Aguantar carros y carretas

/a·ɣwan·ˈtaɾ ˈka·ros i ka·ˈre·tas/

To put up with carts and carriages.

Frequency

ConversationOccasional

JournalismRare

LiteraryOccasional

AcademicRare

In English

to put up with a lot; **to put up with a lot**; **to put up with all sorts**; **to endure a lot**; **to take a lot of crap**; **to put up with someone's nonsense**; **to weather the storm**

Meaning

Aguantar carros y carretas means to put up with a great deal, to endure all kinds of difficulties, or to tolerate things that are very difficult or unpleasant.

Examples

Ha tenido que aguantar carros y carretas durante todos estos años.

He's had to put up with a lot over all these years.

Mi madre ha aguantado carros y carretas con nosotros.

My mother has had to put up with all sorts from us.

Si quieres trabajar con él, tendrás que aguantar carros y carretas.

If you want to work with him, you'll have to put up with a lot.

El entrenador aguantó carros y carretas antes de que finalmente lo despidieran.

The coach put up with a lot before they finally sacked him.

It often implies that someone has shown considerable patience or resilience in the face of repeated problems.

Used when

has endured repeated difficulties
has tolerated someone's bad behaviour
has been patient despite unpleasant circumstances
has put up with criticism, complaints or insults
has continued despite numerous obstacles

Origin

The expression is traditionally associated with the image of someone having to endure the passage of carts and carriages, perhaps while standing in a difficult or inconvenient position.

The words carros y carretas form a deliberately exaggerated pair: both refer to wheeled vehicles, reinforcing the idea of having to endure one thing after another.

Cultural note

The expression usually implies repeated or considerable hardship, rather than a single unpleasant event.

Compare:

Aguantó una bronca.

→ He put up with an argument / telling-off.

with:

Aguantó carros y carretas.

→ He put up with an enormous amount / He endured all sorts of difficulties.

It can also describe someone who has shown exceptional patience:

Tiene mucha paciencia; ha aguantado carros y carretas.

Did you know?

Spanish has a particularly expressive group of idioms for enduring hardship:

Aguantar carros y carretas → to put up with a great deal.
Aguantar lo que le echen → to cope with anything thrown at you.
Pasar las de Caín → to go through severe difficulties.
Pasarlas canutas → to have a very hard time.
Tragar quina → to endure something extremely unpleasant.

In aguantar carros y carretas, the pairing of carros and carretas creates an exaggerated image of an apparently endless succession of things that someone has to endure.

For English speakers

Do not translate:

Ha aguantado carros y carretas.

as:

He has endured carts and carriages.

The literal image is colourful, but it is not an English idiom.

Natural translations include:

He's put up with a lot.

He's had to endure all sorts.

He's taken a lot of crap.

He's been through a lot.