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06 Expressions with “En” Posted by on Oct 23, 2013 in Spanish Vocabulary

Hello, there!

There are thousands of expressions with prepositions in Spanish and I chose some very interesting ones to share with you today, with preposition “en”.

Enjoy!

1. En ayunas – 1. fasting. 2. clueless, not knowing what’s happening

Tengo que hacerme los análisis de sangre en ayunas.
I have to go run those blood tests in a fasting state.

Estaba en ayunas de lo que pasaba en mi propia casa.
I was clueless to what was happening in my own house.

2. En el bote – “in the bag”, certain to happen

La cita fue muy bien ayer, y creo que a este chico lo tengo en el bote.
The date went great yesterday, and I think I’ve got this guy in the bag.

La posición la tengo en el bote, pues la entrevista me la llevé.
I’ve certainly got the position in the bag because I nailed that interview.

3. En la punta de la lengua – on the tip of your tongue

Ahora mismo no recuerdo el nombre de la actriz, pero lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.
Right now I can’t remember the actress’s name, but I have it on the tip of my tongue.

El apellido de Carmen lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.
Carmen’s last name is on the tip of my tongue.

4. En pelotas – naked, in the buff

No teníamos ropa de baño, así que nos metimos en el mar en pelotas.
We didn’t have bathing suits so we went swimming naked.

Cuando llegué los encontré en pelotas y no supe qué hacer.
When I arrived I walked in on them in the buff and I didn’t know what to do.

5. En un santiamén – in a heartbeat, very quickly

Como sé que tienes mucha hambre, te voy a hacer la cena en un santiamén.
As I know you’re very hungry, I’m going to make you dinner in a heartbeat.

En un santiamén me hicieron el pasaporte.
They had my passport done in a heartbeat.

6. En vilo – up in the air, on tenterhooks; wondering about someone

Mi trabajo está en vilo, porque dicen que va a cerrar la empresa.
My job is up in the air because they say the company’s going to close down.

Me has tenido en vilo todo el día, sin saber nada de ti.
You kept me wondering about you all day, you just went MIA.

See you next time! Nos vemos prontito.

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About the Author: Adir

English / Spanish teacher and translator for over 20 years. I have been blogging since 2007 and I am also a professional singer in my spare time.