Equivalent for the word jerk (a person)?
Does Spanish have a true equivalent for calling someone a jerk? Jerk is an insult but completely non-vulgar, so you could say it around your grandma or in a church (though badmouthing in a church should probably be avoided), and it also means mean-spirited. I'm finding lots of insults, but they're either vulgar, like cabrón or gilipollas, or things that mean a foolish or stupid person, like tonto, mensa, bobo, or imbécil, but not actually mean-spirited. I don't particularly care if it's regional.
Edit:
I said I didn't care if it was regional because I wanted to know if there was one at all, not because I'd use it regardless. I would never use coger, for example, in Argentina, though it's completely acceptable in Spain. Thanks for the answers
3 Answers
Rodney got one, and I add "mala leche"
The Spanish have a very extensive vocabulary of offensive words and insults. For Jerk can be used a multitude of words, the less direct and offensive, can be: cretino, mezquino, antipático, borde, pinche buey, boludo, pelotudo, huevon, pendejo, maleducado, grosero, mamón/mamona, mequetrefe, pelagatos.
I'm not going to allow any old jerk to marry my daughter - no voy a permitir que cualquier pelagatos se case con mi hija
Don't tell me that **** jerk is Pepo's brother! - ¡No me digas que ese pinche buey es el hermano de Miguel!
Well, you need to care if the term is regional or not, because if you say an Argentinian word to a Guatemalen, they might not even realize they've been insulted. Or it could be that in their country it's actually a compliment.
Lucky for you though, I think pesado is a fairly neutral term, but I'm not sure.
¡Que pesado eres!