The verb echar has more than 30 meanings, according to the Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española, and it also has lots of idioms.

Let’s take a look at some interesting idioms with the verb echar.

1. echar a rodar – to fail, to fall through (plans). Echó a rodar nuestros planes con su irresponsabilidad. (She made our plants fail with her irresponsability.)

2. echar (a) cara o cruz – 1. to flip a coin. Van a echar cara o cruz para ver quien empieza el juego. (They’ll flip a coin to see who starts the game.) – 2. to decide something randomly, rather than rationally. Todavía no sabemos donde vamos de vacaciones, lo echaremos a cara o cruz. (We still don’t know where we will go on vacation, we will flip a coin.)

3. echar de menos – to miss someone. Realmente echo de menos a mis sobrinos. (I really miss my nephews.)

4. echar de ver – to realize something. Eché de ver que quería irse y no quedarse. (I realized that she wanted to go and not to stay.)

5. echar rayos y centellas / rayos – to be extremely mad. Echaba rayos tras saber que Juan no había entregado los relatos. (She was really after to know that Juan hadn’t handed in his reports.)

6. echar a perder – to go to waste. Sus planes se echaron a perder a causa de la lluvia. (His planes went to waste / fell through because of the rain.) – Si dejas la pera fuera de la nevera, se va a echar a perder. (If you don’t putt he pear in the fridge, it will go to waste.)

7. echarse atrás – to take back something you said or to abandon a project. Se echo atrás y dijo que sí iba a ser parte del proyecto. (He took back what he’d said and said he would be part of the project.) – Iba a comprar un coche nuevo pero al final se echó atrás. (He was going to buy a new car but in the end he decided not to.)

8. echarse encima – (an event or period) to be near, to be coming up. Se echa encima la fecha tope y todavía no ha empezado su trabajo. (The deadline is coming up and he still hasn’t started his work.)

9. echarse tras alguien – to run after someone. Los policías se echaron tras el ladrón. (The cops ran after the thief.)

10. echárselas de – to act like, to pretend to be. Mi amigo se las echa de inteligente. (My friend pretends to be smart.)

Do you know any other idioms with echar? Leave us a comment and share!