![\"Spanish](\"https:\/\/mydailyspanish.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/guide-to-spanish-idioms.png\" "\\"guide")
<\/span><\/p>\nAbout modismos<\/h2>\n
Spanish idioms, or modismos<\/em>, are informal phrases used to express a variety of thoughts and emotions. Sometimes, using literal descriptive words doesn’t do the situation justice to truly express what you’re feeling.<\/p>\n Spanish varies across the world \u2013 you’ll find different modismos<\/em> in every country. We’ll touch on the most common that you’ll find in Spain or understood by Spanish-speakers in general.<\/p>\n The most important thing about using these Spanish idioms is the context. They’re best used in informal situations when talking casually with friends. Hearing them by themselves might be confusing at first, but with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to use them as part of your everyday language!<\/p>\n The good news for native English-speakers is that you’ll recognize a few of the top Spanish idioms that have similar meanings across the languages. While the word choice might be a bit different, the overall meaning holds, and people use them in the same situations.<\/p>\n One of the most common Spanish idioms is \u201cpan comida,<\/em>\u201d which translates literally to \u201ceating bread,\u201d but it used to say that something was easy. The related expression in English is saying that something was \u201ca piece of cake.\u201d<\/p>\n You can use pan comida<\/em> in a variety of situations such as after taking an exam or winning a race. You’ll often hear “el examen es pan comida<\/em>,” or “the exam is a piece of cake.”<\/p>\n Another popular phrase with a similar expression in English is “tomar el pelo,<\/em>” which translates to “take someone’s hair.” People use the expression while messing with someone jokingly. The phrase is familiar in English as “pulling someone’s leg.”<\/p>\n You’ll use the phrase in the same way in English as in “me estes tomando el pelo<\/em>,” or \u201cyou’re pulling my leg.\u201d<\/p>\n If you’re planning to go shopping, a Spanish expression to keep handy is “costar un mojo de la cara<\/em>,” which means that something is very expensive. The literal translation is “to cost an eye out of the head,” or, in related English, “to cost an arm and a leg.”<\/p>\n Another Spanish expression related to body parts is “aprobar por los pelos<\/em>,” or to \u201cpass by a hair.\u201d The phrase is exactly the same as English when you achieve something with the bare minimum score, for example.<\/p>\n As you begin to make more Spanish-speaking friends, you’ll often start to hear a lot of gossip and sharing secrets while hanging out or chatting on the phone. If you’re anxious to listen to the latest updates, simply say, “Suelta la sopa!<\/em>” or “spill the soup!” The phrase is similar to the English idiom “spill the beans.”<\/p>\n When you finally hear what you’ve been expecting, it’s common to say the phrase “ya sali\u00f3 el peine.<\/em>” The Spanish expression translates to “the comb comes out,” or in English terms, “the truth comes out.”<\/p>\n As important as animals are to our lives, they also show up in a lot of frequently used Spanish idioms. There are lots of modismos<\/em> that seem to be talking about animals but actually relate to quite different things.<\/p>\n The Spanish word for cat, or gato<\/em>, is commonly used in Spanish idioms. Some of the most popular include:<\/p>\n Aqui hay un gato encerrado<\/em> \u2013 something seems strange<\/p>\n Buscarle la quinta pata al gato<\/em> \u2013 looking for problems that don’t exist<\/p>\n The first phrase, “aqui hay un gato encerrado,<\/em>” may also be rephrased as “huele a gato encerrado,<\/em>” in some countries. The phrase literally translates to “here’s a locked up cat,” or “smells like a locked up cat,” respectively.<\/p>\n In English, the latter might be a bit more relatable, with most people being familiar with the phrase, “something smells fishy.”<\/p>\n You use either of the phrases when you have a strange feeling about something.<\/p>\n The second phrase, “buscarle a quinta pata al gato<\/em>” means that someone is trying to overcomplicate things. The literal translation is to \u201clook for the fifth foot on the cat,” which is an impossible task since it doesn’t exist.<\/p>\n Another common Spanish expression related to animals is “pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo<\/em>.” The phrase translates as “thinking about the immortality of a crab.” The idiomatic translation is to \u201czone out.\u201d<\/p>\n The perfect setting where you might hear the phrase used is in a classroom or meeting. People say it when someone has clearly zoned out.<\/p>\n A related phrase common throughout Spain is to say “estar empanada,<\/em>” or “to be breaded.” When used in the correct context, it also means to be zoned out.<\/p>\n Not all Spanish idioms relate to English. You’ll definitely need to hear the phrases used in the correct context because even the literal translations have no connection to what the person is actually trying to say.<\/p>\n One example is “caer gordo<\/em>.” Many people use the phrase to express that something (or someone) is annoying. The literal translation of the phrase is “to fall fat.”<\/p>\n If someone annoys you, you can say, “me caes gordo.<\/em>“<\/p>\n Another example is “tirar la casa por la ventana<\/em>.” Many girls will be excited to hear the phrase when talking about their wedding or quincea\u00f1era<\/em>. The phrase literally translates as “to throw the house out of the window” \u2013 in the right context it means to \u201cgo all out,\u201d such as with spending money.<\/p>\n Let’s be honest, we don’t enjoy all of our conversations. For some conversations, we may tune the other person out or disregard everything they just said. In these situations, you can say, “le di el avi\u00f3n.<\/em>” The phrase means to ignore or disregard someone, but in a literal sense, it means “to give someone the airplane.”<\/p>\n See below for a complete list plus a few bonus Spanish idioms you might hear and their meanings:<\/p>\n\n Let us know in the comments which of these Spanish idioms you\u2019ve heard before.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fluent Spanish speakers understand not only words and phrases, but are able to decipher the many Spanish colloquial expressions and idioms. Just as with English, many of the most common Spanish idioms vary widely from their literal translations. We’ll cover some of the most famous Spanish idioms, so you’ll sound like a native speaker in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":11283,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":" Fluent Spanish speakers understand not only words and phrases, but are able to decipher the many Spanish colloquial expressions and idioms. Just as with English, many of the most common Spanish idioms vary widely from their literal translations.<\/p> We'll cover some of the most famous Spanish idioms, so you'll sound like a native speaker in no time!<\/p><\/div>Spanish idioms related to English<\/h2>\n
Spanish idioms related to animals<\/h2>\n
Miscellaneous Spanish idioms<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n\t \nSPANISH expression<\/th> MEANING<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\t Pan comida<\/td> It\u2019s easy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Costar un mojo de la cara<\/td> It\u2019s expensive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Soltar la sopa<\/td> To tell a secret<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Hace un tiempo de perros<\/td> Bad weather<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Ya sali\u00f3el piene<\/td> The truth comes out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Aprobar por los pelos<\/td> To barely pass<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Dormir como un trunco<\/td> To sleep very well<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Ponte las picas<\/td> To put energy into it \/ look alive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Darle el avi\u00f3n a alguien<\/td> To ignore or disregard someone<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Caer gordo<\/td> When something\/someone annoys you<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t No saber ni papa de algo<\/td> To not have a clue about something<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Tirar la casa por la ventana<\/td> To go all out (spending)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Aqui hay un gato encerrado<\/td> When something is fishy\/strange<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Buscarle la quita pata al gato<\/td> To overcomplicate things \/ to be looking for problems<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Pensando en la inmortalidad del cangrejo<\/td> Zone out \/ space out<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n\t Me pica el bagre<\/td> To be very hungry<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n <\/span><\/div>
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