So you’re in a Spanish bar.

It’s loud, but you can make out what people are saying.

You hear a fellow drinker talking about throwing a house through a window…

…another is laughingly accusing his friends of taking the hair…

…and an old man tells you he is healthier than a pear.

What the heck is going on?

You do a double take and scratch your head, wondering why you can translate the words, but not their context or meaning.

Well, you’ve just had your first introduction to Spanish idioms.





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Why Learn Spanish Idioms?

Idioms are commonly-used expressions by native speakers that have a figurative, not a literal, meaning. All languages have them. For example, a couple of English idioms are “It’s raining cats and dogs” and “barking up the wrong tree.”

Idioms are essential for speaking a language like a native, and Spanish is no exception.

There are hundreds of Spanish idioms, and while some are common to many Spanish language speakers, others are only used in one or a handful of countries in the Spanish-speaking world. There are even idioms that are only spoken in specific regions.

To hear lots of idiomatic and regional Spanish being used in real life, check out FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos—like movie trailers, music videos and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language lessons.

In this post, we’ve compiled some of the most useful idioms that you’re likely to come across while speaking Spanish.

15 Common Spanish Idioms for Sounding Like a Native

15. Tomar el pelo

English: To pull someone’s leg

“Tomar el pelo” literally means “to take the hair,” and is used when someone is tricking or making fun of someone else, but in a good-natured way. So if a friend tells you he won $10 million, you might say: “Me estás tomando el pelo.” (You’re pulling my leg.)

14. Ser pan comido

English: To be a piece of cake

The literal translation of “ser pan comido” is “to be bread eaten,” and it means that something is very easy to do. It’s the English equivalent of saying something is a piece of cake. For example: “El trabajo es pan comido.” (The job is a piece of cake.)

13. Estar como una cabra

English: To be a little crazy

“Estar como una cabra” is a commonly used Spanish idiom for when somebody is doing something bizarre or a little out of the ordinary. The literal translation is “to be like a goat,” and the English equivalent is saying someone is a little nuts or crazy. So if a friend has had too much to drink one evening, and he or she gets up and dances on a table, you might say: “Esta noche estás como una cabra.” (Tonight you are a little crazy.)

12. No tener pelos en la lengua

English: To be straightforward / To tell it like it is

The literal translation of “no tener pelos en la lengua” is “not to have hairs on your tongue.” This Spanish idiom means that someone is a straight shooter and will always speak their mind. For example: “Mi amigo no tiene pelos en la lengua.” (My friend tells it how it is.)

11. Tirar la casa por la ventana

English: To spare no expense

“Tirar la casa por la ventana” is literally translated as “to throw the house through the window,” and it means that no expense has been spared or that money is no object. For example: “Tiré la casa por la ventana cuando compré mi nuevo coche.” (I spared no expense when I bought my new car.)

10. Quedarse de piedra

English: To be stunned

“Quedarse de piedra” is literally to “stay like a stone,” and it means to be amazed. In other words, you’re so stunned by something that you stay like a stone. For example: “Me quedé de piedra cuando me dijo la historia.” (I was stunned when he told me the story.) Another idiom to express surprise and astonishment is “quedarse con la boca abierta,” literally “to stay with the mouth open.”

9. Lo dijo de labios para fuera

English: To say something you didn’t mean

“Lo dijo de labios para fuera” is literally translated as “he said it from the lips outwards,” and it means that a person didn’t mean what they said. For example: “Lo dijo de labios para fuera cuando dijo que era culpable.” (He didn’t mean it when he said he was guilty.)

8. Estar hecho un ají

English: To be very angry

“Estar hecho un ají” is literally translated as “to be made a chili,” and it means to be hopping mad (very angry) about something. For example: “No le gustó el resultado. Está hecho un ají.” (He didn’t like the outcome. He’s hopping mad.)

7. Empezar la casa por el tejado

English: To put the cart before the horse

“Empezar la casa por el tejado” is literally “to start the house by the roof,” and it means to put the cart before the horse, or to have things in the wrong order. For example: “Si empezáramos la construcción sin los fondos, estaríamos empezando la casa por el tejado.” (If we started construction without the funds, we’d be putting the cart before the horse.)

6. Estar más sano que una pera

English: To be fit as a fiddle

“Estar más sano que una pera” is literally translated as “to be healthier than a pear.” The English equivalent is to be as fit as a fiddle, and it means that someone feels great and is very healthy. For example: “Mi abuela tiene 85 años, pero está más sana que una pera.” (My grandmother is 85, but she’s as fit as a fiddle.)

5. Ser uña y carne

English: To be bosom buddies

The literal translation of “ser uña y carne” is “to be fingernail and flesh,” and it means to be inseparable, or to be bosom buddies. For example: “Juan y Pedro son uña y carne.” John and Peter are bosom buddies.)

4. Tener un humor de perros

English: To be in a bad mood

“Tenemos un humor de perros” is literally translated as “to have a mood of dogs,” and it means to be in a bad mood. For example: “Ellos tienen un humor de perros porque no aprobaron los exámenes en la universidad.” (They’re in a bad mood because they didn’t pass their exams at the university.)

3. Se me hace agua la boca

English: To make one’s mouth water / To be mouthwatering

“Se me hace agua la boca” is a common Spanish idiom translated as “it makes my mouth water,” meaning that an item of food or a meal is so delicious it makes the saliva flow in a person’s mouth. For example: “Se me hace agua la boca solo pensar en la paella.” (It makes my mouth water just thinking about paella.)

2. Tiene más lana que un borrego

English: To be loaded [with cash]

“Tiene más lana que un borrego” translates as “he has more wool than a lamb,” and it means that a person is loaded with cash. “Lana” is slang for “cash.” For example: “Él pagó la cuenta en el restaurante porque tiene más lana que un borrego”. (He paid the bill in the restaurant because he’s loaded with cash.)

1. Echar agua al mar

English: To do something pointless / To put a drop in the bucket

“Echar agua al mar” is literally translated as “to throw water into the sea,” a Spanish idiom used in some Spanish-speaking regions to mean that something is pointless. For example: “Tratar de convencerla es como echar agua al mar. Ella nunca va a cambiar.” (Trying to convince her is pointless. She’s never going to change.)

More Resources for Learning Spanish Idioms

It’s one thing to read a list of idioms – it’s another to learn how to use them naturally in Spanish language conversations.

To be healthier than a pear: Funny Spanish idioms: Nice collection of funny idioms here, with many new ones.

9 ridiculously useful Spanish expressions: Great post that also includes embedded sound files. These are just a handful of the many idioms that you’re likely hear. Commit them to memory and start casually throwing them into conversations. They will help you to speak Spanish more naturally and to sound less ‘foreign’ to Spanish ears.





Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

And One More Thing for Your Spanish Idiom Learning Arsenal…

If you like learning Spanish idioms, then you’ll love FluentU. FluentU takes real-world videos like music videos, commercials, news, and inspiring talks and turns them into Spanish learning experiences. In these videos, you’ll see your newly-acquired idioms in action.

In the real world, you may not pick up on new vocabulary and idioms straightaway. FluentU is designed for you to become familiarized with everyday Spanish, by combining all the benefits of total immersion and native level conversations with easy-to-read subtitles.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos – topics like soccer, TV shows, business, movies, and even magical realism, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. Didn’t catch something? Go back and listen again. Missed a word? Hover your mouse over the subtitles to instantly view definitions.

And FluentU isn’t just videos – it’s a complete language learning program. Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s Learn Mode. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on. You’ll be able to create vocab lists and track your progress as you advance through video after video.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and it recommends you examples and videos based on the words you’ve already learned. You have a truly personalized experience.

Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Play store. Become a master of Spanish idioms faster than you ever thought possible!