Spanish Idioms Used in Everyday, Conversational Spanish

Learn Spanish Today! > Spanish Phrases > Spanish Idioms

Learn Spanish Idioms

No Spanish Will Get Past You ...

Scroll down for a list of common, everyday Spanish idioms.

What is an idiom?

Idioms could be thought of as elaborate expressions.

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not always obvious. The meaning of an idiom usually needs to be learned, no matter what language it is in.

In our mother tongue, we tend to learn these from those around us growing up ... and often keep doing so as adults.

The important point to note is that, usually, Spanish idioms cannot be translated word for word into English. There is no easy way out but to learn them.

For example

"I'm just pulling your leg."

"Pulling your leg" is an idiom meaning "to be joking".

The Spanish equivalent is "Te estoy tomando el pelo". Literally, this translates as "I am taking your hair".

Of course, neither of these expressions would make any sense if you hadn't learned them - in one way or another - beforehand.

The secret to making Spanish idioms effortlessly part of your conversational language is to listen to them regularly in context. You'll be surprised at how easily Spanish idioms can become second nature - before you know it you'll use one without even thinking about it and, if you're like me, it will put a big grin on your face :).

Which is why the Succeed at Spanish FREE basic Spanish lessons incorporate Spanish idioms, helping you to learn and remember them more easily through contextual phrases.

Use the Succeed at Spanish beginners' course and the list of common, everyday Spanish idioms below to help you do this.

Click on the next link for some great tips and ideas on how to learn Spanish online, including some of the best free resources out there.

You may also be interested in simple Spanish phrases, Spanish expressions, Spanish slang and Spanish proverbs/sayings.

SOME EVERYDAY SPANISH IDIOMS

In black: Spanish

In brown: Literal translation, word-for-word where possible.
Approximate interpretations of words are used where no exact translation exists.

In green: English translation

SPANISH IDIOM	EXAMPLE IN CONTEXT (idiom underlined)

(no) valer la pena	(No) vale la pena luchar por ello.
	(Not) it is worth the hardship to fight for it.
	It's (not) worth fighting for.

ser el colmo	¡Es el colmo! No aguanto más tus estupideces.
	It is the peak! I not hold more your stupidities.
	This is the last straw! I can't take any more of your stupidities.

ir a freir espárragos	¡Vete a freir espárragos!
	Go to fry asparagus!
	Go away!

que cara (más dura)	¡Qué cara (más dura) tienes viniendo aquí despues de lo que hiciste!
	What face (more hard) you have coming here after of it that you did!
	What a cheek you have coming here after what you did!

¿Qué le vamos a hacer?	¿Qué le vamos a hacer?
	What to it we are to do?
	There's nothing we can do about it.

por los pelos	Pillamos el tren por los pelos.
	We caught the train for the hairs.
	We caught the train by the skin of our teeth.

caer en la cuenta de que ...	Entonces cayo en la cuenta de que estaba perdido.
	Then he fell in the count of that he was lost.
	He then realized that he was lost.

consultarlo con la almohada	Es una decision muy grande. Voy a consultarlo con la almohada.
	It is a decision very big. I go to consult it with the pillow.
	It is a very big decision. I'm going to sleep on it.

dar de narices	Te vas a dar de narices con la pared.
	To you go to give of noses with the wall.
	You're going to hit the wall.

dar la lata	No me deja de dar la lata.
	He/she not to me leaves of to give the can.
	He/she won't stop bugging me.

dar la paliza	Deja de darme la paliza. Estoy cansada.
	You stop to give to me the slap. I'm tired.
	Stop bugging me. I'm tired.
Return to top of list

dar por sentado	No todos podemos dar por sentado que vamos a aprovar los exámenes.
	Not everyone we can to give for seated that we go to pass the exams.
	Not everyone can take for granted that they will pass the exams.

dar vueltas a algo	Le he estado dando vueltas a su teoría y no creo que esté de acuerdo.
	To it I have been giving turns to your theory and not I think that I am of agreement.
	I have been giving some thought to your theory and I don't think that I agree.

dejar sin palabras	Es un discurso increíble. Les vas a dejar sin palabras.
	It is a speech incredible. To them you go to leave without words.
	It's an incredible speech. You're going to leave them speechless.

dejar patas arriba	Cuando los últimos inquilinos se fueron, dejaron la casa patas arriba.
	When the last tenants they went, they left the house legs up.
	When the last tenants left, they left the house in a mess.

en un abrir y cerrar de ojos	No me dió tiempo hacer una foto. Pasó en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.
	Not to me it gave time to make a photo. It passed in an open and close of eyes.
	I didn't have time to take a photo. It was over in a flash.

ser pan comido	La entrevista será pan comido.
	The interview will be bread eaten.
	The interview will be a piece of cake.

ser un cero a la izquierda	Este jefe es un cero a la izquierda.
	This boss is a zero to the left.
	This boss is useless.

estar para chuparse los dedos	La comida de la abuela está para chuparse los dedos.
	The food of the grandmother is for to lick one's fingers.
	Grandma's cooking is delicious.

estar como una cabra	El profesor de química está como una cabra.
	The teacher of chemistry is like a goat.
	The chemistry teacher is nuts.

estar en las nubes	Hijo, te tienes que concentrar. Siempre estás en las nubes.
	Son, to yourself you have that to concentrate. Always you are in the clouds.
	Son, you have to concentrate. You've always got your head in the clouds.

estar hasta los huevos de ...	Estoy hasta los huevos de los vecinos de al lado. Hacen demasiado ruido.
	I'm until the eggs of the neighbors of the side. They make too much noise.
	I'm fed up with the next door neighbors. They make too much noise.
Return to top of Spanish idioms list