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Writer's pictureSpanish Online Lessons
Mar 183 min read

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


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."