Thread: not nice

Ni por el carajo means something like not a chance or not a chance in hell.

Would I use it? Hmm probably not. It is a very informal expression and a lot of people of all sorts use it. However, as with many expressions and idioms, I wouldn't advice a non-native speaker to use it because you need to know where to use it , when, with whom, etc.

>>Of course any time I see " carajo " in know there is a good chance the message will not be pleasant ! jajajaja<<

Well, not really. Carajo is a very versatile word in the sense that it has various degrees of intensity so to speak, according to the context, the tone used, etc. Carajo! used alone is like saying Oh rats! (an interjection expressing a negative surprise). It is the central word of many expressions sucha as vete pa'l carajo (go to hell), which is stronger than the one you refer to. If you look it up in the DRAE you will find a couple of meanings of the word that even I didn't know about because here we don't use the word to imply that. Bear in mind that I am in Venezuela and this info can or cannot be valid in other Spanish speaking countries.

Here in Vzla., we also say ese carajo meaning that guy.