As you may or may not know, RE 4 is set in an old, run-down, decaying European town. As luck would have it, it turns out to be an old, run-down, decaying Spanish town. Luckily for me, and all you loyal ButtonMashers, I spent two years in Spain and I am endeavoring to translate some of the sayings you’ll hear the possessed villagers yell as they try to kill Leon. My hats of to the guys who wrote the Spanish lines, most of them are well done, including the naughty i words. I am trying to keep this a PG-rated blog, so you’ll have to use your imagination for some of the definitions here. This list will grow as I progress further in the game from the luxury of my comfy seat and remember more of what is said. (Update: I have since beaten Resident Evil 4 but decided to keep this list updated, based on the daily hits I get looking for these translations
Update 2: Ever since the release of Resident Evil 4 on the Playstation 2 I’ve noticed an uptick in google requests for “Resident Evil 4 Translations”. I’ve been keeping the list updated as much as possible, so feel free to add anything I’ve missed, whether you know how to translate it or not.)
So, as a public service, I present you the buttonmashing.com “Unofficial” Resident Evil 4 Spanish Phrases translation guide, complete with your additions:
- Cabrón – Literally translated, this means “mountain goat”. Slang, it means “mothertrucker”.
- ¡Jefe! – Boss!
- ¡Voy a romperte (unintelligible) pedazos! – I’m gonna break you into pieces!
- Mierda – Sh*t!
- ¡Allí está! – There he is!
- ¡Es el forastero! – It’s the foreigner!
- ¡Te voy a matar! – I’m going to kill you!
- ¡Te voy a hacer picadillo! – I’m gonna make mincemeat outta you!
- ¡Detrás de tí, imbécil! – Behind you, imbecile!
- ¡Cogedlo! – Grab him!
- ¡Agérrelo! – Grab him!
- Mueren, Mueren, Meuren – Die, die, die
- ¡Mátalo! – Kill him!
- ¡Mátenlo! – Kill him! (another form)
- Morir es vivir. – To die is to live.
- ¿Qué carajo estás haciendo aquí? ¡Lárgate cabrón! – What the hell are you doing here? Get the hell outta here, cabrón
- ¡No deje que se escape! – Don’t let him escape!
- ¡A por él! – After him!
- ¡Te jodiste! – You’re screwed!
- ¿No estás soñando? – Are you sure you’re not dreaming?
- Es hora de rezar – Now is the time to pray
- ¡Tenemos que irnos! – We need to get outta here!
- ¡Puedes correr, pero no puedes esconederte! – You can run but you cant hide!
- ¡Imbécil, quiero matar! – Imbecile, I want to kill you!
“Vocabulary:”
- Los Illuminados – “The Illuminated Ones
- Los Ganados – While this does directly translate as “livestock” or cattle, it can also be used to refer to a group of people, like a mob.
- Las Plagas – The Plagues
- La campana – the bell
- Cerebros – braaaaains
Updated (11/12/2005) – Thanks to Dudeman, RE4Fan, Marcos, SpikeRevell, Darkzeta, and Angelo for the latest request and additions. I know that with the recent release of RE4 on the PS2 that we’ve had a new influx of people searching for translations. Hopefully all these will make the enjoyment of this most excellent game. Let me know if there’s more! Keep ’em coming!
Updated (8/29/2005) – Thanks to Marionette, Mark, Kasage, David for reminding me of some of the phrases I’ve missed. Keep ’em coming!
je says
what is the translation of “damn it” cuz i kno ive heard it in the game sometimes, but i dunno what damn it is in spanish
idrial says
Hey! I also want to thank you for making this translation guide. It’s truly helpful and good.
vale says
hey i know spanish , i am from chile. its very helpful to know that “detras de ti imbecil” is that one of the bastards is behind you ! very helpful tip ^^ its great because u can tell what the dam illuminati are saying
PD: read Angels and Demons (dan brown) alot of illuminati stuff !
Tony says
Thanks for to everyone for commenting. I’ve jotted down some of your requests and I’ll be playing some RE 4 in the next couple of days and I’ll try to see if I can make out what you guys are asking about.
Let me know if there’s more you’re looking for!
George says
Oh, thank you, thank you. I really wanted to know what those damn ganados where saying. I was bugging the crap otta me.
Metaphysical Anomaly says
You know, I took two years of spanish in high school, but couldn’t figure out what the ganados were saying. To those who speak a little spanish (such as me), “morir es Virir” just sounds like “Modeen decibeel” or some other such nonesense. It’s great that real spanish-speaking people can translate these for us. Thanks!
On another note, Capcom has promised that Resident Evil 5 (coming out in 2007!) will have even more expressive enemies. Now, Resident Evil 5 takes place in a desert area/city (not in the United states). So are we all going to have to learn Arabic? Kurdish? Armenian? We will have to wait and see.
hunk says
holy crap ive beaten pro difficult and i have over 4million bucks and nothing to spend it on ive already baught all the infinant stuff to
hunk says
yeah that last one i posted on my psp so this is on my comp, yeah i’ve beaten pro difficulty about 3 times maybe more idk, and i have already boaght the infinint launcher and the handcannon upgrade and the tommy gun and i have a shizenload of health. and i’ve already beaten the ps2 one on norm and everything in the extras, all that’s left to do is pro on the ps2 one
leon says
hey nice translation guide hey on one of those bottle caps u get in the game the woman say’s dabesta or something like that and would like to know what it means
carcar says
What are they saying that sounds like, “Pickle Tee!”?
Lord of Chaos says
Hey, thanks for the great translation guide. It’s quite comforting to know that when the Ganados who chase you around with axes scream at you that they are doing more than making unintelligible grunting sounds.
I think it is most entertaining when the Los Illuminados in the castle begin chanting “Cogedlo…cogedlo…cogedlo…” under their breath, almost as if they are saying “Grab him, but don’t let him know what we’re doing…”
Another thing that no one seemed to pick up on was the mountain troll, El Gigante. I don’t know Spanish anymore than I’ve read on this page, but I’m pretty sure it translates to “The Giant”…I was sure someone else would have mentioned him by now.
I also have another question–I know that the man in the purple robes who injected the egg into you is Lord Saddler, but what is the name of the village chieftan (the big cheese with the beard, no hair, and false eye)? Just wondering. Keep up the good work.
Lord of Chaos says
Also, there should be nothing unintelligible in “I am going to break you into little pieces!”; “¡Voy a romperle en pedazos!” translates directly to that.
Lord of Chaos says
Also, you said that ‘cabron’ was slang for ‘mothertrucker’…Which is not exact. ‘Cabron’ has many meanings, as you said, including:
zoology: goat
vulgarism: (cornudo): cuckold
(cretino): b*st*rd
Chile: pimp
Tim says
Hey, in Electronic Gaming Monthly they say that the main thing the ganados shout is “Cojelo!” is this at all true? and if so then what does it mean?
Lord of Chaos says
Um…Sort of. I think what they were going for was “icogedlo!” (pronounced KO-head-low). It means (as stated above) “Grab him!” in a plural sense (i.e., “grab him, you guys!”).
Tony says
carcar – I’m not quite sure what phrase you’re referring to. “Pickle Tee” doesn’t sound like anything I can think of.
Lord of Chaos – The character’s name you’re wondering about is “Bitores Mendez”. Thanks for the other translations of the other phrases.
Tim – like Chaos said, cogelo is the command form, if you were speaking to one person, and cogedlo is the command form speaking to many people.
Lord of Chaos says
Ah, thanks. I was confused because the article in Nintendo Power that I was seeking counsel from kept referring to Mendez as Lord Saddler.
ramon_salazar says
i was just 1drin, what did the illuminados said when i was snippin’ ashley in the castle. the red illuminado said, “ayun na”.. or dd i heard it wrong? and i always hear ganados shoutin’ “ayan na”.. is it, “there he is” too?
Lord of Chaos says
I think that you’re referring to “alli esta”, meaning ‘there he is’…The ganados and zealots both have thick accents and it may sound a lot like “ayan na”.
ramon_salazar says
uhmm.. hehe.. what do u mean by “pendejo?”
Jimmy says
Thanks for the translations. I was always wondering if Capcom actually did put in real Spanish or if it was jumbled up.
Tony says
Jimmy – yup, it’s the real thing. The Spanish is actually quite authentic.
jake says
kool thx! btw, can u help me out with u3?hes a little tuff in the first stage…
Ron says
So what is the phrase, “Teh Ko hil”?
I hear that quite a lot and havent a clue what it means.
The salesman says
Youve made a mistake with one of the phrases:
Qué carajo estás haciendo aquí? ¡Lárgate cabrón!”
means
“what the fuck are you doing in my house? Get the fuck out, Bastard”
Cabrón = bastard
lol, i just asked my cousin who does spanish.
The salesman says
NOTE: IF ANYONE IS HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSLATIONS OF THE NAMES OF BAD GUYS IN RESIDENT EVIL 4, VISIT THIS WEBPAGE OF WIKIPEDIA AND IT’LL HELP A LOT!!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Resident_Evil_4_creatures
also, the villagers say something like “un forastero!” or “um forastero!”. Not folablelo, or folastelo or whatever.
Te ko hil? ive heard that one, but i cant figure it out, its in such a dialect, and the animal grunts that capcom have included dont help either
any questions feel free to ask people, ill be here everyday!
other FAQ’s of “what does this mean?”
“¡Vamanos!” Lets go!
“¡Abre la puerta!” Open the door!
Cogedlo, Cogedlo, Cogedlo…”grab him, grab him, grab him..
(sounds like kohilo, kohilo, kohilo – zealots)
Colmillos (dogs) means [literally] “Eye teeth”
The rest is on the Wikipedia page that gives IN DEPTH DETAIL about the meanings and where the enemies names derive from, please visit the site! YOU’LL FIND IT UNIMAGINABLY USEFUL!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Resident_Evil_4_creatures
The salesman says
i mean it, literally, im gonna be here checking up everyday lol. Imbecil. lol.
Tony says
Ron – “te ko hil” is actually “Te cogi!” which means “I got ya!” I’ll update that ASAP.
salesman – There are a lot of ways to translate “cabron.” Bastard is definitely one of them. The wikipedia link is pretty handy, too.
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
i know a little portuguess, and would like to comfirm that “¡Vamanos!” means “come on” or “lets go” kind of a “were leaving” type thing, and in the inital cutscene were you fight your first “el giganta” (i really cant spell) they say “rapido”which, as most people that dont know a word of spanish, can translate as “fast” or “come on!” a “lets da this quichly!” kind of a phrase
PS. really nice guide you have here
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
oh, and for those that dont kow, portuguess is very simalar to spanish, for instance the spanish word “Vamanos” in portuguess is “Vamous” and translates the same way
The salesman says
Very true Tony, i’m still researching into the many different ‘Cabrón’ meanings, so i’ll try to put them up here too, depending if someone beats me to it. 😛
Yeh, i found that wiki page on the resident evil 4 enemies very helpful, im sure everyone else will too.
I’ll listen out for more words said by enemies in resi4…
The salesman says
Oh and one other question, it continues on with “leons” question, if you go to the bottle caps in leons treasure section in his inventory, select the bottle cap called “Isabel” (the woman wearing a green skirt), she says something like “Domeska” / “Dobeska” / “Doneskah”
What is she saying?
And the second question is the bottle cap “Don Deigo” (the bald fat villager), he says something like “Basta bee booten ubatau”
I still can’t decipher what he’s saying, and i feel that my spanish that i’ve learnt is all for nothing!
Cruz says
When you come view of a villager they will sometimes yell, “Un foras tero” which according to an associate of mine means something like “a stranger” just to clear things u with previous comments about the illegible phrase that was used.
amantad02 says
Tony, do you know what it means when the soldiers say something like ” syalz” or “stylz” ps: i need to know cuz im a pro
The Salesman says
Hmm, well you could say “a stranger” but its not correct,
its actually “un forastero” which can literally mean “a foriegner” depending on how you translate it. (and what the sentence/phrase is).
As for amantad02, geez….hmmm… syalz or stylz? not unless the soldiers are referring to Leon being a good model for Next or Hugo Boss, then i’m sure they don’t say stylz lol….. stylz….. hmm can’t seem to remember a phrase like that…. syalz syalz syalz… sorry, i dont think the soldiers on the island say that! Im very sure about that…. maybe you didnt hear them out properly…
maybe they say:
Es hora de rezar – Now is the time to pray
Sorry, i dont think Syalz or stylz are even said, open your ears a bit more and try asking again, as perhaps the villager lady says something like “salez” but i havent heard it from anyone else, sorry!
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
a little off topic but…………….
http://gonintendo.com/?p=3026
The Salesman says
yeh well, i try not to sound like some zombified record player with a droning voice (hmm i wonder where i’ve seen those types of people in….)
oh for gods sake im refering to ganados.
metroidman says
anyone know an easier way to get the handcannon? Oh, and what the heck do the soliders mean when they say something like “zylz” i need an answer to both questions, and i also need a break cuz i just typed this on a psp!
The Salesman says
wow, ok there HAS to be something i missed. first stylz then zylz, ok lemme check right now…. but it’ll take a while, i’m on my 3rd round and i’m about to save ashely from the church, lol, so errr….. it’ll be a while lol.
Fatebreaker says
Sometimes a ganados say: Miralo ……. (i don’t know)
What’s the complete phrase? And what it’s mean?
(I’m sorry for my horrible english but i’m Italian)
The Salesman says
Well “Miralos” could be in fact “Muere” or “Matalo!” or “Cogedlo!” (Die! or Kill him! or Grab him!)
Hmmm… depends on what you hear though, i’d go with the M’s lol. I mean, at one point (when i had not enough Spanish in my head) i thought “Matalo!” was “Hatenho!” lol, but i guess revision and taking the subject helps!
metroidman says
im sure they say something like that. i started to notice it on my fourth go around on profesional mode. DOES ANYONE KNOW AN EASIER WAY TO GET THE FRIGGIN HANDCANNON!!!!!
metroidman says
they say it mostly when they are about to attack you, or after they kill you.
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
handcannon…… you have to beat “the mercinarys” right, i doubt theres an easyer way…. personaly,. i’m having trouble with the “asighnment adda”
yes i now my spelling is horrible
metroidman says
where are you stuck at? you know, in assignment ada?
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
well, in the beggining, (yes i know it’s pathetic) i have trouble getting past that chain gunner (the first one) past that just conserving amo, i’ll run out, so i try to find more, by the time i do, i have like 20 guys after me, and they end up killing me
so it’s just a mattter of conserving more ammo
metroidman says
just run and bust alot of barrels to get “ammo” lol. have you beaten seperate ways yet?
Flamingsquirrelofdeathv2 says
i have the GC versoin, so no
i’m really good with leon (i beat it first time around in bout 3 days) i just have trouble with adda (read: no fully upgraded with exlusive red9, and shotgun)
metroidman says
what, does the GC version not have seprate ways?