How do you say “Give someone a hard time” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is ponérselo difícil a alguien, which literally means “to make it difficult for someone”. English speakers use give someone a hard time to mean to make things difficult for someone through criticism, pressure or teasing. A direct match when someone causes problems or resists a request. It does not express friendly teasing on its own. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
ponérselo difícil a alguien
/poˈneɾselo ðiˈfisil a ˈalɣjen/
- Literal meaning
- “to make it difficult for someone”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
84 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Nos lo puso difícil” says someone made things hard for us. It does not necessarily imply a long campaign of mistreatment.
For jokes about a bad performance, “bromear con alguien sobre algo” is clearer. The second example uses that lighter wording.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The landlord gave us a hard time when we asked for the heating to be fixed.
Spanish
El casero nos lo puso difícil cuando pedimos que arreglara la calefacción.
English
My friends gave me a hard time about my terrible karaoke performance.
Spanish
Mis amigos bromearon conmigo sobre mi terrible actuación en el karaoke.
Related expressions
- What “Give someone a hard time” means in English
- Pull someone's leg, To tease someone playfully.
Last updated 2026-11-13