Sudar la gota gorda

to sweat buckets; **to sweat buckets**; **to work one's socks off**; **to sweat blood** (figuratively); **to toil**; **to break one's back** (depending on the context)

Sudar la gota gorda means to work extremely hard, struggle greatly or suffer intense physical or mental effort.

Depending on the context, it may also refer to sweating heavily because of heat, exercise or anxiety.

• works extremely hard
• performs exhausting physical exercise
• struggles through a difficult task
• feels intense nervousness before an important event
• suffers greatly to achieve a goal

The expression is based on deliberate exaggeration.

Instead of ordinary drops of sweat, Spanish imagines large, heavy drops, making the effort appear even greater.

The metaphor has existed for centuries and remains one of the most vivid ways of describing intense effort or discomfort.

Although the expression literally refers to sweating, it is very often used metaphorically.

Someone may sudar la gota gorda while:

• studying,
• negotiating,
• taking an exam,
• giving a presentation,
• or solving a difficult problem,

even if they are not actually sweating very much.

Spanish has several colourful expressions involving sweat:

• Sudar la gota gorda → to sweat buckets / work extremely hard.
• Ganarse el pan con el sudor de la frente → to earn one's living by the sweat of one's brow.
• Sudar tinta → to struggle enormously over something (less common).

Among them, sudar la gota gorda is by far the most common in everyday Spanish and can describe both physical exertion and intense mental effort.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

I sweated the fat drop.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• I sweated buckets.
• I worked my socks off.
• I really struggled.
• I was sweating with nerves.

Choose the translation according to whether the emphasis is on physical effort, hard work or anxiety.