How do you say “Bore someone to tears” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is aburrir a alguien muchísimo, which literally means “to bore someone very much”. English speakers use bore someone to tears to mean to make someone feel extremely bored. A plain way to express strong boredom; the oyster idiom below is more colourful. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
aburrir a alguien muchísimo
/aβuˈriɾ a ˈalɣjen muˈtʃisimo/
- Literal meaning
- “to bore someone very much”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
89 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Spanish can intensify “aburrir” directly. It gives a natural complaint, though it is less colourful than the English phrase.
“Aburrirse como una ostra” is a more playful option. Make the bored person the subject: “Me aburrí como una ostra,” not the activity doing the boring.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
aburrirse como una ostra
Literally: “to be bored like an oyster”
A colourful option describing the bored person, not the cause.
In context
English
The guide's long list of dates bored us to tears.
Spanish
La larga lista de fechas del guía nos aburrió muchísimo.
English
I was bored to tears during the three-hour meeting.
Spanish
Me aburrí como una ostra durante la reunión de tres horas.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-19