💬 Idiomatic expressions · Expresiones idiomáticas
Common Spanish idioms and sayings. 18 words.
Article colours: blue = masculine (el), pink = feminine (la), purple = both (el/la).
| Spanish | Translation | Example sentence |
|---|---|---|
| estar en las nubes | to have one's head in the clouds | Últimamente estás en las nubes, no te concentras en nada.Lately you have your head in the clouds, you can't concentrate on anything. |
| tomar el pelo | to pull someone's leg | No te enfades, solo te estoy tomando el pelo.Don't get angry, I'm just pulling your leg. |
| meter la pata | to put one's foot in it | Metí la pata al mencionar su exnovio delante de todos.I put my foot in it by mentioning her ex-boyfriend in front of everyone. |
| costar un ojo de la cara | to cost an arm and a leg | Ese viaje nos costó un ojo de la cara.That trip cost us an arm and a leg. |
| ser pan comido | to be a piece of cake | El examen fue pan comido, lo aprobé fácilmente.The exam was a piece of cake, I passed it easily. |
| no tener pelos en la lengua | to not mince words | Mi abuela no tiene pelos en la lengua y dice lo que piensa.My grandmother doesn't mince her words and says what she thinks. |
| estar hecho polvo | to be exhausted | Después de la maratón, estaba hecho polvo.After the marathon, he was exhausted. |
| dar en el clavo | to hit the nail on the head | Con esa propuesta, diste en el clavo.With that proposal, you hit the nail on the head. |
| echar una mano | to lend a hand | ¿Puedes echarme una mano con las maletas?Can you lend me a hand with the suitcases? |
| ponerse las pilas | to get one's act together | Si quieres aprobar, tienes que ponerte las pilas.If you want to pass, you need to get your act together. |
| tirar la toalla | to throw in the towel | Después de tantos fracasos, decidió tirar la toalla.After so many failures, he decided to throw in the towel. |
| hablar por los codos | to talk non-stop | Mi vecina habla por los codos, no para de contar cosas.My neighbor talks non-stop, she never stops telling stories. |
| tener mala pata | to have bad luck | Tuve mala pata y perdí el autobús por un minuto.I had bad luck and missed the bus by one minute. |
| estar como una cabra | to be completely crazy | Mi tío está como una cabra, siempre hace locuras.My uncle is completely crazy, he always does wild things. |
| no dar pie con bola | to not get anything right | Estaba tan nervioso en el examen que no daba pie con bola.He was so nervous during the exam that he couldn't get anything right. |
| irse por las ramas | to beat around the bush | No te vayas por las ramas y responde a la pregunta.Don't beat around the bush and answer the question. |
| quedarse de piedra | to be stunned / dumbfounded | Me quedé de piedra cuando me dieron la noticia.I was stunned when I heard the news. |
| buscarle tres pies al gato | to overcomplicate things | Deja de buscarle tres pies al gato y acepta la explicación.Stop overcomplicating things and accept the explanation. |
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