Spanish ? Hell Yeahhhhsssss :)

Spanish ? Hell Yeahhhhssss :)

• Soy un/a principiante en la lengua española - I'm a beginner in the Spanish language. You say "un principiante" if you are male, and "una principiante" if you are female.
• (Usted) Recomienda algún/alguna.../"(Tú) Recomiendas algún/alguna..." - Do you recommend any...
• ¿Cómo puedo ayudarle/ayudarte? - How can I help you?
• ¿Cómo estás?-How are you?
• Gracias"' - Thank you
• Buenos días - Good morning
• Buenas tardes - Good afternoon
• Buenas noches - Good night/evening
• hotel (silent h) - hotel
• tienda de comestibles - grocery store
• hospital (silent h) - hospital
• alameda - park with poplars, a street with trees on both sides
• grandes almacenes - department store
• ¿Perdón? - excuse me? (better than asking what?)
• 'No le oí'/No te oí (formal/informal) - I didn't hear you
• ¿Qué está pasando? - What is happening?
• ¿Qué le pasa?/"¿Qué te pasa?" - What's happening to you?/What's the matter?
• ¿Qué tal? - What's up? (common slang way)
• ¿Dígame? (better manners)- What do you want?(better manners - How can I help you?)
• Quiero - I want
• ¿ Quiere...?/"¿Quieres...?" - Would you like...?
• Quisiera - I would like (polite way of asking)
• Necesito - I need (better manners than 'I want')
• Necesita - You need
• ¡Hola! - Hello or hi
• Más o menos - More or less
• Un poco - A little
• Vámonos/vamos - Let's go
• Me voy - I'm going/I'm leaving
• Amor - Love
• Te amo - I love you (This is more use to express in a very formal and serious way; to someone you really love like your boyfriend/girlfriend, husband, wife, or children)
• Te quiero - I love you! (can be translated to "I want you!" depending on the context, this term is used instead of the formal version, to someone that is a friend or not closely related).
• No lo sé - I don't know
• Lo sé - I know
• ¿A dónde va/vas? - Where are you going?
• ¿Dónde está? - Where are you?/ Where is it ?
• Muy bien - Very good
• Mala - Bad (adjective - for a girl)
• Malo - Bad (adjective - for a boy)
• Pero - But
• Joven - young one (better manners to address any child or young person)
• Mujer - female (used for humans)
• Hembra - female (this word is mostly used for the sex of animals: "un gorrión hembra " = a female sparrow ).
• Macho - male (this word is mostly used for the sex of animals: "un gorrión macho" - a male sparrow).
• Hombre - male/man (Varón is sometimes used instead when writing)
• Chica - Girl
• Muchacha - Girl
• Muchacho - Boy
• Chico - Boy
• Nena/niña - Little girl, kid (female)
• Niño - Little boy, kid (male)
• ¿De dónde eres? - Where are you from? (informal)
• Me duele la cabeza - I have a headache
• No me digas - Don't tell me and/or really?
• No sea/seas así - Don't be like that.
• (No) me gusta - I (don't) like it
• Bella/hermosa - Beautiful (female)
• "Guapo" - Handsome (male)
• Rico - Rich
• Ayuda - Help
• Salud - Health
• Espera - Wait (informal imperative)
• Complicado - Complicated
• ¿Entiendes? - Do you understand?
• Entiendo - I understand
• Posible - Possible
• Hora - Time
• Linda/Lindo - Pretty (good looking) (more used in South America)
• Bonita/Bonito - Pretty (good looking)(more used in Spain)
• ¿Me puede ayudar? - Can you help me? (formal)
• Un café con leche, por favor' - One coffee with milk please
• Dos tés con leche, por favor - Two teas with milk please

• I - yo - o
• You - tú - as
• He - él - a
• She - ella - a
• You (formal) - usted - a
• We - nosotros/as - amos
• You (plural) - vosotros/as - áis
• They - ellos/as - an

Spanish verbs

• Amar - to love
• Bailar - to dance
• Buscar - to search
• Cambiar - to change
• Caminar - to walk
• Cantar - to sing
• Comprar - to buy
• Contestar - to answer
• Descansar - to rest
• Desear - to desire
• Dibujar - to draw
• Enseñar - to teach
• Esperar - to wait/hope for
• Estudiar - to study
• Fumar - to smoke
• Hablar - to speak/talk
• Ir - to go
• Llegar - to arrive
• Llorar - to cry
• Llevar - to carry
• Mirar - to look
• Nadar - to swim
• Necesitar - to need
• Practicar - to practice
• Preguntar - to question
• Preparar - to prepare
• Querer - to want/ to love
• Ser - to be
• Tener - to have
• Terminar - to terminate
• Tocar - to touch/to play an instrument
• Tomar - to drink (followed by the name of the drink)
• Trabajar - to work
• Viajar - to travel

• A
• Agua que no has de beber ( déjala correr ) = don't meddle into other people's issues
• agua pasada ( no mueve molino ) = let bygones be bygones, stop worrying yourself sick with dead and buried issues
• Quedar en agua de borrajas = the end result was a total failure,
• A tu aire= Have it your way
• Estar en el ajo = to be in on sth secret and most likely suspicious, in the know, clued in
• Algo es algo = that's something to count on !
• Allá vamos! = ( Here) , there we go !
• Allí/ ahí lo tienes = There you go ! ( ending an argument )
• A estas alturas = just now, in the current difficult situation ( implying thougtlessness )
• Amor con amor se paga = A good turn deserves another
• ¡Anda!= Fancy that!
• ¡Anda ya!= Oh, come on! (meaning sb/sth is pathetic )
• ¡Apaga y vámonos! = I/we give up discussing this issue...we're stuck !
• Aprovechar la oportunidad= To take the chance...
• Echar/poner toda la carne en el asador= To make every possible effort to achieve sth.
• Hacer ascos a algo = to turn up your nose at sth
• ¡Qué asco! = How disgusting!
• Así, así = so,so
• ¡Así se hace! = That's the way to go!
• Se ( te ) va a pasar el arroz = the time to solve the situation is almost over because you're wasting time or getting distracted by unimportant issues
• Estar en el aire= to be uncertain of the outcome, to be up in the air
• Por activa y por pasiva = to insist on sth in a varied strenuous way

• B
• Meterse en un berenjenal / huerto / jardín/ lío = to get into an awful mess/hot/deep water
• Por las buenas o por las malas = by hook or by crook, somehow or other
• Estar en Babia or ( babia ) = to be lost in thought/ to be clueless
• En boca cerrada no entran moscas = you won't get in trouble or let secrets be known if you keep your mouth shut
• de buenas a primeras = quite suddenly and with no reason whatever
• ¡ Qué barbaridad! = What an awful/exaggerated thing to say/do !
• ¡ Québarbaridad de /gente /! = What a large number of people/whatever
• Me gusta una barbaridad = I adore it ; I like it no end.
• Buscar tres pies al gato = to split hairs; to try to find far fetched or extraordinary reasons for sth.
• Se armó el belén = all hell broke loose.
• Montaron un belén = They made/had an awful row/ they prepared an exaggerated setup for a party or sth similar
• Él se lo ha buscado= He asked for it, he brought it upon himself
• Se te está muy bien ! = It serves you right !
• Para lo bueno y para lo malo = In thick and thin
• No estoy para bromas= I'm not in the mood for practical jokes ; I'm in an ugly mood
• A la buena de Dios = In a happy go lucky way
• Echar balones fuera = To try to buy time by putting off giving a solution to the issues being discussed or by trying discreetly not to get involved
• Borrón y cuenta nueva = To turn a new page
• Barrer para casa = To pretend to be impartial and at the same time surreptitiously further your own designs
• Ser un bicho raro = to be an odd sort of person
• Subirse a las barbas de alguien = To take too much for granted, to profit from somebody's weak stand regarding some difficult issue, to lack respect towards somebody of authority
• No bajarse del burro = To get firmly stuck on your opinions despite sound reasons against them.
• No dar pie con bola= to be clueless or discoordinated
• Cortar el bacalao to be the one in command
• bicho raro = Off the kilter, oddball
• Ideas de bombero= Hare-brained projects
• No dar su brazo a torcer = to defend an opinion against all odds ; to be hard-headed.
• ... a bombo y platillos = making a big show of sth

• C
• Obrar en caliente = to act on the spur of the moment
• Parece que le dan cuerda = S/he looks so energetic as if somebody were winding her/him up/ keyed up.
• Tener cuerda para rato = to have plenty of energy left
• De/Para andar por casa = in a limited elemental way; a good rule of thumb just to get by
• Ser la madre del cordero = to be the deep true reason for sth
• ¡ Qué caramba ! = what the heck !
• ¡ caramba con tu amigo ! = Who would ever think that of your friend, blah, blah ! or He/ she's quite a character !
• Fulano me cae bien = I've taken a liking to So and So
• De la ceca a la Meca = Very thoroughly, down to the minutest detail
• Estar al caer = to be about to happen, about to show up
• Dar el callo = to work extremely hard in a difficult, stressful situation
• ¡ Que cara tiene ! = How cheeky he/she is !
• ¡Qué cara más dura ! = What awful cheek/ a nerve he/she's/they've got / it's not fair ! ( also about an unfair situation and/or the people involved in it)
• Por la cara= gratis, free, involving bad means or cheek
• Dejarse las cejas estudiando ( and the like ) = to study, etc very,very hard
• Hincar los codos = to study very, very hard
• Ahora caigo = I get the point now
• ...y a correr = and make no more fuss about it/ and that's all there's to it
• Romperse la cabeza = To worry away
• Lo consultaré con la almohada = I'll sleep on it
• De cabo a rabo = Thru and thru
• No hay color= it's said when sth compares very poorly with sth else...
• Caiga quien caiga = They'll pay for it whoever is to be blamed
• Si no quieres caldo, taza y media = If you're complaining about sth you can't change you're in for a shock by having it implemented and worsened
• Ni de coña / broma = Not even in jest,or, not even in your wildest dreams.
• Culo veo, culo quiero = I take a fancy to anybody/ anything new I see
• Comprar las ganas = To try to win over somebody unwilling, unmotivated towards the issue at hand
• La cosa no está como para tirar/lanzar cohetes = The whole current situation looks so glum there's no cause for celebrations/ having fireworks/ to pop up the champagne
• Dar en el clavo = To hit the nail on the head
• De capa caída =dispirited,crestfallen, depressed
• No es ni una cosa ni otra=( referred to a situation ): It's neither here nor there ; ( referred to a person ) = S/he hasn't taken a clear stand on some issue
• Mandar al cuerno = To send sb packing, to discard sth , to stop trying when patience is worn out
• Una de cal y otra de arena = A good move followed by a not-so-good one
• Dar la cara ( por alguien )= To solve somebody else's problems/ blunders
• Por la cara = To get sth free ( some cheek being implied in the process )
• Ser canela fina = To be very special either in a good or bad sense
• Poner cara larga= To wear a tense,frustrated expression
• Poner cara de circunstancias = To wear a serious expression ( some faking implied )
• Para colmo de todo/ de todos los males = to top it all off
• Buscar las cosquillas a alguien = To look for sb's weak points/spots
• Clamar al cielo = When sth is a blatant injustice
• Poner a alguien a caldo = To run sb down.
• Algo es de cajón = Sth is pretty obvious
• ...Tanto como a cualquiera = As much as the next person
• Café para todos = good things should be rightfully shared among the groups implied in a process
• Para el carro = Hold your horses !, Stop being so worked up with what you're ranting on and pay attention to some sensible advice
• Ir de culo= To go from bad to worse; to be clueless
• Cantar las cuarenta = to wield some unexpected power over a group of equals or to wait for the right moment to tell your mind to someone
• Oir campanas pero no saber dónde = When you have a hazy idea about sth/sb ( often used when cutting sb short )
• ...con el culo al aire= in an embarrassing or defenceless situation
• ...Bajo cuerda= Under the board, on the sly.
• Como Pedro por su casa = As if he owned the place
• Estar hasta las cejas/ orejas = To be up to the hilt
• No hacer caso/ ni caso: Not to pay pay attention to sb/sth
• to ignore them
• ... Y para colmo= To cap/ top everything off...meaning extraordinary bad luck, some injustice or a bad turn...
• Estar al pie del cañón = To hold the fort, to mind the shop
• ...de cine= awesome, extraordinary
• Coser y cantar = smooth sailing / a piece of cake
• Cortar el bacalao =To be the big boss
• Al cabo de un rato= After a while
• Caerse la cara de vergüenza= To suffer a painful loss of face
• ¡ Cuídate ! = Take care !
• Seguirle la corriente a alguien = To humor sb
• Seguir la corriente = To act like everybody else does.
• Poner toda la carne en el asador= To make every possible effort,
• ...que conste que... = ...just for the record
• Sacar/dar la cara por alguien = To stand up for sb
• ( Tal y) como están las cosas= The way things are ( at the moment)...
• Seguir la corriente (2) = To humour sb : Tendrás que seguirle la corriente si quieres sacar algo de él // To follow the trend : Yo sigo la corriente y no me complico la vida
• Ten compasión= Have a heart// Ten compasión de mí = Spare my feelings/ Ten compasión de ella= Spare her feelings...
• En el mejor de los casos= The best case scenario

• CH
  Tener una china en el zapato = to have an irksome little problem that keeps bothering you ( china = a tiny piece of rock )
• Tocarte la china = to have bad luck in life
• Ser el chocolate del loro = to be some ridiculously petty saving measure
• ¡ Chúpate ésa ! = Put that in your pipe and smoke it !
• Como si hablara en chino= As if he was speaking Double Dutch/it was all Greek to me.

• D
• A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando = God helps those who help themselves
• ... ni Dios/ ... no hay Dios... = when sb is quite unable to do sth, OR when sth is no use, no way
• Que Dios nos coja confesados = Let's brace ourselves for the worst
• Como Dios manda = properly, the way to go, the right way
• De un día para otro = pretty soon, following close
• ¡ No hay derecho = they've got no right, it's not fair
• dar algo por sentado = to take sth for granted
• Dejarse los ojos = to ruin your eyesight by studying very hard or by reading with very poor light
• Dejarse la piel = To work your fingers to the bone/ to work your arse off
• En el día a día= On a daily basis
• ... eso demuestra que...= it goes to show that...
• ¡ Que Dios no lo quiera ! = God forbid !
• Que Dios te bendiga = Bless your heart
• Donde las dan, las toman = Sooner or later people will get their own back on you
• No decir /ni pío/,/ ni mu/ = Not to say a word
• El día menos pensado = On/At the least expected day/moment
• Hacer las cosas por el qué dirán = To do things just to keep up appearances
• Pron. Pers. Comp. + Dar por + verb ( infinitivo)...A Pedro le ha dado por coleccionar corchos de vinos= Peter has taken up collecting wine stoppers = Start/ take up some unexpected activity
• No decir esta boca es mía = Not to say a word although you were expected to, out of shyness or cowardice. .
• Me has alegrado el día= You've made my day
• Cada dos por tres = Time and again, every now and then

• E
• Encantado/a de la vida= Very pleased with the deal or the result of the issue.
• Equivocarse de medio a medio = to be quite wrong
• Echar a perder = To make sth get rotten or to fail thru sometimes implying neglect
• Se te está muy bien ! = It serves you right
• No es de extrañar...= No wonder...
• erre que erre = expression used when sb stubbornly keeps their standpoind despite all evidence to the contrary

• F
• Feliz como unas castañuelas = As happy as a lark.
• Llegar a fin de mes = to make ends meet.
• Pasar factura = You have to pay the consequences of sth generally bad..Years take their toll...Los años te pasan factura
• En el fondo = deep down
• Ni fu ni fa = Nor here nor there, wishy-whasy, uncompromised
• Estar al frente= To be in command, to be in charge, to mind the shop, etc
• No tener dos dedos de frente= To be a thouhgtless scatter-brained sort of person OR to be a hare-brained far-fetched sort of scheme
• No hay fuerza humana...= It's quite an impossible task.

• G
• Ir al grano = to get to the point
• ... Aquí hay ( aquí huele a) gato encerrado = to smell a rat / there's sth fishy here
• llevarse el gato al agua = to get your own way
• Dar gato por liebre = To trick sb, to take sb for a ride
• Tener ganas = to feel like ...
• Quedarse con las ganas = To feel very frustrated when you were on the point of getting sth very worthy striving for
• ¡ NO te quedes con las ganas = Be a devil! Do it ! Get it over and done with !
• Irse a la cama con... o Acostarse con las gallinas = to go to bed very early
• No dar golpe en el trabajo ,ALSO, No dar ni golpe = Not to do a stroke of work...
• Ganarse algo a pulso= To work very hard and for a long time to achieve sth worthy & also to bring upon themselves sth unwanted ( bad luck and stubbornness implied )
• La última gota que colma el vaso = The last straw that breaks the camel's back.
• Estar hasta el gorro, hasta las narices = To be quite fed up
• Dar guerra= To be so active you cause a lot of trouble/ hassle to those around you ( positive,negative and affectionate)
• la gente normal y corriente= the average Joe
• cuatro gatos = very few people
• .. hasta el gato = everybody ; le conoce hasta el gato = everybody knows him
• Me pone carne de gallina = It/he/she gives me the creeps.
• Aquí hay gato encerrado = There's sth fishy here
• llevarse el gato al agua= to get his/her own way
• Antes que canta un gallo = Before you can say knife
• De golpe ( y porrazo ) = All of a sudden

• H
• Ya era hora = it was about/high time
• Estar en la higuera = to be lost in thought and /or to be ignorant of something that really matters to the person referred to / to be none the wiser
• se la llevó al huerto = he tricked her into doing something she was unwilling or unaware of
• Hablar del trabajo = to talk shop
• Hablar por los codos = to talk the hind leg off a donkey
• Hablar por hablar = To talk for talking sake, to talk away about unimportant subjects
• Hablar con la boca pequeña = To talk in a half-hearted way
• Salir echando humo = to leave in an awful hurry
• tener muchos humos = to be too big for his/ her boots
• El horno no está para bollos = the current difficult situation must be dealt with most seriously
• Poner ( algo) a huevo = To get things set to sb's advantage so that the important issue is a piece of cake for them
• Juntarse el hambre con las ganas de comer = It is said when the concurrence of circumstances or people involved in some issue enhances the whole situation
• ¡ Ni hablar !... = No way !
• Mirar a alguien por encima del hombro = To look at sb down your nose
• ¡ Eso está hecho ! = Consider it done !
• son habas contadas = It's but a small amount of money, or a short collection of somewhat valuable assets
• Hasta la orejas/cejas = Up to the hilt
• Estás hecho un artista, etc = You're quite an artist...etc
• ¡ Qué le vamos a hacer !=We can´t help it ! ( meaning bad luck, helplessness ).

• I
• Hacer el indio = to prank about, to play the fool
• Déjate de inventos ! = Quit those hare-brained schemes !
• Irse a pique = to sink
• Irse a la porra/ al garete, a la mierda.... = To go to the dogs, to fall through
• y para más INRI.....= And to add insult to injury...( see also COLMO).

• J
• Y un jamón = come off it !,( you won't trick me !)
• jurar en hebreo/arameo = to have a fit of anger ,to show how raving mad you feel at sth/sb by shouting cuss words and violent body language
• Se la tienen jurada = They bear a grudge against him an are set on having their revenge.

• L
• No estar por la labor = to be unwilling to do sth
• Ir para largo = to fear sth will take a long time
• Dar la lata ( con algo ) = to pester/plague sb ( with sth )
• desde luego= of course, certainly, as a matter of fact
• tener mala leche = to be bad tempered
• Ser la leche = to be quite amazing, to be sth special
• La letra pequeña en un contrato = The fine print in a contract document
• A lo loco = in a careless, happy-go-lucky way
• No levantar cabeza = to have a long spell of bad luck
• ganarse la vida lavando platos = to make a living flipping burgers
• Liarse la manta a la cabeza = To make a rash decision and follow it thru without caring for the consequences
• Cada loco con su tema = Each one just caring for their own worries or crazes
• ...con todas las de la ley = a fully-fledged sb/sth
• estar al loro= to be paying great attention to the latest news, gossip, information
• Hacerse el loco= To pretend some tricky issue has nothing to do with you
• ...de mala leche= In a bad and somewhat violent mood.

• LL
• Llamar a las cosas por su nombre / llamar al pan pan ( ... y al vino, vino)= to call a spade spade
• llegar a fin de mes = to make ends meet
• Está lloviendo a cántaros = It's raining cats and dogs( this SI was the origin of this English one )
• Llover sobre mojado = When new events make worse similar previous ones
• Como quien oye llover= When sb couldn't care less about sth.

• M
• Antes se coge a un mentiroso que a un cojo = Lies have short legs
• Por si las moscas = just in case
• ¿ Qué mosca te ha picado ? = What's the matter with you ? (very informal)
• Tener o estar (con) la mosca detrás de la oreja = to suspect or have an intense hunch sth nasty is about to happen
• echar de menos = to miss sb, sth
• mirar con buenos ojos ( a alguien o algo) = to have a good opinion of a person ( because somehow you've taken a liking to him/her; to agree or to adhere to some idea or project
• hacer buenas migas con alguien = to be on good friendly terms with sb/ to get on with people
• A otra cosa, mariposa = Another tack,then; Let's skip the present unpleasant subject and get on with a nicer one
• Estar pensando en las musarañas/ la Luna = to be lost in thought
• Estar hasta el moño / gorro / los c****** = to be fed up...
• Sin más ni más = for no reason
• ... menos mal... = fortunately... luckily...
• ... del montón = ordinary, plain
• estoy muerto/a = I'm dead tired..
• la mar de = to a high positive degree, a piece of cake, ( la mar de fácil= dead easy )
• Marear la perdiz = to buy time to outwit your opponent trying to leave things as they previously were
• Tirar de la manta = To spill the beans, to rat on the rest of the gang
• Ni más ni menos = Just so, the very thing or person
• Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda = You can put LIPSTICK on a pig, but it's still a pig..
• Estar con el mono/ Tener el mono = To be in withdrawl
• Mano a mano = One on one
• Echar mano de algo o alguien = To resort to sth or sb.
• Meterse en un jardín/lío/problema/ berenjenal = To get into trouble, to get into hot water
• Irse/Salirse de madre = To overdo something with no restraint whatsoever
• Mirar hacia otro lado = To turn a blind eye ; to look the other way
• Tener mano izquierda = To have suave, understanding,diplomatic manners
• Estar/llegar con una mano delante y otra detrás= To be broke, down and out
• Ponerse manos a la obra= To start working earnestly, to get down to business
• Llegar a las manos = To come to blows
• Ser un mirlo blanco = ( ironically ) To be sth unbelievable; ( literally: to be a white blackbird )
• Dar marcha atrás = To step back; to withdraw ; to change your stand diametrically
• Menos mal = Fortunately; It's a good thing...; We are/were lucky that....
• No es lo mío= It's not my thing ( slot exchange the Spanish possessive pronoun to obtain the rest of the variations of this set phrase: It's not her thing = No es lo SUYO.)
• Pillar/coger a alguien con las manos en la masa= To catch someone red-handed
• A lo mejor= Perhaps
• Esto va a misa= Please mind this because it is definite, full of strength and common sense.
• No tener dónde caerse muerto= To be utterly poor...so poor he is not even entitled to the spot where he might drop dead.

• N
• Tocar las narices = to annoy sb by being fussy, nosey and/or persistent
• Nada de nada = Nothing at all
• Para nada = no way, not at all
• Todo para nada = All to no avail
• Nadar y guardar la ropa = To sit on the fence
• Poco menos que nada = Next to nothing
• No pasa nada= It's OK, it's no problem at all
• Nada del otro jueves = No big deal, nothing extraordinary
• Ni por ésas = It's no use/ no way
• De la noche a la mañana = Overnight, and also, in a very short time implying changeable thoughtless behavior
• Eso se nota = it shows
• Los niños hablan cuando mean las gallinas = children should be seen, not heard
• De noche todos los gatos son gatos son pardos= You can be easily misled by unclear circumstances as everybody/ everything look the same in the dark
• Tener todos números ( para te ocurra algo malo)= Chances are sth nasty is going to happen to you
• La prueba del nueve = The last simple but determinant test to check the issue at hand
• ¡ Que no hombre, que no = No way, José !.

• O
• Costar o valer un ojo de la cara = to cost or to pay an arm and a leg for sth
• ¡ ojo !,¡ ojito !, ¡mucho ojo! = be careful !, mind what you're doing,
• / ¡ Andate con ojo ! = You'd better be careful !
• Ojo al dato = Listen carefully/ pay great attention to this
• No sabe hacer la O con un canuto = To have absolutely no idea what you're doing
• Estar a la orden del día = To be sth expected, that goes with the times
• Hacer oreja = To accustom your ears to a foreign language AND to try to listen to what people are saying ( just being a gossip )
• Dar oxígeno a algien o a algo = To give a last minute support to sb/sth
• Pitarle los oídos a alguien = There's a common belief in Spain ( ? ) that when your ears go beeping somebody is taking about you
• Costar un ojo de la cara= To cost an arm and a leg
• En un abrir y cerrar de ojos = In the blinking of an eye.
• ¡ojo al dato != Pay close attention to this !
• ¡Está ocupado! = Somebody´s in here !! , meaning the loo; word by word translation into Spanish would result in : Alguien está aquí dentro, meaning, Somebody is in here ( besides the speaker )
• ¡Ójala estuviera aquí!= I wish he were here ; ¡ Ójala lleguen a tiempo! = I wish they arrived on time !

• P
• poner a alguien a parir = to run sb down
• poner patas arriba= to make a mess of a place, to turn everything upside-down
• Predicar en ( el ) desierto = to give useless preachings to people who couldn't care less
• De tal palo, tal astilla = A chip of the old block
• valer la pena... = to be worth doing....
• porque sí = because it is inescapably so
• porque no = because I don´t want to or because it obviously isn´t so
• porque si no... = because otherwise...
• Porque lo digo yo = Because I say so
• Porque me da la gana (rather rude )= Because I want to
• Hacer el primo = to be so naïve and so kind-hearted everyboby takes you for a ride
• Pagar el pato = to be the one to blame
• Pasarse con alguien = to run somebody down / to hurt their feelings
• Pasarse de cabeza= To become mentally deranged
• un pozo sin fondo = a bad bargain you're always putting money into, a white elephant
• De pe a pa = Thoroughly, well committed to the memory, known by heart implying some internal order, from A to Z, thru and thru
• ¡ Vaya poema ' ! = What an extraordinary or difficult situation !
• / pensárselo = to hesitate, to take a lot of time making up your mind (¡ No te lo pienses tanto, decídete de una vez !
• Un plan cogido por los pelos = A far fetched scheme
• Estar al pie del cañón = To be a corageous leader in a difficult situation, to be the one minding the shop
• No lo quiero ver ni en pintura' = I can't stand the very sight of him
• eres la pera you're awesome or you're very particular;
• Poner pie en pared = To take a firm stand
• ¿ Para qué ? = Why bother ? & What for ?
• Hacer pasar a alguien por el aro = To make sb toe the line
• Hacer la pelota a alguien = To flatter or softsoap sb
• ¿ Cómo está el patio ?. How is the general mood ?, implying things aren't quite OK
• Subirse por las paredes= to get mad, to get your knickers in a twist
• Poner de patitas en la calle ( informal ) = To fire sb from their job / Also when people are forced to leave their houses for falling behind with their mortgage payments ; ( the same two meanings are conveyed more formally with : Poner en la calle / Echar a la calle..
• Que si patatín que si patatán = This and that and the other
• Algo no pide pan = sth that entails no further expenses to keep it
• No dar pie con bola= To be clueless, to have no idea
• Cada palo que aguante su vela = Everyone to their own responsibility
• ¡ Por poco ! = That was a narrow shave/escape !
• Poner a alguien a los pies de los caballos = To leave sb in the lurch, in a difficult situation
• Ser perejil de todas las salsas = To be the main star in every show
• Lo primero es lo primero = First things first
• Llevar a alguien como puta por rastrojo= When sb has got the high hand and makes sb else, who is in pretty weak position, suffer a very harrowing treatment
• Estirar la pata= To kick the bucket
• Salir del paso = to get by
• Poner una pica en Flandes = To seize a bridgehead, to make a move that'll allow further leverage towards your goal
• Pedir peras al olmo = To demand sth impossible
• Ser partidario de.. = to be in favour of sth, ( also said in the negative)
• Poner a parir a alguien/ Poner a alguien de vuelta y media/ Poner a caldo = To say very nasty things, about sb
• Hacer una piña= Of a group of people to make a tight knot in a defensive response against some attack
• Poner paños calientes= To resort to mild makeshift solutions
• Venir al pelo = To came in very handy
• Algo es pan comido = Sth is a piece of cake..
• Una perogrullada/ una verdad de Perogrullo= Sth pretty obvious
• Pensándolo mejor = On second thought, thinking it over
• Parece que no ha roto un plato en su vida/... Nunca ha roto un plato = He/she looks as though they've never done anything wrong in their lives
• ... hasta qué punto = to what extent
• Dejar a pelo un hábito perjudicial= To go cold turkey quitting an unhealthy habit
• La prueba del algodón/ La prueba del nueve = Any simple proof or reasoning to prove a point
• Como Pedro por su casa = As if he/she owned the place
• Ser de piñón fijo= To have a fixed,stubborn way of thinking
• ...para parar un tren= an amazing abondance of sth ( ...such abondance could even stop a train)
• Me dejé la piel= I worked my butt off
• Pase lo que pase = No matter what
• Entre pitos y flautas = what with one thing and another
• Pasar de las palabras a los hechos= to carry out what you say implying either energy, difficulties or bad blood
• ¡ Qué pena != What a pity,shame! and also: too bad !
• Ver de qué pie cojea= To watch close to get to know somebody's weak spots
• ...que si patatín, que si patatán= This and that and the other
• Estar hecho polvo ( of a person) to be exhausted or to be in very poor healt; ( of a machine) to be ready por the scrapyard
• En dos patadas= quickly and with little effort / in a jiffy
• Lo que pasa'= the thing is

• Q
• En el quinto pino = very far ( informal and showing dislike )
• Lo que quieras = anything you want / whatever you want
• Quedar mal = To lose face / Not to fit nicely ( of clothes)/ to make a social blunder or not to be up to the expected level on some social occasion
• Quedar bien = Just the opposite of the previous idiom.
• Que más da? = What does it matter?
• ¡ Quien te ha visto y quien te ve ! = You've changed beyond recognition ( all meanings implied ).
• ...por los pelos= Achieving sth at the very last moment and/or by by very close margin; a narrow escape.
• ...hasta tal punto que...= ... so much so that...

• R
• Andarse por las ramas or Andarse con rodeos = to beat around the bush, not to get to the point
• Eso me resbala = I couldn't care less about that, like water off a duck's back
• No tienes remedio = You're hopeless
• No hay remedio = there's no way out
• Estar muerto de risa = When sb/sth is lying idle with no further use / sitting there....
• Irse de rositas= To manage to get away scot-free
• Según Radio Macuto ...= I´ve heard through the grapevine that...
• En toda regla = fully fledged
• A mí que me registren= Search me !
• Pasarse de la raya= to overdo sth, to go overboard when reacting to sth

• S
• ¡Sal del ( de en ) medio ! = Get out of the way !
• Ser la salsa de todos los platos = To have a finger in every pie
• Valer más la salsa que los caracoles = With some issues the secondary thing becomes more important than the main one
• Salirse con la suya = To get his/her own way eventually
• Hacerse el sueco = To pretend not to know about sth
• echar/caer en saco roto = To make an useless effort
• Lo que sea = Whatever
• Como sea/ Sea como sea= do it or get it done making no bones about the means
• Eres un sol = You're a love
• Hacerse el/la simpático/a = To turn on the charm
• ...que yo sepa=to my knowledge ../As far as I know
• Meter en el mismo saco= To have the opinion ( generally bad ) that two different people are quite alike in their bad traits
• Pasar unos años a la ' sombra= To serve some years in prison
• Hacer algo a salto de mata = To do sth in a haphazard way

• En serio = I mean it
• Salir con alguien en serio= To go out with sb in earnest
• Llegar y besar/tocar el santo = To be very lucky with one´s timing/ to succeed in the first happy go
• No que yo sepa= Not to my knowledge
• Estar hasta en la sopa= To be so present everywhere that the topic or the person/s becomes quite a bore
• Ir en serio= To be earnest, to mean business
• Irse el santo al cielo= Se me ha ido el santo al cielo = I can´t remember what I was going to say next
• Lo de siempre= The usual stuff

• T
• Por allí van los tiros= That's what they're hinting /aiming at/ that's how the land lies
• Toma ya ! = excl. when beating sb in a game or flooring them in an argument or similar, there !!
• ver los toros desde la barrera = to know about a problem but avoid getting involved/ to sit on the fence
• a toro pasado = in hindsight
• Hacer de tripas corazón = to show strong determination in very difficult/ sorrowful situation
• ¿ Qué tripa se te ha roto ? = What's wrong with you ? ( informal)
• estar al tanto = to keep abreast regarding some subject or to keep a watchful eye on sb or sth
• Coger el truco = To get the trick or to get the knack
• Coger el tranquillo = To get the knack
• Entrar al trapo = To get entangled by answering or reacting to a pique or taunt .
• Estar en todo = to be quite alert so as to be in control of everything, to have all your wits about you
• Tal cual = As it is
• Fulano de Tal= Mr So and So
• Ir tirando = To get by ( mainly in connexion with health and money )
• Fulano no es trigo limpio = So and So is a shady character
• Tirarse a la piscina = To take an important decission without studying its pros and cons
• A todo tren =at full throttle,also, surrounded by luxury
• Tocar los huevos/cojones= To make people mad by insisting on taboo or covered up issues
• ( Todo) de un tirón = In a single lap or in just one go
• No tenerlas todas consigo = When sb is pretty suspicious/full of misgivings about sb/sth..
• Otra vuelta de tuerca = Another turn of the screw ( Please notice Sp use of nut and Eng use of screw )
• Apretarle las""tuercas a alguien = To step up pressure on sb
• Sin ton ni son= in a chaotic way
• Echar los tejos a alguien= to make advances to sb ( real or figurative sense)
• Seguir en sus trece= To defend stubbornly some wrong idea
• Sudar tinta = To work extraordinarily hard at sth that turns out to be a tricky issue
• Saber de buena tinta= To know sth from a very reliable source
• Hacer de tripas corazón= To be extraordinarily courageous to solve a very serious situation; to bite the bullet; to stomach sth

• U
• Te van a dar las uvas = you're going to be awfully late ( very good play on words for Christmas Eve )
• ¡Usted primero! = After you!.

• V
• ¡ Ya vale! = enough is enough !
• Ya te vale ! = How lucky / cheeky you are !
• Va a costar un verano = it´s going to take ages
• Darle vueltas a algo = to chew the cud ; to keep turning sth over in your mind without taking a decision
• ¡ Qué va = not at all/ you're quite wrong..
• Vaya beso ! = That was some kiss !...
• Hacer la vista gorda = To turn a blind eye
• ¡ Venga ya ! = Get real !
• Vivir del cuento = To "earn" a living by seducing people with your sweet talking and your wild or shady schemes the way con-men and many politicos do
• Sin venir a cuento= With no relation to the issue at hand
• Para este viaje( no hacen falta tantas alforjas )= It is said when the results of sth much talked about turn out to be very disappointing
• Venirte Dios a ver= To get lucky inexpectedly in a difficult issue thanks to some help you didn't count on
• / Tú no tienes vela en este entierro = You've got nothing to do here , you're out of your league here
• ¡ Más te vale = You'd better !
• Es ley de vida= To be the logical/natural outcome of sth
• Algo no tiene vuelta de hoja = Sth is so obvious or logical it needs no further discussion
• Darle 10,100,1000, un montón de vueltas a alguien = to be superior or to perform 10,100,10000, times or far better than sb
• Por ser vos quien sois = Because it's you ( showing irony and some distaste )
• Cada vez= Every time... AND ...more and more ( Se está poniendo cada vez más gordo = He's getting fatter and fatter ) .
• ...para variar.... = .....for a change..

• Y
• ¿ Y qué ? = So what ?
• Y si...? = What if...?
• Yo que tú... = If I were you...
• Ya no = not any more = I can't stand this any more