How do you say “Get something out of your system” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is desahogarse, which literally means “to unburden oneself”. English speakers use get something out of your system to mean to release a feeling or satisfy an urge so it troubles you less. A close match for releasing feelings, especially through talking. For satisfying an urge, use different wording. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
desahogarse
/desaˈoɣaɾse/
- Literal meaning
- “to unburden oneself”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Necesito desahogarme” tells someone you need to express what is bothering you. It can involve sadness or frustration as well as anger.
For an experience you want to try, explain the wish directly: “satisfacer esas ganas”, satisfying that urge. The surfing example uses this meaning rather than the emotional release of “desahogarse”.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I went for a run to get the frustration out of my system.
Spanish
Salí a correr para desahogarme y liberar la frustración.
English
I wanted to try surfing once and get it out of my system.
Spanish
Quería probar el surf una vez para satisfacer esas ganas.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04