{"id":38680,"date":"2025-05-29T10:24:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T08:24:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/?p=38680"},"modified":"2025-04-29T10:37:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T08:37:55","slug":"spanish-idioms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/blog\/spanish-idioms.html","title":{"rendered":"The 15 Spanish idioms you should know: meanings and when to use them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Idioms are a crucial part of any language, adding color and personality to conversations. As you dive into Spanish, you\u2019ll come across countless fun and intriguing expressions, especially if you\u2019re learning the language while living in Spain.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, we\u2019ll explore 15 fascinating Spanish idioms, breaking them down into four key points: their literal translations, actual meanings, English counterparts and, of course, example sentences to see them in action.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is an idiom?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Before we begin looking at the kinds of Spanish idioms examples you\u2019ll be taught when taking <\/span>online Spanish courses<\/b><\/a> or in-person <\/span>Spanish classes Madrid<\/b><\/a> or elsewhere, let\u2019s ask a general question. <\/span>What is an idiom?<\/b> Well, according to the Cambridge Dictionary:<\/span> \u201cAn idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that has a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

What is the difference between the literal and figurative meaning of idioms?<\/b><\/h2>\n

In other words, <\/span>the literal meaning of an idiom is the direct word-for-word translation<\/b>, which often doesn\u2019t make much sense in another language. <\/span>The figurative meaning is the actual message conveyed through cultural or contextual usage<\/b>, and this is what we\u2019re going to learn with the following <\/span>15 examples of Spanish expressions<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

15\u00a0 Spanish idioms you should know and their meanings<\/b><\/h2>\n

\u201cSer pan comido\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To be eaten bread<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be very easy<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To be a piece of cake<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: El examen fue pan comido = The exam was a piece of cake<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo tener pelos en la lengua\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To not have hairs on the tongue<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be blunt<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To not mince words<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Mi abuelo no tiene pelos en la lengua y siempre dice lo que piensa = My grandfather doesn\u2019t mince his words and always says what he thinks<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEstar como una cabra\u201d<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To be like a goat<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be a little crazy<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To be a little nuts<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Carlos est\u00e1 como una cabra cuando baila = Carlos acts a little nuts when he dances<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCostar un ojo de la cara\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To cost an eye from the face<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be very expensive<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To cost an arm and a leg<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Ese coche cuesta un ojo de la cara = That car costs an arm and a leg<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEstar hasta las narices\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To be up to the noses<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be fed up<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To be sick and tired<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Estoy hasta las narices de este ruido = I\u2019m sick and tired of this noise<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMeter la pata\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To put the paw in<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To make a mistake<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To put one\u2019s foot in it<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Met\u00ed la pata en la reuni\u00f3n y dije algo inapropiado = I put my foot in it in the meeting and said something inappropriate<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPonerse las pilas\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To put in the batteries<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To get energised\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To get one\u2019s act together<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Tienes que ponerte las pilas si quieres aprobar el examen = You need to get your act together if you want to pass the exam<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEstar de mala leche\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To be of bad milk<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be in a bad mood<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To be off<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Hoy est\u00e1 de mala leche porque no durmi\u00f3 bien = He’s a bit off today because he didn\u2019t sleep well<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHacerse de la vista gorda\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To make one\u2019s eyesight fat<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To pretend not to notice something<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To turn a blind eye<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: El profesor se hizo de la vista gorda cuando llegamos tarde = The teacher turned a blind eye when we arrived late<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSer un mel\u00f3n\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To be a melon<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To be not very bright<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To be a bit of a dummy<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: A veces eres un mel\u00f3n con las matem\u00e1ticas = Sometimes you\u2019re a bit of a dummy with maths<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo importar un pepino\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To not care a cucumber<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To not care at all<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To not give a fig<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Me importa un pepino lo que digan los dem\u00e1s = I don\u2019t give a fig what others say<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDonde comen dos, comen tres\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: Where two eat, three eat<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: There\u2019s always room for one more<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: The more, the merrier<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: No te preocupes, donde comen dos, comen tres = Don\u2019t worry, the more, the merrier<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cVer todo color de rosa\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To see everything in pink<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To see everything positively<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To see through rose-tinted glasses<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Siempre ve todo color de rosa, aunque las cosas est\u00e9n mal = She always sees things through rose-tinted glasses, even when things are bad<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo hay color\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: There\u2019s no colour<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: There\u2019s no comparison<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: There\u2019s no contest<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Entre esos dos equipos, no hay color = Between those two teams, there\u2019s no contest<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo pegar un ojo\u201d\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Literal translation: To not strike an eye<\/span><\/p>\n

Actual meaning: To not sleep<\/span><\/p>\n

English counterpart: To not sleep a wink<\/span><\/p>\n

Example: Anoche no pegu\u00e9 un ojo = Last night I didn\u2019t sleep a wink<\/span><\/p>\n

Overcoming common challenges with Spanish idioms<\/b><\/h2>\n

One of the biggest challenges in learning Spanish idioms is that they don\u2019t follow logical patterns, which means they require memorisation<\/b>. The good news is that this comes over time, by immersing yourself in Spanish contexts and culture, perhaps by listening to Spanish podcasts or watching Spanish movies. And, if you\u2019re studying Spanish with IH Madrid, these Spanish expressions will become second nature as you continue along your language-learning journey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Idioms are a crucial part of any language, adding color and personality to conversations. As you dive into Spanish, you\u2019ll come across countless fun and intriguing expressions, especially if you\u2019re learning the language while living in Spain. In this post, we\u2019ll explore 15 fascinating Spanish idioms, breaking them down into four key points: their literal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1080,"featured_media":38682,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[761,448,973],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-learn-spanish-in-madrid","category-spanish","category-spanish-courses-in-madrid"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1080"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38680"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38681,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38680\/revisions\/38681"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/env-devihmadridcom-dev2.kinsta.cloud\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}