Why Quejarse Is the Verb of Complaining
Quejarse is the everyday verb for complaining. It is regular and always reflexive: me quejo, te quejas, se queja, nos quejamos, se quejan. It covers everything from a friendly grumble about traffic to a formal complaint.
Learn the six chunks below and you can complain, say you are fine, and file a proper complaint.
Pattern 1: Quejarse de… — "To complain about…"
Use de for what you complain about, or de que plus a clause. For the feeling behind it, see [Molestar] Chunks.
- Siempre se queja del tráfico. — He's always complaining about the traffic.
- ¿De qué te quejas? — What are you complaining about?
- Me quejo de que nadie me escucha. — I'm complaining that nobody listens to me.
Chunk to learn:
Quejarse de + [algo] / Quejarse de que + [cláusula]
Pattern 2: No me quejo — "Can't complain"
A very common small-talk answer when someone asks how things are. It says things are fine, not great. For the same moment, see [Ir] Chunks.
- —¿Qué tal el trabajo? —No me quejo. — "How's work?" "Can't complain."
- No me puedo quejar. — I can't complain.
- ¿Y la familia? —No nos quejamos. — "And the family?" "We can't complain."
Chunk to learn:
No me quejo / No me puedo quejar
Pattern 3: Quejarse de todo — "To complain about everything"
Use it for the person who is never satisfied. The natural command is deja de quejarte. For stopping, see [Parar] Chunks.
- Se queja de todo. — He complains about everything.
- Siempre te quejas por todo. — You always complain about everything.
- Deja de quejarte. — Stop complaining.
Chunk to learn:
Quejarse de / por todo / Deja de quejarte
Pattern 4: Quejarse de vicio — "To complain for no reason"
De vicio means out of habit, without a real reason. It is how you describe someone who complains just to complain. For the blunt answer, see [Aguantar] Chunks.
- Se queja de vicio. — He complains just for the sake of it.
- No tiene motivos, se queja de vicio. — She has no reason, she just complains out of habit.
- No te quejes de vicio. — Don't complain for nothing.
Chunk to learn:
Quejarse de vicio
Pattern 5: Presentar una queja — "To file a complaint"
The formal chunk for hotels, shops, banks and offices. Use presentar everywhere; Latin America also says poner una queja, and Spain has the hoja de reclamaciones. For hacer, see [Hacer] Chunks.
- Voy a presentar una queja. — I'm going to file a complaint.
- Pusimos una queja en el hotel. — We made a complaint at the hotel.
- Hay que hacer una reclamación. — We need to file a claim.
Chunk to learn:
Presentar / Poner una queja / Hacer una reclamación
Pattern 6: Quejarse a / con alguien — "To complain to someone"
Use a or con for the person you complain to: staff, a manager, an owner. Both are correct, and con is especially common in Mexico. For speaking up, see [Hablar] Chunks.
- Me quejé con el gerente. — I complained to the manager.
- Se quejó al camarero. — He complained to the waiter.
- Voy a quejarme con el dueño. — I'm going to complain to the owner.
Chunk to learn:
Quejarse a / con + [persona]
Quejarse vs. Reclamar vs. Protestar
Quejarse is to complain about how you feel or what went wrong. Reclamar is to formally demand something you are owed: reclamar un reembolso. Protestar is to object publicly or in a group. For asking for things, see [Pedir] Chunks. When in doubt, quejarse is the everyday word.
Start with no me quejo and deja de quejarte. You will use both within a week of living with Spanish speakers.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.