Idioms in Spanish
  • Anna September 2011
    As in other languages, Spanish idioms cannot be translated literally. The real meaning cannot be understood completely by knowing what the individual words in the phrase mean.
    An example in English would be: "Hold your horses" which literal meaning is "keep your horses still" but the real meaning is: slow down, hold on, wait, you are rushing in to something. 

    Here are some interesting SPANISH IDIOMS for you to learn:

    "Llueve a mares"
    Literal translation: It rains seas
    Meaning: Is raining cats and dogs

    "El que tiene boca se equivoca"
    Literal translation: Who has a mouth makes mistakes
    Meaning: We all make mistakes sometimes (because we all have a mouth)

    "Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando"
    Literal translation: One bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flying
    Meaning: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

    "Por si las moscas"
    Literal: if the flies
    Meaning: Just in case


    We will keep posting more funny and useful spanish idioms!

    And keep studying and learning with your Living Language Spanish Courses, lo que siembres cosecharás!

    Literal Translation: What you sow, you will harvest
    Meaning: You reap what you sow 

  • THoth September 2011
    Thanks for the idioms. I believe I found an idiom somewhere recently. I do not remember the spanish, but it was "You're pulling the hair" in exchange for the english "you're pulling my leg". Is this actually an idiom?
  • Anna September 2011
    De nada THoth,

    The idiom you mean is: "Tomar el pelo a alguien", and it stands for "Pulling someone's leg"

    Literally it means ¨taking someone´s hair¨

    Another idiom with a similar meaning is: ¨Dar gato por liebre" which literally means "Giving cat for (instead of) hare (rabbit)", and the real meaning is "trick and rip off someone".

    Recuerda: Que no te tomen el pelo ni te den gato por liebre!

    :)


  • Anna September 2011
    Second round of Spanish Idioms:

    "No tiene dos dedos de frente"
                
    Literally means: He doesn't have two fingers of forehead.
                
    The English equivalent is: He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.




  • verdad_es_vida March 2014
    Is there another way you would say "That's for the birds" in Spanish? Or would you say it the same way?
  • epanolzebra September 2014
    Question: 

    Does anyone know what "Atraganté el caramelo envuelto" means in English? 
  • Lalo27 October 2014
    "El que tiene boca se equivoca" is kind of the first part of the idiom. You can use the second part: "Y el que no, cierra la boca" as kind of like a comeback to someone who is taunting you for your mistakes. Literally means in English: "And the one who does not, shut his mouth." And it rhymes too! 
  • SSimms June 2015
    I read "Adonde fueras, haz lo que viernas"
    literally: wherever you go, do as you see (I think)
    meaning: when in rome, do as the romans do
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