While the phrase “yo mama” is used as an insult worldwide, Mexican Spanish is unique in its use of the word “mother” to create some truly vicious vulgarities. Instead of concentrating on traits like weight and sexual proclivities, Mexican-Spanish syntax uses “mother” in various grammatical forms to mean everything from the threat of physical violence to parental revulsion—the all-encompassing aloha of Latin cursing.
As a noun, madre can mean anything from “shit,” as in “No vale madre,” (“It isn't worth shit”) to “ass,” in which “Te voy a partir la madre” translates into “I'm going to split for you the mother” but really means “I'm going to kick your fucking ass.”
You can use madre as an adverb. “Te voy a dar un chingazo en la madre” translates to “I'm going to give you a fucking blow in the mother” but really means “I'm going to give you a fucking blow where it hurts the most.” Or you can tell your closest kith to “Vete a la madre,” which does not mean “Go to the mother” but rather “Go to hell.”
Add an “ar” ending to “madre,” and you have the verb “madrear,” which means “to fuck someone up.” For example, if you tell your mom “Te voy a madrear,” you're not telling her that you're going to mother her but are letting her know that “I'm going to kick your fucking ass.” We advise against this.
And a mutation of the word “madrazo” denotes “harmful blow.” “Te voy a dar un madrazo” is “I'm going to give you a fucking punch.”
Saying how you are related to your giver of life is also fraught with swearing. “Hijo/a de tu madre,” means “Son/daughter of your mother,” but it is a phrase uttered by parents to their irresponsible children only when they are disgusted with them. If you try telling that to your mom, she will reward your biological insight with a madrazo to the face.
Even the most benign form of mother, mamá, can be turned into a crude insult if you don't pay attention. Take off the accent, and you are left with mama, the present indicative form of mamar, which means “to suck.” And when you say that, you ain't telling a baby how to get the milk out of the bottle.
¡Feliz Día de las Madres!
