In this intermediate Spanish lesson we will take a look at some commonly used and very useful Spanish phrases.

Some of these Spanish phrases are used to convince someone of something, some explain the reasons for something, some are used to say that someone has convinced you of something, others are used to say that someone is wrong, and finally the last set of phrases are used to say that someone is right.

Please repeat each phrase with me to work on your Spanish pronunciation and to help you to remember the phrases better.

Firstly, let’s look at some useful Spanish phrases to convince someone of something:

• No es que quiera (decirte/decirle) lo que (tienes/tiene) que hacer, pero…: It´s not that I want to tell you what to do, but…
• Aunque (tú digas/usted diga) (…), yo te digo…: Although you say (…), I say to you that…
• A pesar de eso, ¿no (crees/cree) que…?: Despite that, don’t you think that…?
• Bueno, ¿ y si lo miramos desde otro ángulo?: Well, and if we look at it from another angle?
• Sí, pero desde otro punto de vista…: Yes, but from another point of view…
• Por favor, fíjate/fíjese en…: Please, pay attention to…
• (Te/Le) puedo dar mil razones por las que creo que (tú debes/usted debe)…: I can give you a thousand reasons why I think you must…
• (Tienes/Tiene) que (darte/darse) cuenta de que…: You have to realise that…

Spanish phrases to explain the reasons for something:

• Me baso en…: I base this on…
• Deja/Deje que te/le explique: Let me explain to you
• La cosa va así, mira/mire…: It is like this, look…
• ¿Que por qué? Pues mira/mire, por el simple hecho de que…: You ask why? Well look, due to the simple fact that…
• Voy a exponerte/exponerle una a una las razones por las que…: One by one I am going to give you the reasons why…
• Estos son los pros y los contras que he sopesado: These are the pros and cons that I have weighed up

Spanish phrases to say that someone has convinced you of something:

• Sí, ahora que lo pienso, lo que dices/dice es cierto: Yes, now I think about it, what you say is true
• Sí, me había olvidado de esto: Yes, I had forgotten about that
• ¡Bueno!, me pongo de tu/su parte: OK, I agree with you
• Me has/ha convencido completamente: You have completely convinced me
• Sí, eso se me había pasado por alto: Yes, I didn´t think of that
• Perdona/perdone, no había caído en eso: Sorry, I didn´t think of that

Spanish phrases to say that someone is wrong:

• Vas fresco/a: You are doing everything wrong (colloquial)
• Estás arreglado/a: You are doing everything wrong (colloquial)
• Tengo la impresión de que estás/está equivocado/a: I have the impression that you are wrong
• Me parece que te has/se ha hecho un lío: I think that you are very confused
• No digas/diga más burradas: Don´t say stupid things
• Te equivocas/Se equivoca de medio a medio: You are completely wrong
• No tienes/tiene ni idea de lo que hablas/habla: You haven’t got a clue what you are talking about

Spanish phrases to say that someone is right:

• Has/ha dado en el blanco: You’ve hit the nail on the head
• Has/ha dado en el clavo: You’ve hit the nail on the head
• Has/ha dado en el quid de la cuestión: You’ve hit the nail on the head
• Me temo que estás/está en lo cierto: I’m afraid that you’re right
• Lo que has/ha dicho es indiscutible: What you have said is indisputable
• Lo que has/ha dicho no es ninguna tontería: What you have said isn’t that stupid
• Qué ojo clínico tienes/tiene: What good judgement you have
• Claro hombre, eso es de cajón: Of course, that is obvious
• Tienes/tiene toda la razón del mundo: You are absolutely correct

To speak Spanish well you have to do more than just learn Spanish grammar and lots of individual Spanish words translated from Spanish to English. To speak and understand Spanish in a wide range of situations you also need to be aware of typical Spanish phrases and expressions whose meanings are often impossible to work out by translation alone.

There are certain Spanish expressions and phrases that you will hear a lot and they will stick in your head automatically. Others will take more work to remember them. It is really worth pushing yourself to learn five to ten new Spanish expressions and phrases daily.

As I have said many times before, be careful with translating literally from Spanish to English. Usually the only way to fully understand a Spanish expression or phrase is to understand its use in Spanish. I know it is hard, but try to cast aside your native language and immerse yourself completely in Spanish. To speak Spanish well you have to think in Spanish and understand the people and their culture. This of course won’t happen over night, but you will definitely get there with dedication and the right kind of study.

Enjoy your Spanish and see you next time.

¡Hasta luego!

I hope you are enjoying my weekly Spanish lessons. Follow this link for many more great resources to help you speak Spanish.