¡Que Fuerte! – A Gorgeous Spanish Gem

I was perched on a rickety bar stool, ready to pounce on any snippet of Spanish conversation I could latch onto.

The local bar was buzzing with the mid-morning crowd—farmers, retirees, and the odd tourist wandering in for a café con leche. And me…the mad lady in the corner, the only one not on their phone, staring at any one who lookedd even a little bit Spanish.

But it was utter bliss. I felt like I was back at university, studying English Literature in Bristol. Back then, I’d squirrel away to dusty bookshops, finding obscure poetry books, and lose myself in them at my digs. My book collection was my secret vault of magic.

Now, the words I collect are Spanish, and instead of dusty bookstore shelves, I’m using this neat app called Memrise.

No competitions, no Diamond Leagues.

Just my own little treasure trove of vocabulary, ready for me whenever I like.

As I sipped my café solo, I overheard the bar owner ranting about the rising electricity costs. He was animatedly gesturing toward the overhead lights, the fridge, and, most of all, a small ice cream counter humming in the corner. An old fellow, who had just slammed back a second shot of something suspect, was shaking his head in sympathy.

“¡Mil euros al mes ahora!” he groaned, pointing dramatically at the ice cream freezer as though it were the spawn of Satan.

Sensing an opportunity to connect—and test my new words—I cleared my throat.

“¡Yo también!” I said, gathering courage. “Pago trescientos euros en diciembre. Ahora tengo placas solares.”

“Placas solares” was one of the words I’d added to Memrise recently.

Paul and I had taken the plunge to install solar panels after hearing the Spanish government was adding VAT back onto electricity bills. We found a great company installing solar panels in Javea and the Marina Alta area, and now we’re happily soaking up the Mediterranean sun to power our home.

The old man stopped mid-swig, set his shot glass on the bar, and threw a hand up in exasperation.

“¿Trescientos euros en un mes? ¡Que fuerte!” he exclaimed, as if I’d just announced I was building a rocket to Mars.

“¿Fuerte?” I replied. I knew it meant “strong”.

I made a gesture flexing my bicep and the bar owner and the old man shared a laugh, saying “Si, ¡fuerte!”.

Something told me I had completely misunderstood them though.

Que Fuerte

“Fuerte” in Spanish does indeed means “strong.”

I’d always assumed it was just used for a sturdy table and a man fresh out the gym. But in casual conversation, que fuerte means something closer to “that’s crazy!” or “oh my gosh!”—an exclamation of disbelief, shock, or even admiration.

I looked into the etymology of “fuerte,” and it’s intriguingly tied to English words like “fort,” “comfort,” “effort,” and “force.”

All of these have roots in the Latin word fortis, meaning strength.

So when a Spaniard exclaims “¡Que fuerte!” they’re essentially saying, “Wow, that’s so strong!”—as though the news they’re reacting to just hit them like a physical blow. And trust me, when you see them say it—eyes wide, hand gestures swirling—you really do sense that impact.

I have to say, I’ve fallen for “que fuerte.”

It’s miles better than our mild “oh gosh” in English. It’s like an “ouch that hurts” reaction, acknowledging how striking, surprising, or even outrageous a situation can be. The expression, combined with that proud flick of the wrist, conveys a certain drama that English phrases just don’t deliver.

It makes me wonder: how many other Spanish expressions am I missing out on?

If a simple word like fuerte can morph into such a powerful exclamation, what else might be lurking in the corners of this wonderful language?

But that’s the joy of learning Spanish this way: word by word, story by story, day by day—just like those nights in Bristol with my poetry anthologies. Only now, instead of Shakespeare or Keats, I’ve got solar panels, bar chatter, and Memrise. And every time I hear a new phrase like “que fuerte,” I get that same delicious thrill of discovery.

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