tell if it's good or bad since it seems to falls both ways here? Gracias.

Answer 1

No, tremendo is "great", "huge", "terrific"...

If I say: "Jeezle es un tremendo tipo", most people will understand that I mean that Jeezle is a great guy.

¡Tremendo carro! - What a great car!

"Tremenda empapada me di en la lluvia" - I just got hugely soaked in the rain

¡Tremenda tormenta! - what a terrific storm!

Ese niño es tremendo - that kid is very mischievous - spoiled

Get the idea?

¡Tremenda nave! - aswesome wheels!

Answer 2

"Tremendo/a" is often used as a way to augment to an extreme what you're implying in a sentence. If you like something very much, you think it's "tremendo". If you think something is wonderful, spectacular, awesome, incredible, outstanding, you think it's "tremendo". If you believe a particular situation was very bad for you or somebody else, it's "tremendo". If you think that a person is the most pure example of anything (specially something bad), that person is a "tremendo (adjective)"... Of course the use of "tremendo" in those contexts is colloquial and very informal.

I hope this answer can help you!

Answer 3

tremendo, da.

(Del lat. tremendus, part. fut. pas. de trem?re, temer, tener miedo).

1. adj. Terrible, digno de ser temido. Something terrible, dreadful, like a hurricane, a storm, or an earthquake. Un ruido tremendo. (A dreadful noise).

2. adj. Digno de respeto y reverencia. Outstanding, awesome, worthy of respect: Tremendo pelotero (An outstanding baseball player)

3. adj. Dicho de un niño: Muy travieso. Naughty. Ese niño es tremendo. (That child is tremendous).

4. adj. coloq. Muy grande y excesivo en su línea. Very big, excessive, huge: Tremendo golpazo. (A tremendous thump). Tremendo yate. (A huge yacht)

Answer 4

Two questions:

1. Why is the kid bad and all the other are good? Is it only "bad" when dealing with kids, and otherwise is usually great?

As I often say, context is everything. It's not about the subject, it's about the context.

If I say: "Ese Jeezle es muy tremendo", it means exactly the same thing as with kids: "That Jeezle, he's very naughty".

"Ese es un tremendo niño" - "That's one great kid". I think Seijaku's explanation is really very good and clear regarding the use of this word.

1. Nave (boat) can mean car? Is it used that way a lot? Gracias.

Nave means "ship", not boat. So technically, any large vessel used for transportation can be a ship, or nave. To refer to a car as a "ship" obviously is a bit of a hyperbole, which is exactly the idea: Nave can mean "my awesome and dazzling car". The use of this word is informal, and in some places, it is not a word that well bred people use.

Answer 5

Two questions:

1. Why is the kid bad and all the other are good? Is it only "bad" when dealing with kids, and otherwise is usually great?
2. Nave (boat) can mean car? Is it used that way a lot? Gracias.

Nave, in Mexico, is used that way. - LuisCache, Apr 13, 2011