Spanish Word of the Day: Constipado/a (to have a cold)

If you hear this word, it’s likely not what you think! Constipado/a can lead to plenty of confusion, as it actually means having a common cold, not the other uncomfortable condition you might have had in mind!

Though the English word constipated and the Spanish constipado/a both stem from the same Latin root, constipare (meaning “compacted”), they are actually false friends. Over time, they’ve developed distinct meanings in their respective languages. In Spanish, constipation is actually estreñimiento.

The Latin verb constipo originally meant to squeeze or to pile up. Over time it started to be used as a medical term as part of the humoral theory. In this context, constipare was used to describe the conducts where the “humos” got stuck and compacted.

Constipado/a is an adjective whose form changes depending on the gender of the person in question.

• Estoy constipada = I have a cold (feminine)
• Estoy constipado = I have a cold (masculine) 
• Ella está constipada = She has a cold 
• Él está constipado = He has a cold 

Tener frío vs Hacer frío

Here is the final mind twist:

• Tener frío literally means to have cold but it translates as to be cold (a person).
• Hacer frío literally means to make cold but it translates as to be cold (the weather).

Yo tengo frío porque hace frío.
I am cold because it is cold.
(Literally: I have cold because it makes cold)

For all avoidance of doubt, if you want to go to a pharmacy and ask for over the counter medicines, you can also say tengo un catarro, tengo gripa or tengo un resfriado (I have a cold) in Spain, Cuba and Mexico.

Spanish idioms featuring ‘constipado’