Estar como una cabra
To be like a goat.
to be crazy; **to be crazy**; **to be nuts**; **to be out of one's mind**; **to be bonkers** (British English); **to have a screw loose**
Estar como una cabra means to be crazy, eccentric or slightly out of one's mind.
Estás como una cabra.
You're crazy.
Hay que estar como una cabra para hacer eso.
You'd have to be out of your mind to do that.
Mi abuelo estaba un poco como una cabra, pero era divertidísimo.
My grandfather was a bit eccentric, but he was great fun.
Está como una cabra si cree que vamos a aceptar esa propuesta.
He's crazy if he thinks we're going to accept that proposal.
In most situations, it does not imply genuine mental illness.
Instead, it describes someone who behaves in an unusually reckless, unpredictable or absurd way.
Depending on the tone, it may even express admiration for someone's boldness.
- does something outrageous
- behaves irrationally
- has eccentric habits
- takes absurd risks
- surprises everyone with unexpected behaviour
It grew naturally out of everyday colloquial speech.
Goats have long been associated in Spanish popular culture with unpredictable movement, stubbornness and seemingly irrational behaviour.
Their habit of climbing impossible cliffs and jumping onto precarious rocks may have reinforced the image of an animal that behaves in ways that defy common sense.
Over time, the comparison became a humorous way of describing eccentric people.
Despite containing the word crazy, the expression is very often affectionate.
Friends may say:
Estás como una cabra.
after hearing an adventurous plan.
Parents may say it jokingly to their children.
In these situations, the speaker is criticising the behaviour, not attacking the person.
Tone of voice is therefore essential.
Unlike many expressions involving crazy, estar como una cabra often carries a touch of admiration.
Someone who climbs a mountain in the middle of winter, starts an impossible business or travels around the world alone may hear:
¡Estás como una cabra!
The speaker is not diagnosing madness.
They are expressing a mixture of disbelief, amusement and reluctant respect.
That blend of criticism and admiration is one reason the expression remains so popular in everyday Spanish.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
He's like a goat.
Instead, choose expressions such as:
- He's crazy.
- She's nuts.
- He's completely bonkers.
- You must be out of your mind.
Remember that the Spanish idiom is often playful rather than insulting.
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