Spanish · Frustration (Traffic, Bureaucracy, Life)
Estar hasta la madre
ess-TAR AH-stah lah MAH-dreh · /es.ˈtaɾ ˈas.ta la ˈma.ðɾe/
To be fed up / sick and tired — or packed full
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"To be up to the mother"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
Two meanings from one phrase. "Estoy hasta la madre de esto" = I'm fed up to here with this. But "el bar estaba hasta la madre" = the bar was packed to the rafters. Context sorts it out. Cleaner dial: "hasta el gorro" or "hasta la coronilla." Crude root, so friends only.
Heard in the wild
Ya estoy hasta la madre del tráfico de esta ciudad.
I'm sick and tired of this city's traffic.
Where it lands
Mexico (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Estar hasta la madre" mean?
- In Spanish, "Estar hasta la madre" means "To be fed up / sick and tired — or packed full". Literally it's "To be up to the mother". Two meanings from one phrase. "Estoy hasta la madre de esto" = I'm fed up to here with this. But "el bar estaba hasta la madre" = the bar was packed to the rafters. Context sorts it out. Cleaner dial: "hasta el gorro" or "hasta la coronilla." Crude root, so friends only.
- Is "Estar hasta la madre" offensive?
- It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
- How do you pronounce "Estar hasta la madre"?
- Say it "ess-TAR AH-stah lah MAH-dreh" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: es.ˈtaɾ ˈas.ta la ˈma.ðɾe.
Related in Spanish
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Road rage".
- French Quelle galère ! What a hassle / What an ordeal
- Greek κόλλησα στην κίνηση I'm stuck in traffic — the eternal Athens lament.
- Italian Ma dove vai?! Where the hell do you think you're going?!
- Polish niedzielny kierowca Sunday driver — the road-rage taxonomy's gentlest species.
- Portuguese Que saco! What a drag! / So annoying! / Ugh!
- Russian Твою мать! Damn it! / Son of a bitch! / For crying out loud!
- Italian Leva 'sto culo! Move your ass! / Get out of the way!
- Portuguese Que inferno! What a nightmare! / For crying out loud!
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