This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. Spanish to English
  3. Human Resources

"la estas regando"

English translation: you're blowing it/ you blew it...

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:la estás regando
English translation:you're blowing it/ you blew it...
Entered by: uxia90

03:57 Aug 11, 2006
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Human Resources / training
Spanish term or phrase: "la estas regando"
It is a course for supervisors, the full sentence is:
Cuando discuta un mal habito de trabajo con un trabajador no use frases como " la estas regando"
Maria Villase񯲢 >
Local time: 20:53
you're blowing it/ you blew it...
Explanation:
I guess it is Mexican Spanish. In Spain we would say "la estás cagando". And that can be translated both into "you are screwing it up" and "you are blowing it" if you think the previous one is too strong.

LETRASWhat the fuck / You blew it What the fuck / You blew it, blew it. Against! ... Que mierdas/ las cagaste que mierdas/ las cagaste, las cagaste. En Contra! ...
www.cristianpeters.cl/letras_against.htm - 3k - Resultado Suplementario - En memoria - Páxinas similares
Selected response from:

uxia90
Local time: 04:53
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +2you're blowing it/ you blew it...
uxia90
5 +1you're screwing everything up/you're botching everything up
Antonio Barros
4 +1your work is a mess
JH Trads
4 -1you're fouling up
Carmen Schultz


  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
your work is a mess


Explanation:
you are messing it up

JH Trads
United States
Local time: 22:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in FrenchFrench
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Carmen Schultz: more like "you are messing up"
6 mins
  -> thanks Carmen!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
la estás regando
you're blowing it/ you blew it...


Explanation:
I guess it is Mexican Spanish. In Spain we would say "la estás cagando". And that can be translated both into "you are screwing it up" and "you are blowing it" if you think the previous one is too strong.

LETRASWhat the fuck / You blew it What the fuck / You blew it, blew it. Against! ... Que mierdas/ las cagaste que mierdas/ las cagaste, las cagaste. En Contra! ...
www.cristianpeters.cl/letras_against.htm - 3k - Resultado Suplementario - En memoria - Páxinas similares


uxia90
Local time: 04:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in GalicianGalician
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Laura Carrizo: "screwing it up" está bien pero para este contexto es muy fuerte, en mi opinión.
8 hrs
  -> Sí, creo que sí. Gracias.
agree  Carmen Schultz: blowing it es mejor en este caso ..
2 days 21 hrs
  -> Gracias
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
you're fouling up


Explanation:
foul up is is the same register as regarla and "screwing up" is too strong a word as it is a more vulgar register

"Regarla" according to the DRAE is merely "to make a mistake"(cometer un error) and it has no sexual overtones

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2006-08-11 05:07:01 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

regar.
(Del lat. rigāre).
~la.
1. fr. El Salv. y Méx. Cometer un error.
regar.
1. tr. Esparcir agua sobre una superficie, como la de la tierra, para beneficiarla, o la de una calle, una sala, etc., para limpiarla o refrescarla.
2. tr. Dicho de un río o de un canal: Atravesar una comarca o territorio.
3. tr. Dicho de las abejas: Humedecer los vasos en que está el pollo (ǁ cría).
4. tr. Esparcir, desparramar algo.
5. tr. coloq. Cuba y Ven. difundir (ǁ divulgar). U. t. c. prnl.
6. prnl. coloq. Ven. Dicho de un grupo de personas o de animales: Extenderse en un espacio amplio.
7. prnl. coloq. Ven. Entregarse a placeres y diversiones.

MORF. conjug. c. acertar.




Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2006-08-11 06:11:38 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

To Antonio- regarding your comment, there is a difference between colloquial (= chatty) and vulgar: regar is colloquial but not vulgar.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2006-08-11 07:45:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Aquatics International: All fouled up: if you think you can't get ...All fouled up: if you think you can't get accurate ORP readings with trichlor, it's time to check your assumptions, and your probe. ...
www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1:115077930/All fouled up~C~ if you ... - 52k - Cached - Similar pages


Wired News: PayPal Fouled Up, but SecurePayPal Fouled Up, but Secure ... Note: You are reading this message either because you can not see our css files, or because you do not have a ...
www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,65310,00.html?tw=rss.BIZ - 27k - Cached - Similar pages


All fouled up: if you think you can't get accurate ORP readings ...'All fouled up: if you think you can't get accurate ORP readings with trichlor, it's time to check your assumptions, and your probe.
www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb015/is_200404/ai_n1504... - 26k - Cached - Similar pages


I Fouled Up (polite form) - What does IFU stand for? Acronyms and ...Definition of I Fouled Up (polite form) in the list of acronyms and abbreviations provided by ... I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody's Got a Thing ...
acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/I+Fouled+Up+(polite+form) - 22k - Cached - Similar pages



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2006-08-11 07:46:54 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

foul up
To blunder or cause to blunder because of mistakes or poor judgment.

Carmen Schultz
Local time: 21:53
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Antonio Barros: I would say that this is more of a Mexican Spanish expression than an RAE one and that it's a little stronger than fouling up, "regar" has a sort of "you spilled all the milk" quality to it that connotes a major snafu or screw-up, it's quite colloquial
27 mins
  -> fouling up is used precisley as a euphemism to avoid sayng the "f" word -- by the way, I included the excerpt from DRAE& it says Salv. & Mexico and it's not vulgar; whereas screw up is definitely vulgar at least by Webster's standards
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
la estas regando
you're screwing everything up/you're botching everything up


Explanation:
This is a typically Mexican expression and I think the reason the original text recommends not to use it is because it really is quite a discouraging thing to say to someone. I think I would differ slightly from the previous answerer in that it needs to be a bit stronger than a "mess", to really get at its full effect. I would even say that it's true effect is more like "don't f--- things up."

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 11 hrs (2006-08-11 15:17:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

This is a Mexican expression and it is almost always used very colloquially for a major screw-up or mistake, or when the speaker wants to dramatize, underline and draw attention to someone's
mistake. This is a posting from the Mexican mainstream newspaper El Universal, which gives the flavor.

It just doesn't sound right to translate "La estás regando" as "you´re fouling up". It sounds too mild, especially since it almost always is used with other reinforcing locutions, suchas "La estás regando de a madre," or "La estás regando cañón" or "La estás regando gacho," or, as below, "La estás regando y feo."

YA PENSASTE EN TUS HIJOS?....
DE VERDAD...SI TE PONES A PENSAR EN TUS HIJOS Y LOS HIJOS DE TUS HIJOS TE DARAS CUENTA QUE MUCHAS VECES AUNQUE NO LO CREAS...LA ESTAS REGANDO¡¡¡¡ Y FEO. HAGAMOS CONCIENCIA Y DEJEMOS DE HACER TAQNTO DERROCH, NO NECESITAMOS ESTAR PAGANDO MULTAS NI QUE SE NOS LLAME LA ATENCIÓN, AMEMOS ANUESTRO MUNDO FUTURO, Y TOMEMOS EN CUENTA QUE EL AGUA ES SUPER IMPORTANTE PARA CUALQUIER CICLO DE VIDA...DIOS TE BENDIGA. Y CUIDALA¡ CIERRALE¡

http://foros.eluniversal.com.mx/foros_sr_detalle_foro.php?p_...



Antonio Barros
Brazil
Local time: 23:53
Works in field
Native speaker of: Portuguese

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Henry Hinds: Le atinaste.
4 mins
agree  Marylen: Claro, es así de informal, por eso tan inconveniente.
16 mins
disagree  Carmen Schultz: botching up is ok but screwing up is way out of register although it gives the gist -regar is much tamer
1 hr
neutral  Juan Jacob: Screwing is way too strong.
10 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search