All the Catalan Swear Words You Need to Know

Literal meaning: ‘happy belly’

How to use it: A panxacontenta is someone who puts up with anything, never complains about anything or has anything to say about anything. Rather than been seen as a positive, here it’s considered a sign of passivity and indifference.

Literal meaning: ‘cork head’ or ‘bark head’

How to use it: Calling someone a cap de suro is basically the same as calling them an idiot. A similar insult is cap de meló or ‘melon head’ or cap de fava meaning ‘bean head’.

Literal meaning: ‘reed peeler’

How to use it: A pelacanyes is someone who you consider to be your inferior, someone insignificant and often ignorant. It can also mean someone who is very poor, a little like calling someone a ‘peasant’.

Literal meaning: ‘Host’ or ‘Sacramental bread’ (i.e. the wafer of bread given in church during Holy Communion).

How to use it: This is the equivalent of shouting a good old fashioned ‘f**k’ when you remember you’ve forgotten something important, realise you’ve messed something up or just slammed your finger in the door.

Literal meaning: ‘hooked light’

How to use it: If someone is being a llum de ganxo then it means they don’t have their head screwed on right and are chatting rubbish.

Literal meaning: ‘bad fig’

How to use it: In the gardening world, a figaflor is a fig which grows on the previous year’s shoot growth and as a result doesn’t usually ripen as well or taste as nice. Someone who’s a figaflor is someone who’s not really that bright.

Literal meaning: ‘ball burner’

How to use it: If someone is getting on your nerves and you really want to let them know, calling them a torracollons – similar to calling someone a ‘ball ache’ – should get them off your back.

Literal meaning: ‘guitar shitter’ (a bandúrria is type of Spanish cord instrument)

How to use it: A cagabandúrries is someone who is generally pretty inept and bothersome but always has an excuse for their sub-average behaviour.

Literal meaning: ‘Arse licker’

How to use it: A llepaculs is someone who knows how to suck up to the right people to get what they want. That person who always laughs at your boss’s bad jokes, they’re definitely a llepaculs.

Literal meaning: ‘Pan’s arse’

How to use it: Telling someone they’re a cul d’olla is the same a telling them they’re about as useful as a carpet fitter’s ladder or an ashtray on a motorbike. The point is, they’re really pretty useless.

Literal meaning: ‘little skilled’

How to use it: Someone who is pocatraça is someone clumsy, awkward and generally lacking skill. Like telling them they’re ‘no bright spark’.