stupid
Where I live in Mexico estúpido is considered a pretty bad word; wash your mouth out with soap bad. Is that the case in other areas? Or not so much?
I am curious as well why I couldn't add this question to the discussion already going on the subject. Does anyone know'
4 Answers
La Carlota said:
Oh. Wow. So calling someone stupid would be a serious insult? I'm glad I learned that. That could have been awkward.
I'm perplexed. Your profile says that your native language is English, but you say that you didn't know it would be an insult to call someone stupid. How can that be? Would you not take offense if I called you stupid'
Oh. Wow.
So calling someone stupid would be a serious insult? I'm glad I learned that. That could have been awkward.
The original poster of that other thread closed the thread to further replies. I don't like it when people do this, because it shuts down a discussion that might not be finished.
As to the strength of estúpido, I don't know that it is much different from its English counterpart. Calling someone stupid, estúpido, tonto, bobo, etc., is a pretty harsh claim, in any language. On the other hand, it's not what would usually qualify for a mouth washing, because that punishment is often reserved for "dirty" words (hence the connection to soap).
If someone says something that you consider stupid, you might say "No digas tonterías," which would sound better than "¡Qué estúpido!," even though we might say "That's stupid" or "How stupid!" in English in the same situation.
I have found that using such language is very dangerous for non-native speakers, because the words just don't have as much impact to foreign ears. They're just, words.
My girlfriend (who lives in Sinaloa) was surprised that I would use the word "idiot" casually. Apparently that's a bad word there too.
As to your actual question... I have no idea. I just wanted to comment.
