The clearest way to say they don’t like each other in Spanish is no se caen bien, which signals mutual dislike without sounding too harsh.
If you spend time around Spanish speakers, sooner or later you’ll need to talk about people who clash. Maybe two coworkers never click, two classmates argue over everything, or your friend and their partner’s best friend just rub each other the wrong way. English has a handy line for this: “they don’t like each other.” Spanish has several options, each with its own tone, level of drama, and regional flavor.
This guide walks you through the most natural ways to express that idea, how the grammar behind them works, and which phrase fits which social scene. By the end, you’ll know when to reach for no se caen bien, when to swap in no se soportan, and how to shape the sentence so native speakers hear exactly the level of tension you have in mind.
What Speakers Mean When They Don’t Get Along
Before you pick a phrase, it helps to think about what you want to say about the relationship. Sometimes the feeling is mild: two people just don’t click. In other cases, there’s open conflict or long-term resentment. Spanish draws that line with different verbs and little details such as pronouns and adverbs.
At the mild end, you’ll hear learners ask how to say they don’t like each other in spanish when they only want to suggest awkward vibes. In that case, a neutral choice like no se caen bien or no se llevan bien works well. These options keep the focus on chemistry, not on villains and victims.
When things are sharper, Spanish shifts to verbs that carry real friction: odiar, soportar, aguantar. A short sentence like se odian gives a sense of strong hostility. Another one, no se soportan, paints a picture of people who cannot stand being around each other. Your job is to match the intensity of the Spanish with the story you’re telling.
Common Ways To Say They Don’t Like Each Other In Spanish
Here are the most frequent patterns you’ll hear when people talk about mutual dislike. Each one has its own color, from soft and diplomatic to blunt and direct.
| Spanish Phrase | Rough Meaning | Typical Use And Tone |
|---|---|---|
| No se caen bien | They don’t sit well with one another | Neutral way to say they don’t click; very common in everyday talk |
| No se llevan bien | They don’t get along | Describes ongoing tension or distance, not always open conflict |
| No se soportan | They can’t stand one another | Stronger dislike; suggests each person finds the other unbearable |
| Se odian | They hate each other | Very strong word; fits heavy conflict or long feuds |
| Hay mala onda entre ellos | There’s bad energy between them | Casual, often used in Latin America among friends or younger speakers |
| No se tragan | They can’t swallow each other | Colloquial; used when two people rub each other the wrong way |
| Están peleados | They’ve fallen out | They had a fight or disagreement and still feel resentful |
In many day-to-day situations, no se caen bien covers the same ground as “they don’t like each other.” It hints at a lack of chemistry and maybe a bit of tension, without sounding dramatic. No se llevan bien leans slightly more toward ongoing problems and clashes. When you want a softer tone, these two are your safest base choices.
Grammar Basics Behind No Se Caen Bien
Some learners hesitate to use these phrases because of the little word se. This tiny pronoun can mark reflexive actions, reciprocal actions, or other patterns. In the case of mutual dislike, se tells you that the action goes both ways: each person has a feeling toward the other.
The Royal Spanish Academy notes on pronombres recíprocos explain that forms such as nos and se can express actions people perform on one another, as in nos ayudamos or se escriben. In no se caen bien, the pronoun marks that same kind of relationship, even though the verb looks like the regular verb caer.
The Instituto Cervantes forum on the uses of se also shows how this pronoun appears with many pronominal verbs that describe emotional ties. With caer bien or caer mal plus a pronoun, Spanish speakers talk about sympathy, attraction, or discomfort between people. When you add se before the verb and put a plural subject, you get a neat way to say that feeling goes both directions.
Here’s the structure in a simple pattern:
[Subject in plural] + se + [verb form] + bien/mal.
Examples:
- Ellos dos no se caen bien. – The two of them don’t get along.
- Mis vecinos se caen mal. – My neighbors dislike each other.
- Esos compañeros se llevan fatal. – Those coworkers get along badly.
In each case, the pronoun ties the people to one another. The subject is plural, and the feeling flows both ways, which matches the idea behind “they don’t like each other.”
Ways To Say They Dislike Each Other In Spanish Conversations
Now that you have the core phrases, the next step is to match them to real situations. A sentence that fits a light office drama might sound out of place in a story about long-term rivals. Think about three simple sliders: strength of feeling, level of formality, and how direct you want to sound.
Softer Lines For Mild Tension
When you want to keep things calm, stick with no se caen bien or no se llevan bien. Both work at work, at school, and in family talk. They describe friction without painting either person as a villain. If someone asks about two acquaintances who never talk, you can say:
- Ellas no se caen bien, por eso casi no hablan.
- Desde aquel proyecto no se llevan bien.
These lines match situations where people roll their eyes, avoid each other, or give short answers, yet still stay polite. The feeling is there, but life goes on.
Stronger Phrases For Open Hostility
When the story calls for drama, Spanish gives you short, sharp lines. Se odian leaves no doubt about how the people feel. No se soportan adds the idea that any contact is hard to bear. If you describe two relatives who argue at every family event, a sentence like this fits:
- Mis tíos no se soportan y siempre terminan discutiendo.
- Después del juicio se odian.
Because these verbs carry so much weight, save them for cases where you want to show serious tension or a long history of conflicts.
Colloquial Expressions For Friends And Gossip
When friends gossip or comment on a social group, they often reach for informal lines. In many Latin American countries, hay mala onda entre ellos pops up when a group senses bad vibes. In Spain and in some other regions, people say no se tragan. These phrases color the sentence with a touch of slang and help you sound closer to everyday speech.
Examples that sound natural among peers:
- Entre esos dos hay mala onda desde hace años.
- Se nota que no se tragan.
If you’re not sure who will hear you, you can stay with no se llevan bien and still sound natural in almost any setting.
Using They Don’t Like Each Other In Spanish With Names And Pronouns
So far, most examples have used ellos or generic subjects. In daily life you’ll plug your own names, titles, or groups into the same pattern. The phrase they don’t like each other in spanish often pops up when learners talk about friends, relatives, or coworkers, so let’s plug those in directly.
Named People As The Subject
To talk about two specific people, use their names plus the verb in plural form. The pronoun se stays in place before the verb:
- Ana y Lucía no se caen bien. – Ana and Lucía don’t like each other.
- Carlos y su jefe no se llevan bien. – Carlos and his boss don’t get along.
- Mario y Paula se odian. – Mario and Paula hate each other.
Notice how the verb agrees with the pair: caen, llevan, odian. Even when one person has a title, such as el director, the rule stays the same because there are still two people.
Groups And Collective Nouns
Sometimes the tension lies between groups, not just individuals. Spanish lets you use plural nouns or even singular collective nouns with the same pattern. You can say:
- Los dos equipos no se soportan. – The two teams can’t stand each other.
- Esas familias se caen mal desde hace décadas. – Those families have disliked each other for decades.
With collective nouns such as la familia or la pareja, speakers often rely on context. A sentence like Esa familia se odia can mean the members hate one another, especially when the story has already made that clear.
Choosing The Right Phrase For Each Setting
When you have several ways to say they don’t like each other in spanish, the final choice comes down to setting and effect. Here is a compact overview that pairs situations with fitting phrases, so you can decide in seconds which one to drop into your sentence.
| Situation | Suggested Phrase | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Polite work talk | No se llevan bien | Keeps things neutral, fine in meetings or reports |
| School or college gossip | No se caen bien | Soft, friendly tone; fits casual talk among classmates |
| Family feud stories | No se soportan / se odian | Use for strong resentment or repeated fights |
| Chat with close friends | No se tragan / hay mala onda | Sounds colloquial; best with people you know well |
| Written descriptions | No se llevan bien | Safe choice for essays, messages, or descriptions |
| Short social media comment | No se soportan | Works when context already hints at conflict |
| Storytelling or fiction | Están peleados | Gives a sense of a break after a fight |
If you’re doubtful, ask yourself how heated the relationship feels and where you are speaking. In a job interview or a formal presentation, you’ll stay closer to no se llevan bien. At a bar or in group chat, no se tragan and hay mala onda entre ellos will sound natural and vivid.
Mini Dialogues With Realistic Uses
Hearing whole lines with context makes it easier to keep the right phrase in your head. Here are a few short exchanges where English speakers might reach for “they don’t like each other,” along with natural Spanish versions that match tone and setting.
Office Chat
A: “Have you noticed Marta and Luis?”
B: “Yeah, no se llevan bien desde aquel proyecto.”
Here, no se llevan bien fits an office where people still work together but feel annoyed or resentful.
Family Story
A: “Are your cousins close?”
B: “Para nada, desde la herencia no se soportan.”
The phrase no se soportan tells the listener this is more than mild tension. There is a clear break after a specific event.
Friends Gossiping
A: “Why does Laura always leave when Diego arrives?”
B: “Hay mala onda entre ellos desde la secundaria, se nota que no se caen bien.”
This mix of hay mala onda and no se caen bien sounds relaxed and fits a casual setting among friends. It also shows how phrases can stack when people tell a story.
Putting It All Together With Confidence
When you face a story where two people clash, you now have several Spanish tools at hand. For light tension, pair plural subjects with no se caen bien or no se llevan bien. For serious hostility, se odian and no se soportan bring the right level of weight. When you want a casual touch, reach for no se tragan or hay mala onda entre ellos.
Each time you hear native speakers talk about people who clash, listen for which verb they pick and how strong it sounds in that scene. Then mirror that pattern the next time you need to say they don’t like each other in spanish. With a bit of practice, these phrases will feel as natural as the English line you started from.