# Spanish translation--"I really have to go \[to the bathroom\]" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 27, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300 "2012-12-27T17:48:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/1 "2012-12-27T17:48:20Z")
See subject. Ie, a fairly explicit euphemism. There was a guy in front of me and I. said “tengo que ir,” which was probably moronic, in retrospect. But I wasn’t in a frame of mind at the moment to work out another periphrase, which probably would have been ludicrous anyway. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/2 "2012-12-27T17:55:58Z")
Need some context. Are you standing in line at a concert and decide you need to tell the stranger in front of you you really need to pee? How formal is the setting? The closest I can come up with is “Tengo muchas ganas [de ir (al baño)].” ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/3 "2012-12-27T18:02:28Z")
Your example is perfect. So if the context, in a non-formal setting, or at home, and its perfectly obvious what you’re talking about (doing the pee dance or on-line at the toilet) you can just say “tengo muchas ganas?” And, at more formal sits–like at a fancy restaurant-- where in English I’d say, “where is the restroom”? Or, “may I use the restroom?” ( I walk into restaurants a lot and like to ask.) It’s the “use” part that gets me. I do know “Tengo que cargar,” however. ---
**Author:** ![PacifistPorcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PacifistPorcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PacifistPorcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/4 "2012-12-27T19:21:43Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Your example is perfect. So if the context, in a non-formal setting, or at home, and its perfectly obvious what you’re talking about (doing the pee dance or on-line at the toilet) you can just say “tengo muchas ganas?” That should work. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And, at more formal sits–like at a fancy restaurant-- where in English I’d say, “where is the restroom”? I’d go with “Disculpe, ¿podría mostrarme dónde está el baño?” > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Or, “may I use the restroom?” ( I walk into restaurants a lot and like to ask.) You may want to ask your doctor about that one. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > It’s the “use” part that gets me. I do know “Tengo que cargar,” however. Cargar means to carry or load. You probably mean cagar, to defecate. Unless you do something I don’t want to know about. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/5 "2012-12-27T19:22:58Z")
Perdón, tengo que ir al baño. Dónde está, por favor? I suppose you could use the word “use” though Perdón, necesito usar el baño. Dónde está, por favor? ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/6 "2012-12-27T21:14:34Z")
Or, if really desperate, grab crotch and say “Necesito pssssss!”. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/7 "2012-12-27T23:08:42Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And, at more formal sits–like at a fancy restaurant-- where in English I’d say, “where is the restroom”? While “baño” is frequently used, “servicio” is perhaps a bit more formal. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/8 "2012-12-27T23:10:42Z")
I just now remember that, as a kid in Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, I was taught that the word “baño” was vulgar, and I should say “servicios.” I used to, but everyone here (NYC) looked at me funny. :smack: Mierda! Cagar. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/9 "2012-12-27T23:11:44Z")
Ninja’ed. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/10 "2012-12-27T23:16:28Z")
“Servicios” or “servicio?” Also, is it really as weird-sounding to Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Mexicans (the bulk of Spanish-speakers here) as I’ve found by the looks of incomprehension here, on the few times I’ve said it instead of baño?" ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2012, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/11 "2012-12-27T23:40:31Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > “Servicios” or “servicio?” Servicio. I suppose if you were referring to both the men’s and women’s rooms you could say servicios. > [@](#): > > Also, is it really as weird-sounding to Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Mexicans (the bulk of Spanish-speakers here) as I’ve found by the looks of incomprehension here, on the few times I’ve said it instead of baño?" I don’t know about those, but it’s perfectly well understood in Panama. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/12 "2012-12-28T02:15:05Z")
If I’m reading the OP right, he’s specifically asking how you would say (but politely, euphemistically): Please mister let me get ahead of you in line, I need to go, like, NOW NOW NOW! Only a few comments above seem to have picked up on that, and I’m not sure any have given a real answer. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/13 "2012-12-28T02:18:35Z")
No, I think the “muchas” makes that point. I could always add a few “muchas”'s for more emphasis. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/14 "2012-12-28T04:17:53Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > “Servicios” or “servicio?” > > Also, is it really as weird-sounding to Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, and Mexicans (the bulk of Spanish-speakers here) as I’ve found by the looks of incomprehension here, on the few times I’ve said it instead of baño?" In Spain, it’s “servicios.” In Spain, I got weird looks for saying “baño.” After living a year in Spain, I got weird looks from Latin Americans for saying “servicios,” before I switched back to “baño.” On a related note, no one in Spain can agree on what to call a spatula. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/15 "2012-12-28T05:05:45Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > And, at more formal sits–like at a fancy restaurant-- where in English I’d say, “where is the restroom”? > > Or, “may I use the restroom?” ( I walk into restaurants a lot and like to ask.) “_Perdón, ¿el servicio?_” (_báter, baño_ - depends on location but most people have heard all versions, if only from the telly) avoids the _tú_ vs _usted_ vs _vos_ conundrum and covers both. If it’s “customers only”, they’ll tell you it’s “_sólo para (los) clientes_”. “_Perdón, es que tengo prisa_” (sorry, I’m in a hurry) works for asking to be let ahead in line, specially if accompanied by a little child who’s doing the pee-pee dance. “_Tengo muchas ganas_” is the kind of unfinished line which invites NYC-style jokes. Without further context, it could be _ganas de beber_ (thirst), _de comer_ (hunger), _de cambiar de empleo_ (a wish to change jobs) or _de follarte a la vecina del cuarto…_ (a wish to have sex with the woman who lives in the fourth floor). So, someone may ask “_¿ganas de qué?_” as if it wasn’t pretty evident (“you need what?”), or answer back something along the lines of “_y yo tengo ganas de que me toque la lotería, pero no juego…_” (“and I want to win the Lotto, but I don’t play…”). “_Necesito ir_”, listed in the OP, does work but has the same problem that someone may ask back “_¿a dónde?_” (“where?”). Never underestimate the amount of _coñones_ around… ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/16 "2012-12-28T07:07:29Z")
**Nava** , nice post. Thanks. I must say, however, that the odds of me coming up with > [@Nava](#): > > "\*… “_y yo tengo ganas de que me toque la lotería, pero no juego…_” (“and I want to win the Lotto, but I don’t play…”)… are slim, what with a reflexive and a subjunctive. Especially were I dying to pee. I’m learning that the subjunctive is far more common in Spanish than in English, certainly, and in French, Italian, and German as well. (Correct me if I’m wrong on those). I got used to not learning or giving a shit about the subjunctive early on when learning conversational languages, but in Spanish it sounds not stilted and learned but normal, in most “it’s that” or after the “ifs” and “woulds” and “coulds,” where we in English have mostly ditched the subjunctive, mostly (Could that be? Yes, that be). Then there’s “que tenga un buen día,” (have a nice day), which I don’t even know how to describe grammatically, so as to generalize its usage. I threw out all my Spanish grammars a long time ago. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/17 "2012-12-28T08:39:57Z")
_Tenga_ is a subjunctive too, and it’s in the third-person-used-as-second (the ellided subject is an _usted_). The most literal translation I can come up with is “may you have a nice day”. We do use a lot more subjunctives, and also have more impersonal forms. I miss a direct equivalent of our “_se/hay que_”-based impersonals (French does have one: _on_-based impersonals). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/18 "2012-12-28T09:22:40Z")
Yeah, the “may you” helps me to understand the subjunctive in that type of sentence. The impersonal “es que” (it’s that…) is what you mean, right? That always demands a subjunctive? “It’s that [es que] it is so damn hot in here (that I must open the window).” Bad example–uses impersonal “hay”… “Es que hay calor (damned?) y por eso tengo que abro (abre?) la ventana.” Now I’m worried that all my “tengo que [infinitive]” should be “tengo que [subjunctive].” It’s 4:20 am. Oy. Time for the grammatical nightmare of that Woody Allen character, harassed across rocky terrains by conditionals on long spidery legs. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/19 "2012-12-28T09:33:25Z")
No, I meant the ones for giving instructions “to whom it may concern”: _Se tiene que preparar la reunión_ - someone, and I don’t mean the Holy Ghost but I’d rather have volunteers than point fingers, needs to prepare the meeting. _Hay que preparar la reunión_ - idem. They usually get translated into the passive: “the meeting must be prepared”. _Tengo que_ does carry an infinitive, you’re fine in theory but not in application: _tengo que abrir_. This is very confusing for Hispanics learning English, too: for most English verbs, the part of the infinitive that’s not “to” is the same as the first person of the present indicative, but Spanish builds infinitives with an ending rather than with a preposition. The _hace calor_ you’re thinking of (_hacer_, not _haber_ - a very common confusion) isn’t so much an impersonal form as an impersonal situation: weather is always considered impersonal. _Hace calor/frío; llueve; nieva; caen chuzos de punta_: is hot/cold, rains, snows, rains very hard and cold… who? Nobody. The weather. God. Whomever is in charge of deciding whether humans should wear bikinis or fisherman’s knits. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-i-really-have-to-go-to-the-bathroom/645300/20 "2012-12-28T16:35:07Z")
I’ve woken up, and I cannot believe how much I fucked up my examples. I learned that, and have been saying it correctly, since fifth grade. “Aquí se habla Español.” "Aquí hablamos “Español.” Thry’re both normal.