Word
¡Qué diseño tan torcido!
Meaning
What a crooked design!
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about ¡Qué diseño tan torcido!
Since this lesson is about lexical reduplication, could I drop "tan" and say "¡Qué diseño torcido torcido!"?
Yes, you could! Repeating the adjective as torcido torcido is a colloquial way to express the maximum degree of the word—meaning extremely crooked. It serves the same emphasizing purpose as tan torcido or muy torcido, but with a more conversational, emphatic flavor. Note that you must drop the tan to use this reduplication structure.
Why is it "tan torcido" instead of just "qué diseño torcido"?
You can absolutely say ¡Qué diseño torcido! to mean "What a crooked design!". However, adding tan (so) or más (more) is a very common formula in Spanish exclamations to add extra punch. It translates literally to "What a design so crooked!" but feels entirely natural and standard to native speakers.
Why isn't there a translation for the "a" in "What a crooked design!"?
In English, we say "What a...". In Spanish, the exclamatory qué attaches directly to the noun. You never use the indefinite article (un or una) immediately after qué in these exclamatory phrases. Saying qué un diseño is a common direct-translation trap!
Does "torcido" only mean physically crooked, or can it be used figuratively like "twisted"?
Just like in English, torcido (from the verb torcer, to twist) works for both. It can describe a physically bent line or a poorly drawn object, but it can also be used figuratively to describe a situation that went bad, an unfair system, or someone with a "twisted" or "crooked" personality.