Do you want to impress your friends with a few sexy Spanish lines? Can you picture a scene where you sound both funny and cool using Spanish idioms?

With Spanish being the 2nd most spoken language in the world, these are more common scenes than you think.

The question is, which idioms truly deliver a funny blow?

If you don’t know where to start, we’ve got you covered. Here is a list of 10 great idioms in Spanish you can use in a conversation, each example is voiced by a voice people who appears in our Gritty Spanish audio stories!

1. Tomar El Pelo

English Equivalent: To pull someone’s leg

The literal translation of this is “to take the hair” of the person who you think is playing a trick on you or joking.

This is one of the Spanish expressions that is often said in a good-natured way, meaning that saying this to your friends in a conversation is an acceptable way to chime in when you’re joking around, or when you think someone is not telling you the truth in a friendly way

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“No puedo creer lo que me estás contando, ¿me estás tomando el pelo?”

“I can’t believe what you are telling me, are you joking around?”

“No creas nada de lo que te dice David, seguramente te está tomando el pelo.”

“Do not believe anything David tells you, he is joking around for sure.”

2. Estar Como Una Cabra

English Equivalent: To be a little crazy

The literal translation of this Spanish idiom is “be like a goat.” When someone says this, it often means that someone else is going to do something very crazy, usually people say “estás más loco que una cabra”, meaning that a person is crazier than a goat.

These actions tend to be out of character for them, only coming out in special circumstances like a dare or when the person is very drunk.

This saying is one of the many funny idioms that are in the Spanish language, making it perfect for a party with your peers or for when you and your friends decide to play a truth-or-dare-style game.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Juan ha bebido demasiado, tiene que irse a dormir porque ya está como una cabra.”

“Juan is drinking too much, he has to go to sleep because he’s acting like a goat (acting crazy).”

“Daniela salió corriendo y casi la atropellan, está más loca que una cabra.”

“Daniela ran out and almost got hit by a car, she is crazier than a goat.”

3. Meter La Pata

English Equivalent: To mess up

The literal translation of this is “to put the foot” in a trap, much like an animal getting its foot caught in a trap. This expression means that they made a mistake and would wish to take it back if they can.

You can use this expression to make a quick retraction of something you’ve said. Or if you’ve made an error, such as making mistakes in Spanish, and want to correct yourself as soon as possible.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Lo que he contado en voz alta era un secreto, creo que metí la pata.”

“What I said out loud was a secret, I think I made a mistake.”

“Siempre te equivocas, te encanta meter la pata.”

“You always get it wrong, you love to make mistakes.”

4. Ser Pan Comido

English Equivalent: A piece of cake

The literal translation of this expression is “to be bread eaten” or “be a cinch.” The idiom means to get something done with extreme ease, or you can use it to express that you can get something done in no time.

This is a useful expression when you want to impress your friends with both your Spanish speaking skills and your confidence in the task.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“El examen me pareció muy fácil, esa materia es pan comido.”

“The exam was really easy, this course is a piece of cake.”

“No te preocupes, esa tarea es pan comido, pronto aprenderás.”

“Don’t worry, that task is a piece of cake, you will learn soon.”

5. Al Mal Tiempo Buena Cara

English Equivalent: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

The literal translation of this idiom is “to bad weather, good face.” This means that you should keep on smiling, even when things start to turn bad.

This is good advice to give your friends if they are having a bad time. It is useful to remind them that bad weather is temporary, but their positive can last for as long as they want.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Es normal que te sientas mal, pero no te preocupes, al mal tiempo buena cara. Todo va a mejorar.”

“It is normal that you feel bad, but don’t worry, when the weather is bad, smile. Everything is going to get better.”

“Siempre que pase algo malo, recuerda que al mal tiempo buena cara.”

“Whenever something bad happens to you, remember when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

6. Quedarse De Piedra

English Equivalent: To get stunned

This particular Spanish idiom translates to “stay like a stone” if translated straight from Spanish into English.

The expression is often used when someone is very surprised by something, that they stay still for a moment, like a stone.

Another idiom to express your surprise is “quedase con la Boca abierta” which has the literal translation of “stay with open mouth” and the closest English equivalent this expression has is “jaw dropped.”

When you are talking about yourself, you say “me quedé de piedra”, but when you refer to someone that caused that feeling on you, you say “me dejó de piedra”. Let’s see examples for both cases.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Nunca creí que ella fuese capaz de hacerme eso, me quedé de piedra cuando supe la verdad.”

“I can’t believe she was capable of doing that, I got like a stone when I knew the truth.”

“Lo que me dijo me dejó de piedra, fue muy ofensivo de su parte.”

“What she told me left me like a stone, it was really offensive.”

7. Estar Más Sano Que Una Pera

English Equivalent: Fit as a fiddle, healthy as a horse, etc.

The literal translation of the saying is “to be healthier than a pear” because Spanish people consider pears to have more nutritional value than apples, which meant that for someone to be healthier than a pear, they were in top physical condition.

You can use this particular saying when you want to compliment a friend of yours, or if someone has recovered from a recent illness and you want to make their day.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Desde que Juan comenzó a hacer yoga se ve más sano que una pera.”

“Since Juan started doing yoga he looks healthier than a pear (healthy as a horse).”

“No voy a descuidar mi dieta, justo ahora que estoy más sano que una pera.”

“I’m not going to stop my diet, especially now that I’m healthier than a pear/horse.”

8. Se Me Hace Agua La Boca

English Equivalent: Mouthwatering

It’s literal translation “to make the mouth water” means that someone has prepared something very delicious that one has started to salivate. This is a great line to drop when someone prepares a delicious Spanish meal. With 17% of the population carrying Hispanic blood , this is likelier to happen than you’d expect.

Using this term means that you’re telling the cook that they’ve done a good job in making the meal, meaning you can use this as a compliment to your fellow Spanish speaking friends.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Qué bien huele lo que estás preparando… Se me hace agua la boca.”

“What you are preparing smells really good… It makes my mouth water.”

“Se me hace agua la boca al recordar los deliciosos platos que cocinaste.”

“It makes my mouth water to remember the delicious plates you cooked.”

9. Echar Agua Al Mar

English Equivalent: To put a drop in a bucket

The literal translation of this Spanish saying is “to throw water into the sea.” This one is not as common as the other ones mentioned before, for it is only used in areas that are close to bodies of water.

The idiom is often used to tell someone that they’ve done something with no real impact to the outcome of something.

When you’re joking around with your friends, using this saying can get a laugh from them. Also, you can use this when you want to point out that the action done by a friend is pointless.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

“Tratar de convencerte es como echar agua al mar…Nunca vas a cambiar.”

“Trying to convince you is pointless (like throwing water into the sea)…You will never change.”

“Ayudarla es como echar agua al mar…Nunca acepta lo que le ofreces.”

“Helping her is like throwing water into the sea (pointless)…She never accepts what you have to offer.”

10. Si Mi Abuela Tuviera Ruedas Sería Una Bicicleta

English Equivalent: Ask a silly question and you’ll get a silly answer

The literal translation of this idiom is “if my grandmother was on wheels/had wheels, she would be a bicycle.” People often use this idiom as a response for people when they wish that things happened in a different way for them. Often used as a way to end such conversations.

This means that if things were different in the past, then things would be different in the present, therefore it is absurd to talk about it. Is good when you want to point the silliness of an obvious point of view. It is obvious that if things happened different differently, they would be different.

Read /Listen To These Examples:

Juan:

“Si no me hubiese engañado, seríamos felices ahora.”

“If she had not cheated me, we would be happy now.”

David:

“Por favor, no vale la pena pensar en lo que habrías hecho diferente, si mi abuela tuviera ruedas sería una bicicleta.”

“Please, it’s not worth it to think what you would have done differently, if my grandmother had wheels she would be a bicycle.

Another Example:

Daniel:

” Mi amor, si tuviese mucho dinero te compraría una casa hermosa.”

“Honey, if I had a lot of money I would buy you a beautiful house.”

Manuela:

“Mi amor, si mi abuela tuviera ruedas sería una bicicleta.”

“Honey, if my grandmother had wheels she would be a bicycle.”

Impress Your Friends with These Spanish Idioms

Talk with your Spanish speaking friends and drop these Spanish idioms in a casual conversation to impress them now!

You might think that it will never happen but it can’t hurt to have a few of these Spanish expressions in your pocket. It’ll be a laugh even when talking to friends who don’t know a single Spanish word.