<blockquote>
<p>screw up: 使成螺旋状；挤成一团弄糟，搞乱，弄乱，弄糟：</p>
<p>to screw up something</p>
<p>把某事搞得一团糟</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Dictionary definition above can help you. Basically, screw up: 把...搞砸了; 把...搞糟;etc; For example,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I can't believe I screwed that up: 很难想象我(竟然)把那件事情搞砸了.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T04:49:25.613Z
I think it is 搞砸  /gǎo zá/ ; not  搞杂 (搞雜) /gǎo zá/
Tang Ho
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T08:07:39.140Z
@TangHo, 搞砸 looks more correct, but I think 搞杂 is also grammatically correct. It's because 搞xxx is a common phrase. E.g. 搞坏了，搞糟了，搞好了, 搞乱了. So, 搞杂了 can mean 把...搞得很复杂 or 把...搞得很杂乱.  搞杂了 is more like *mess up*, while 搞砸了 is more like *screw up*. I am not sure how much difference between *mess up* and *screw up* in English. So, I will edit my answer to make it 搞砸了.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-03T23:59:04.997Z
2018-07-04T08:08:26.810Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
dan
<p>&quot;Screw up&quot; is a slang for &quot;to blunder&quot;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E6%90%9E%E7%A0%B8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">搞砸</a> /gǎo zá/ : blunder</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E5%BC%84%E7%B3%9F" rel="nofollow noreferrer">弄糟</a> /nòng zāo/ : blunder ; mess up</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>How can I express that someone &quot;screwed [something] up?&quot;</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>他把事情搞砸了</p>
<p>他把事情弄糟了</p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2701/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">砸</a></p>
<p>: break; smash; shatter</p>
<p>: [slang] fail; fall through; flop</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-05T04:23:39.000Z
One could also use 弄砸; it takes one character from each of the examples above.
Frenzy Li
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-07-04T04:46:58.047Z
2018-07-04T04:53:45.740Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
Tang Ho
<p>How can I express that someone "screwed [something] up?"  For example:</p>

<p>"They really screwed up the code with the last changes they made"</p>

<p>"I gave him one little task and he still managed to screw it up"</p>

<p>"I can't believe I screwed that up."</p>

<p>I would like it to not be vulgar, and as in the English, it is a casual/informal expression that might be used between colleagues or friends.</p>

<word-choice><word-requests>
How to say: "screwed it up"
# How to say: "screwed it up"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-07-03)

How can I express that someone "screwed [something] up?" For example:

"They really screwed up the code with the last changes they made"

"I gave him one little task and he still managed to screw it up"

"I can't believe I screwed that up."

I would like it to not be vulgar, and as in the English, it is a casual/informal expression that might be used between colleagues or friends.

**Tags:** word-choice, word-requests


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-07-04. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

"Screw up" is a slang for "to blunder"

[搞砸](http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E6%90%9E%E7%A0%B8) /gǎo zá/ : blunder

[弄糟](http://www.wordreference.com/zhen/%E5%BC%84%E7%B3%9F) /nòng zāo/ : blunder ; mess up

> *How can I express that someone "screwed [something] up?"*

他把事情搞砸了

他把事情弄糟了

> [砸](http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/characters/2701/)
>
> : break; smash; shatter
>
> : [slang] fail; fall through; flop

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: One could also use 弄砸; it takes one character from each of the examples above.  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2018-07-03. Score: 0

> screw up: 使成螺旋状；挤成一团弄糟，搞乱，弄乱，弄糟：
>
> to screw up something
>
> 把某事搞得一团糟

Dictionary definition above can help you. Basically, screw up: 把...搞砸了; 把...搞糟;etc; For example,

> I can't believe I screwed that up: 很难想象我(竟然)把那件事情搞砸了.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: I think it is 搞砸  /gǎo zá/ ; not  搞杂 (搞雜) /gǎo zá/  
> **username_1**: @username_2, 搞砸 looks more correct, but I think 搞杂 is also grammatically correct. It's because 搞xxx is a common phrase. E.g. 搞坏了，搞糟了，搞好了, 搞乱了. So, 搞杂了 can mean 把...搞得很复杂 or 把...搞得很杂乱.  搞杂了 is more like *mess up*, while 搞砸了 is more like *screw up*. I am not sure how much difference between *mess up* and *screw up* in English. So, I will edit my answer to make it 搞砸了.  

---

