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Estar de mala leche

To be grumpy

ES
Example

Déjale, hoy está de mala leche y salta a la mínima.

When to use it

Your friend answers every message with short, irritated replies after a terrible day at work.

What it means

Literally "to be of bad milk."
In practice it means being in a bad mood-snappy, grumpy, or unpleasant to deal with. It can also imply someone has a bit of a mean streak in that moment. In Spain it's very common; a stronger version is "tener mala leche," which can sound more like "being nasty" in general.

Don't confuse it with

"Estar de mala leche" does not mean to be very nervous, to be completely bored, to be really disappointed. It specifically means "To be grumpy".

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