English–Spanish
“mess with” in Spanish
Spanish
Pronunciation
IPA/toketeˈaɾ/
Example
No toquetees mi mochila.
Don't mess with my backpack.
How to say “mess with” in Spanish
“Mess with” in Spanish is toquetear.
Repeated light handling of an object with the fingers.
Example sentences with toquetear
En las reuniones, él suele toquetear los bolígrafos cuando se aburre.
In meetings, he usually messes with the pens when he gets bored.
Tips for using toquetear
- Unlike tocar, which simply means to touch, toquetear implies meddling or tinkering and therefore often sounds more intrusive than the English 'to touch' would.