Idioms are a group of words, phrases, or expressions. They convey a meaning that is more figurative than literal. You might be using a number of those idioms in your mother tongue and might never realize how often you use them. They are an indispensable part of a language and may rightly be called the soul of a language.
The Spanish language also uses a lot of idioms. Some of these might have some direct sister translation in English while some others need to be understood with their contextual usage. Also, idioms are an ever-growing family with the constant evolution of language. Spanish being a widely spoken language, the number of idioms used is also vast. They are also region-specific. Idioms used in some Spanish-speaking countries might be different from the ones used in some other countries. It largely depends on regional cultures and beliefs as it is in other languages too.
Let’s have a look at some of the most widely used Spanish idioms:
- No vertresen un burro :
No vertresen un burro in the literal sense means ‘Not being able to see three on a donkey’. This is used to indicate a real bad vision and to prompt someone when they are not able to see something obvious. - No importar un pepino / un rábano / un pimiento
No imprtar un pepino / un rábano / un pimiento literally translates to ‘not matter a cucumber/radish/pepper. Used for something irrelevant. It is equivalent to the English phrase ‘don’t give a damn about’ something. - Dar calabazas a alguien
Dar calabazas a alguien translates to ‘Give pumpkins to someone’. In simple terms it means to reject someone. - Ser un melon
Ser un melón means ‘to be a melon’ in literal terms. Remember the English phrase ‘to be a blockhead’? It is used as a remark for someone not very intelligent. - Ser un bombón
Ser un bombón translates to ‘be a bonbon’. Its exact English translation is ‘to be an eye candy’. Used for someone extremely good-looking. - Lavarse las manos
Lavarse las manos in the literal sense means ‘to wash off hands’. As we say in English, ‘passing the buck’, it means to shrug off responsibility. - Verlotodo de color de rosa
Verlotodo de color de rosa. The phrase translates to ‘see everything in pink color’. It means to see the positive side in everything or to see everything with too much optimism. There’s an equivalent English phrase for it which goes like, ‘to see all peaches and cream’. - Tener sangreazul
We have all frequently heard the phrase ‘born with a silver spoon’, used for the elites and rich people. Basically for people born in the elite or royal family. Here’s a Spanish phrase for it. Tener sangreazul which, in literal terms means ‘to have blue blood. Or, as obvious, used for the not-so-common crowd. - Ser la oveja Negra
Ser la oveja Negra –‘to be the black sheep’. It is usually used to refer to the good for nothing or the unsuccessful one. - Ser un rata
The English phrase ‘tight as Midas’s fist’ is the English corresponding phrase for this one. Ser un rata translates to ‘to be a rat’ which means to be stingy. Used for people who are penurious or stingy.
Hope you enjoyed going through these lovely phrases. Imbibe them in your diction and feel all the more connected to Spanish. Learn Spanish language in Bangalore with us and leave the rest to our experts to train you with the foreign language courses of your choice. Learn Spanish in our Spanish classes in Bangalore and shape your future.
Author
Vaishali Pandey
