“¡Qué fuerte!” means “no way!”, “OMG!” or “that’s crazy!”.
Literally “how strong!”. Spaniards say it when they hear shocking news or juicy gossip: —Se han separado. —¡Qué fuerte! = They’ve split up. No way!
Hola! I’m Mónica, a Spanish teacher from Madrid. Sit in any café in Madrid and listen for two minutes: someone will say ¡qué fuerte! It’s the soundtrack of Spanish gossip. Here’s what it means and how to use it so you sound like you’ve lived here for years.
How to use “¡qué fuerte!”
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| —Me ha tocado la lotería. —¡Qué fuerte! | I’ve won the lottery. No way! |
| ¡Qué fuerte, tía! ¿Y qué le dijiste? | OMG! And what did you say to him? |
| Qué fuerte me parece que no te hayan pagado. | I think it’s outrageous that they haven’t paid you. |
| Es muy fuerte lo que ha pasado. | What happened is really shocking. |
It works for good news and bad news. The tone and your face do the rest. And yes, ¡qué fuerte, tía! is the classic combo among friends in Spain.
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- ¡Qué fuerte! on its own = pure surprise: OMG, no way.
- Qué fuerte me parece… = I find it outrageous that…: Qué fuerte me parece que suban otra vez el alquiler. Here there’s indignation, not just surprise.
Careful with “fuerte” in other contexts
Outside this expression, fuerte just means strong: un café fuerte (a strong coffee), es muy fuerte (he’s very strong). Estar fuerte en algo means to be good at something: está fuerte en matemáticas.
Similar expressions
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ¡No me digas! | You don’t say! / No way! |
| ¡Flipo! / ¡Estoy flipando! | I can’t believe it! (Spain, young) |
| ¡Alucino! | I’m amazed! |
| ¡Madre mía! | Oh my God! (lit. “my mother”) |
| ¡Hala! | Wow! (Spain) |
| ¡Anda ya! | Come off it! / No way! |
For more like flipar, read what “mola” means and 20 Madrid slang words.
FAQ
Is “qué fuerte” used in Latin America?
Much less. It’s very typical of Spain. In Mexico you’d hear ¡no manches!, and in Argentina ¡no te puedo creer!
Is “qué fuerte” rude?
Not at all. It’s informal but completely clean.
How do you say “OMG” in Spanish?
¡Madre mía!, ¡Dios mío! or, in Spain, ¡qué fuerte!
More Spanish expressions from Spain
This article is part of my series on real Spanish expressions, the ones Spaniards use every day and textbooks never teach:
- Estar como una cabra
- Ponerse las pilas
- Costar un ojo de la cara
- No pasa nada
- Estar hecho polvo
- Me importa un pepino
- Ser pan comido
- Estar en las nubes
- Tomar el pelo
- Meter la pata
- Dar la lata
- Echar una mano
- En el quinto pino
- Ojalá
- Venga
- Eres la leche
- Toma tomate, tómalo
👉 See all Spanish expressions from Spain
Expressions are the shortcut to sounding real
Gossip is the best Spanish class: you listen, you react, and ¡qué fuerte! does half the work for you. Download my free guide with 100 real Spanish phrases above, and if you want to know exactly what’s stopping you from speaking, book your Spanish Speaking Roadmap call below.
— Monica Bernabe Perez
Learning Spanish in Australia? I taught Spanish at UWA and now teach learners all over the country, in small groups or one-to-one: Spanish classes in Perth, Spanish lessons in Sydney and Spanish classes in Adelaide.
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