Typical Spanish sentences Spanish has several sentences that drive every Spanish student crazy, keep reading and learn some of them.

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If I could say something that make Spanish learning hard, keeping in mind the genders, verbs tenses, differences between SER y ESTAR and quite a few more options…I think I will probably choose the amount of idioms that we use, even in our daily conversations, I think they are difficult to master as you need to immerse yourself in the language and a lot of the times in the culture and you can’t do that unfortunately just reading/studying grammar books, you need to be surrounded by Spaniards, and that is quite difficult,  that is why I wanted to give you the chance and throw at you some of the typical Spanish sentences that drive students crazy.

So..ready for some Typical Spanish sentences? Here we go

Typical-spanish-sentences-and-where-they-come-from

Spanish typical sentences

1-Dorar la píldora,  To sweeten the pill/to sugar the pill

In the past (well….nowadays too)  pills used to have a bad taste, that is why sometimes doctors gild them to make them more appealing, and we use it today exactly for that, when we want to make something less unpleasant.

to-sweeten-the-pill-in-spanish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case-

If a friend ask you if you like his new outfits and it is horrendous, one of your friends might start with a soft well…it is not something I would wear, the colour is nice…And you are more straight forward you could say

“No le dores la píldora, !es horrible!”- Do not sweeten the pill, it is horrible!

2-La ocasión la pinta calva, Seize opportunity by the forelock

This comes from a greek painter who painted the Opportunity Greek goddess bald just in the neck, meaning that if even when the situation is harsh if you grab it up front you might get it.

So when to use it? When the opportunity is hard but you have a chance if you face it so do not hesitate and go for it 🙂

how-to-grab-an-opportunity-in-spanish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case-

If you have been invited to a super cool event where you might have the chance to meet someone who might help you with your future, we are talking work ways, if you are hesitating whether to go or not and you ask one of your Spanish friend they will probably say surprised

“Quieres conocer al jefe de esa empresa, el cual estará en ese evento, ¿y todavía te preguntas si ir? La ocasión la pinta calva” –You want to meet the boss of that company, who will be at that event, and you are still asking if you should go? Seize opportunity by the forelock –in other words, just go!

3-Ponerse las botas,  to fill yout boots

It is normally linked with food ways, at least in Spain, when you eat so much of something that you do not have space left in your stomach, but we can use it in general,  when someone have more than enough to satisfy yourself of something.

In the past leather boots were linked with the rich class as not everyone could afort to buy them, the same to make excess with food or anything else.

to-fill-your-boots

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case- if you and your friend go to a dinner and you are sharing a started but your friend is eating much more and quicker than you will say to him

“!Deja algo para mí!!Te estás poniendo las botas!”-Leave something for me!You are filling your boots

4-Hay ropa tendida, walls have ears

It is used when someone is talking about something but someone else you do not want to know about that thing might be listen.

walls-have-ears-in-spanish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case-

You are at your work and you and your colleagues are planning a night out but you do not want another colleague to know about it, if your colleague comes to you overexcited and start talking about the night out, and you realized the colleague you do not want to go is clothes you can say him to shut up with a more polite

!Ahora no, que hay ropa tendida! Luego hablamos-“not now, walls have ears, we will talk later”

*watch out-we also have a literal translation for walls have ears-las paredes tienen oídos, both of them are correct, I will challenge you to use “hay ropa tendida” you will sound as an expert, and let people with their mouth open (they probably will ask where did you learn it from!)

Where does this expression come from? No idea…but it used to be quite popular in prison among prisoners to warn the rest that jailers were close.

5-A palo seco, just like that

It is normal to express that something comes on its own, it is quite straight forward or direct, in Eglish you can say as well just like that

This expressions comes from the old times when in the middle of a storm the sailing boats needed to sail under bare poles.

just-like-that-in-spanish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case-

If you go out one night for dinner and you eat something really spicy but one of your friends eats it like if that was sweet, you can comment after all

“!Estoy sorprendida con Miguel, comió los jalapeños a palo seco, sin agua ni nada”-I am surprised with Miguel, he ate the jalapenos on they own, no water or anything else..

 

And to finish off, another typical Spanish sentences “no te acostarás sin saber una cosa más”-you won’t go to sleep without learning something new,  or you learn something new everyday (same thing) I hope you have that feeling after reading this post 🙂 and apart of some new Spanish expressions you have found the interesting and most of the time funny  origin of them too.

 

Homework,  after last week homework that was pretty chill out, this week we need to get back on track 🙂  So leave a comment below with at least one of the expressions above, and even when you think it won’t make a big deal remember practice makes perfection and if it is you who needs to thing about a sentences using the expressions will stick better and quicker in your mind that if you just read the examples.

It is your turn, let us know your thoughts….

-did you hear any of these expressions before?

– Do you any others?

-Do you know where a Spanish expression comes from and find it interesting,

LET ME KNOW! I am looking forward to reading all your comments.

And please if you like this post do not keep it as a secret share it with friends, family, classmate…

Write you pronto-soon

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One Response to “Typical Spanish sentences”

  1. Indira

    when we say ” walls have ears” in English “Las paredes tienen oidos ” It’s very common in Spanish.

    Reply

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