Speak Like a Native: 10 Must-Know Spanish Idioms and Their Meanings

Speak Like a Native: 10 Must-Know Spanish Idioms and Their Meanings

Hola, Super Learners!

It's your amigo Miguel Marina, The Spanish Super Tutor, back again to sprinkle some Spanish magic into your day. Before we start, make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter for daily Spanish wisdom delivered straight to your inbox – it's what all the cool language learners are doing!

But first, it's time for our joke of the day:

Why did the Spanish book apply for a job? Because it wanted to be a "libro" (book) of business!

¿Por qué el libro de español solicitó un trabajo? ¡Porque quería ser un "libro" (book) de negocios!

I know, I know, I should probably stick to teaching Spanish, right? 😅 But hey, a smile can be the best warm-up for learning!

Alright, let's jump into the heart of today's lesson: Speak Like a Native – 10 Must-Know Spanish Idioms and Their Meanings. And don't forget, for more fun learning, subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHRZtjIc5JMEzxppFdWax1w and listen to our Spotify podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/miguel-marina9 for Spanish from zero!

Now, onto the idioms that will make you sound like you've been chatting in Spanish your whole life:

1. Estar en las nubes

• Literally: To be in the clouds

• Meaning: To daydream or be lost in thought

• Use it: "Perdona, estaba en las nubes. ¿Qué decías?"

1. Costar un ojo de la cara

• Literally: To cost an eye from the face

• Meaning: To be very expensive

• Use it: "Este coche me costó un ojo de la cara."

1. No pegar ojo

• Literally: To not stick an eye

• Meaning: To not sleep a wink

• Use it: "Estaba tan nervioso que no pegué ojo en toda la noche."

1. Echar agua al mar

• Literally: To throw water into the sea

• Meaning: To do something pointless

• Use it: "Limpiar la casa con niños pequeños es como echar agua al mar."

1. Ser pan comido

• Literally: To be eaten bread

• Meaning: To be a piece of cake, very easy

• Use it: "No te preocupes por el examen, será pan comido."

1. Tener un humor de perros

• Literally: To have a mood of dogs

• Meaning: To be in a bad mood

• Use it: "Hoy tengo un humor de perros, mejor no me hables."

1. Estar más sano que una pera

• Literally: To be healthier than a pear

• Meaning: To be very healthy

• Use it: "Desde que hago ejercicio, estoy más sano que una pera."

1. Tirar la casa por la ventana

• Literally: To throw the house through the window

• Meaning: To spare no expense, to go all out

• Use it: "En su boda, tiraron la casa por la ventana."

1. Ponerse las pilas

• Literally: To put in one's batteries

• Meaning: To get one's act together, to get energized

• Use it: "Si quieres aprobar, tienes que ponerte las pilas."

1. Dar en el clavo

• Literally: To hit the nail

• Meaning: To hit the nail on the head, to get something exactly right

• Use it: "Con ese comentario, diste en el clavo."

Learning idioms is like finding a secret passage to the heart of a language. And here at Spanish Super Tutor, we've got all the maps you need! Remember, we have classes every day with a team of teachers ready to help you navigate through every "modismo" and "frase hecha" you encounter.

And as we wrap up, remember our special phrase: "Si estás buscando clases online de español en internet puedes encontrar muchas, pero si lo que quieres es aprender español, Spanish Super Tutor."

Keep those Spanish idioms close to your heart, Super Learners, and you'll be charming the socks off native speakers in no time.

¡Hasta la próxima, y no olviden que aprender con una sonrisa es aprender dos veces!

Miguel Marina (The Spanish Super Tutor)