Idioms

Spanish idioms are expressions whose meanings cannot be understood from the literal definitions of the individual words. They often reflect cultural nuances and are used to convey ideas, emotions, or situations in a more vivid and memorable way. Learning these idioms helps non-native speakers sound more natural and understand native conversations more deeply.

Common Spanish Idioms

These are some of the most frequently used idioms in everyday Spanish, along with their English equivalents:

Spanish Idiom	English Equivalent	Spanish Example	English Example
Estar en las nubes	To have your head in the clouds	Siempre estás en las nubes durante la clase.	You’re always daydreaming during class.
Tomar el pelo	To pull someone’s leg	Me estás tomando el pelo con esa historia.	You’re pulling my leg with that story.
Ser pan comido	To be a piece of cake	El examen fue pan comido.	The exam was a piece of cake.
Meter la pata	To put your foot in your mouth	Metí la pata en la reunión de ayer.	I put my foot in my mouth at yesterday’s meeting.
No tener pelos en la lengua	To not hold back	Ella no tiene pelos en la lengua.	She doesn’t hold back.
Costar un ojo de la cara	To cost an arm and a leg	Ese coche cuesta un ojo de la cara.	That car costs an arm and a leg.
De tal palo, tal astilla	Like father, like son	De tal palo, tal astilla.	Like father, like son.
Más vale tarde que nunca	Better late than never	Llegué tarde, pero más vale tarde que nunca.	I arrived late, but better late than never.
A otro perro con ese hueso	Tell that to someone else	¿Crees que voy a ayudarte? A otro perro con ese hueso.	You think I’m going to help you? Tell that to someone else.
Echar leña al fuego	To add fuel to the fire	No provoques más, que vas a echar leña al fuego.	Don’t provoke more, you’re going to add fuel to the fire.

Ese coche cuesta un ___ de la cara.

To cost an arm and a leg (be very expensive)

brazo

ojo

pie

dedo

ojo

The idiom 'costar un ojo de la cara' means that something is very expensive—literally, it 'costs an eye from the face.'

Regional Variations

Spanish is spoken in many countries, and idioms can vary widely by region. Here are a few examples from different parts of the Spanish-speaking world:

Country/Region	Spanish Idiom	Meaning	Example
Spain	¡Qué guay!	How cool!	¡Qué guay que vengas a la fiesta!
Mexico	¡Órale!	Wow / Let’s go	¡Órale! ¿Ya terminaste?
Argentina	Che	Hey (used to get attention)	Che, ¿vienes al cine?
Colombia	¿Quiubo?	What’s up?	¿Quiubo, cómo estás?
Puerto Rico	¡Wepa!	Hooray!	¡Wepa! Ganamos el partido.

¡___! Ganamos el partido.

A Puerto Rican expression meaning 'Hooray!'

Órale

Wepa

Che

¿Quiubo?

Wepa

In Puerto Rico, '¡Wepa!' is an exclamation used to express joy or celebration, similar to saying 'Hooray!'

Idioms About Time

These idioms contain references to time and are useful for talking about deadlines, punctuality, and the passage of time:

Spanish Idiom	English Equivalent	Spanish Example	English Example
A tiempo	On time	Siempre llego a tiempo a clase.	I’m always on time for class.
Llevar tiempo	To take a while	Este proyecto lleva tiempo terminarlo.	This project takes a while to finish.
De vez en cuando	From time to time	Salgo a correr de vez en cuando.	I go running from time to time.
En un abrir y cerrar de ojos	In the blink of an eye	El concierto terminó en un abrir y cerrar de ojos.	The concert ended in the blink of an eye.
Estar contra reloj	To be racing against time	Estoy contra reloj para terminar el informe.	I’m racing against time to finish the report.

Idioms About Emotions

These idioms help express feelings and emotional states more vividly:

Spanish Idiom	English Equivalent	Spanish Example	English Example
Estar enojado	To be angry	Estoy enojado por lo que pasó.	I’m angry about what happened.
Tener miedo	To be afraid	Tengo miedo de las alturas.	I’m afraid of heights.
Estar feliz como una lombriz	To be as happy as a clam	Estoy feliz como una lombriz hoy.	I’m as happy as a clam today.
Estar triste	To be sad	Ella está triste por la noticia.	She’s sad about the news.
Echarse a llorar	To burst into tears	Se echó a llorar cuando recibió la noticia.	She burst into tears when she got the news.

Idioms About Life and Experience

These idioms are often used to reflect on life, give advice, or talk about personal growth:

Spanish Idiom	English Equivalent	Spanish Example	English Example
La vida es un regalo	Life is a gift	Recuerda que la vida es un regalo.	Remember that life is a gift.
No hay mal que por bien no venga	Every cloud has a silver lining	No te preocupes, no hay mal que por bien no venga.	Don’t worry, every cloud has a silver lining.
Al mal tiempo, buena cara	Keep a good face in bad times	Al mal tiempo, buena cara.	Keep a good face in bad times.
El que no arriesga, no gana	Nothing ventured, nothing gained	El que no arriesga, no gana.	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
A caballo regalado no le mires el diente	Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth	A caballo regalado no le mires el diente.	Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Understanding and using Spanish idioms can greatly improve your conversational skills and help you connect more deeply with the culture. Don’t be afraid to try them out!

A caballo regalado no le mires el ___.

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth

ojo

diente

lado

pelaje

diente

The saying 'a caballo regalado no le mires el diente' means you shouldn’t criticize or question a gift.

English Equivalent: To have your head in the clouds
English Example: You’re always daydreaming during class.

Spanish