It's all well and good knowing how to conjugate verbs, but where's the fun if you can't use them in idiomatic expressions?! We've compiled a list of idiomatic verbal phrases that use three of Spanish's most common verbs: 'dar,' 'estar,' and 'hacer.'
It can be pretty amusing to see how idioms literally translate, so we've provided you with a more literal translation next to each one, before telling you how to use it properly.
This one is heard in lots of famous reggaetón songs.
¡Dale!
Hit it!/Let's go!/Do it!
¡Dale, canta!
Hit it, sing!
Dale - give it
In some countries, such as Colombia and Argentina, 'dale' is used as a stand-in for 'vale.' (Interestingly, some Mexicans use 'sale.' We're all about the rhymes!)
Dale
Okay
—¿Me puedes ayudar?
—Dale.
"Can you help me?"
"Okay, go for it."
'Estar' - 'to be'
'Estar' is one of two verbs meaning 'to be' (the other one is 'ser'). Here's how to conjugate 'estar' in the present tense.
estoy
estamos
estás
estáis
está
están
And here are some idiomatic phrases!
Estar - to be
Estar
To be here
Abre. Estoy.
Open up. I'm here. (On the phone)
Estar a dos velas - to be at two candles
Estar a dos velas
To be broke/penniless
Mi esposo me dejó y ahora estoy a dos velas.
My husband left me and now I'm penniless.
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Estar al caer - to be at falling
Estar al caer
To be about to happen/arrive
La segunda temporada está al caer.
The second season is about to come out/drop.
Estar al corriente - to be at the current
Estar al corriente
To be up to date/in the loop
Estoy al corriente de los eventos de anoche.
I'm up to date on the events of last night.
Estar como agua para chocolate - to be like water for chocolate (used in Mexico and some other Latin American countries)
Estar como agua para chocolate
To be furious/to be at boiling point
Daniel le engañó a su novia. Ella está como agua para chocolate.
Daniel cheated on his girlfriend. She's absolutely furious.
Estar como pez en el agua - to be like fish in water
Estar como pez en el agua
To be in one's element
Cuando estoy en la cocina, estoy como pez en el agua.
When I'm in the kitchen, I'm in my element.
Estar en la luna/Estar en las nubes - To be on the moon/To be in the clouds
Estar en la luna/Estar en las nubes
To have one's head in the clouds
No creo que Gertrude me haya escuchado. La chica siempre está en la luna.
I don't think Gertrude listened to me. The girl has always got her head in the clouds.
Estar fuera de sà - to be outside of oneself
Estar fuera de sÃ
To be beside oneself (with emotion)
John acaba de saber que su padre ha fallecido. Está fuera de sÃ.
John just found out that his father has passed away. He's beside himself.
Estar hasta las narices de ... - to be up to the noses of ...
Estar hasta las narices de ...
To be fed up of ...
Estoy hasta las narices de tus mentiras.
I'm fed up of your lies.
There are loads of fun variations of this one. They all refer to being sick and tired of something! Take your pick from these:
Estar hasta el moño - to be up to the bun (hairstyle)
Estar hasta el gorro - to be up to the hat
Estar hasta la coronilla - to be up to the crown (of the head)
Estar hasta los cojones - to be up to the balls
Okay, I've had it up to here with the 'up to' phrases. Back to our main list:
Estar hecho polvo - to be made dust
Estar hecho polvo
To be exhausted
Corrà un maratón esta mañana. ¡Estoy hecho polvo!
I ran a marathon this morning. I'm exhausted!
Estar hecho una fiera - to be made a beast
Estar hecho una fiera
To be furious
Dos estudiantes se burlaron del profesor delante de la clase entera. Está hecho una fiera.
Two students mocked the teacher in front of the entire class. He's absolutely furious.
Estar hecho una sopa - to be made a soup
Estar hecho una sopa
To be soaking wet
La tormenta está terrible. ¡Estoy hecho una sopa!
The storm is terrible. I'm soaked!
Estar sin blanca - to be without a blanca (Spanish coin from the olden days)
Estar sin blanca
To be broke
No puedo ir a la fiesta. Estoy sin blanca este mes.
I can't go to the party. I'm flat broke this month.
'Hacer' - 'to do'/'to make'
'Hacer' has to be one of the most common verbs in Spanish, and has heaps of uses. Here's its present tense conjugation.
I know it was you who stole my phone. Don't play dumb.
Hacerse el tonto - to make like the idiot
Hacerse el tonto
To play dumb
Cuando la policÃa le interrogó, se hizo el tonto.
When the police interrogated him, he played dumb.
Trato hecho - deal done
Trato hecho
It's a deal
—Si me das uno de esos chocolates, te doy un pedazo de pastel.
—¡Trato hecho!
"If you give me one of those chocolates, I'll give you a piece of cake."
"It's a deal!"
A lo hecho, pecho - to what's done, chest
A lo hecho, pecho
You've made your bed, now lie in it/You do the crime, you do the time/What’s done is done/No use crying over spilt milk; face up to it
—He borrado todos los datos por accidente. No quiero hacer frente a mi jefe.
—A lo hecho, pecho.
"I've accidentally deleted all the data. I don't want to face my boss."
"What’s done is done; face him!"
De hecho - of fact
De hecho
In fact
Me encanta la comida española. De hecho, trabajo en un bar de tapas.
I love Spanish food. In fact, I work in a tapas bar.
Estás al corriente...
Great job, you're now up to date on idioms using three of Spanish's most common verbs: dar, estar, and hacer. Practice them often to start sounding like a native!
Annabel is a language-enthusiast from the UK. She studied Spanish and French at the University of Southampton (with an Erasmus study year in Madrid!) and recently graduated. She has interests across the Spanish-speaking world, and is a fan of language in general.
Thanks for the great postings !!! I love to learn idiomatic phrasal verbs.
Thanks for the great postings !!! I love to learn idiomatic phrasal verbs.