Spanish · Insults (Aimed at a Person)
Cabrón
kah-BROHN · /ka.ˈβɾon/
Bastard / badass / dude — depends entirely on tone
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"Big male goat"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A shape-shifter. Furious, it's "bastard/son of a bitch." Admiring, it's "badass" ("está bien cabrón el güey" = the guy's seriously good). Among friends it's just "man/dude." "Está cabrón" about a situation means "it's rough/intense." Read the tone or you'll misfire. Strong either way — not a work word.
Heard in the wild
¡Ese cabrón toca la guitarra increíble!
That badass plays guitar incredibly!
Where it lands
Mexico (universal); strong across Latin America
Quick answers
- What does "Cabrón" mean?
- In Spanish, "Cabrón" means "Bastard / badass / dude — depends entirely on tone". Literally it's "Big male goat". A shape-shifter. Furious, it's "bastard/son of a bitch." Admiring, it's "badass" ("está bien cabrón el güey" = the guy's seriously good). Among friends it's just "man/dude." "Está cabrón" about a situation means "it's rough/intense." Read the tone or you'll misfire. Strong either way — not a work word.
- Is "Cabrón" 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 "Cabrón"?
- Say it "kah-BROHN" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ka.ˈβɾon.
Related in Spanish
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