A Quick Guide to Spanish Idiomatic Expressions
Learn useful Spanish idioms, what they mean, and when to use them. Some expressions are regional, so context matters.
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About modismosSpanish idioms related to EnglishSpanish idioms related to animalsMiscellaneous Spanish idiomsFluent Spanish speakers understand not only words and phrases, but are able to decipher the many Spanish colloquial expressions and idioms. Just as with English, many of the most common Spanish idioms vary widely from their literal translations.
We’ll look at useful Spanish idioms, including expressions that vary by region.
About modismos
Spanish idioms, or modismos, are expressions whose intended meaning may differ from the literal meaning of their words. Many are informal.
Spanish varies by region. Some expressions below are especially associated with Spain or Latin America; learn where you hear each one before using it yourself.
The most important thing about using these Spanish idioms is the context. They’re best used in informal situations when talking casually with friends. Hearing them by themselves might be confusing at first, but with a bit of practice, you’ll be able to use them as part of your everyday language!
Spanish idioms related to English
The good news for native English-speakers is that you’ll recognize a few of the top Spanish idioms that have similar meanings across the languages. While the word choice might be a bit different, the overall meaning holds, and people use them in the same situations.
One useful idiom is “pan comido,” literally “eaten bread.” It means something is easy, much like “a piece of cake” in English.
You might say “El examen fue pan comido” after an easy exam: “The exam was a piece of cake.”
Another popular phrase with a similar expression in English is “tomar el pelo,” which translates to “take someone’s hair.” People use the expression while messing with someone jokingly. The phrase is familiar in English as “pulling someone’s leg.”
For example, “¿Me estás tomando el pelo?” means “Are you pulling my leg?”
If something is very expensive, you can say “cuesta un ojo de la cara” (“it costs an eye from your face”), similar to “it costs an arm and a leg.”
“Aprobar por los pelos” means to pass an exam by a very narrow margin. The broader expression “por los pelos” means “by the skin of your teeth.”
In some Latin American varieties, “¡Suelta la sopa!” invites someone to reveal a secret, much like “spill the beans” in English.
In Mexican Spanish, “ya salió el peine” can mean that a hidden reason or the truth has finally come to light. The literal image is “the comb came out.”
Spanish idioms related to animals
As important as animals are to our lives, they also show up in a lot of frequently used Spanish idioms. There are lots of modismos that seem to be talking about animals but actually relate to quite different things.
The Spanish word for cat, or gato, is commonly used in Spanish idioms. Some of the most popular include:
Aquí hay gato encerrado – something seems strange
Buscarle la quinta pata al gato – looking for problems that don’t exist
The first phrase, “aquí hay gato encerrado” may also be rephrased as “me huele a gato encerrado” in some countries. Both suggest that something is suspicious or that there is more to a situation than meets the eye.
In English, the latter might be a bit more relatable, with most people being familiar with the phrase, “something smells fishy.”
You use either of the phrases when you have a strange feeling about something.
The second phrase, “buscarle la quinta pata al gato” means that someone is trying to overcomplicate things. It literally means looking for a cat’s fifth leg. Another version is “buscarle tres pies al gato.”
In some Latin American varieties, “pensar en la inmortalidad del cangrejo” (“to think about the immortality of the crab”) describes daydreaming or thinking about something fanciful instead of the task at hand.
You might hear it when someone seems distracted in a classroom or meeting.
In Spain, someone who is distracted may be described as “estar empanado” or “estar empanada,” depending on the person’s gender.
Miscellaneous Spanish idioms
Not all Spanish idioms relate to English. You’ll definitely need to hear the phrases used in the correct context because even the literal translations have no connection to what the person is actually trying to say.
“Caer gordo” is an informal way to say that someone rubs you the wrong way. The adjective agrees with the person described: gordo or gorda.
For example, “Me caes gordo” means “I find you annoying” when addressing a man. It can sound blunt, so use it carefully.
“Tirar la casa por la ventana” literally means “to throw the house out the window.” It means to spare no expense or celebrate lavishly.
In Mexican Spanish, “darle el avión a alguien” means to brush someone off or pretend to listen. “Le di el avión” means “I brushed them off.”
See below for a complete list plus a few bonus Spanish idioms you might hear and their meanings:
- SPANISH expressionMEANING
- Pan comidoA piece of cake; very easy
- Costar un ojo de la caraTo cost an arm and a leg
- Soltar la sopaTo spill the beans (regional)
- Hace un tiempo de perrosThe weather is awful
- Ya salió el peineThe truth or hidden reason came out (Mexico)
- Aprobar por los pelosTo barely pass
- Dormir como un troncoTo sleep like a log
- Ponte las pilasGet moving; put some energy into it
- Darle el avión a alguienTo brush someone off (Mexico)
- Caer gordo/gordaTo rub someone the wrong way
- No saber ni papa de algoTo know nothing about something
- Tirar la casa por la ventanaTo go all out (spending)
- Aquí hay gato encerradoSomething is fishy
- Buscarle la quinta pata al gatoTo look for problems where there are none
- Pensar en la inmortalidad del cangrejoTo daydream (regional)
- Tomar el peloTo pull someone’s leg
