More idioms in Spanish! Posted by Adir on Jun 13, 2012 in Spanish Vocabulary
Hey, everybody!
Let’s learn some cool Spanish idioms and expressions today, shall we?
1. carta blanca – full authority, blank check.
Tienen carta blanca para tomar las decisiones que encuentres correctas. [You have full authority to make the decisions you think are correct.]
Quisiera que me dieras carta blanca para hacer lo que se me antoje. [I’d like you to give me full authority to do what I feel like.]
2. sobradas veces – many times, over and over again.
Te he dicho eso sobradas veces, pero no me escuchas. [I’ve told you this over and over again, but you won’t listen to me.]
Me inviraton a quedarme sobradas veces pero nunca pude aceptar. [They invited me to stay many times but I was never able to accept it.]
3. perder cuidado – not to worry
No pierdas cuidado, yo misma me encargo de las bebidas. [Don’t worry, I will take care of the drinks myself.]
No pierdas cuidado que todo se arreglará. [Don’t worry, everything will be all right.]
4. fuera de broma – all joking aside
Fuera de broma, tenemos que comenzar a trabajar o no terminaremos nunca. [All joking aside, we need to start working or we will never finish.]
Fuera de broma, realmente pienso que has hecho un muy buen trabajo. [All joking aside, I really think you have done a great job.]
5. salirse con la suya – to have one’s own way
Pedro se sale con la suya todas las veces. [Pedro has his own way every time.]
Manolo se salió con la suya sin reparar en el daño que hacía. [Manolo had his own way without noticing the damage he was causing.]
6. poner en su sitio – to put somebody in his/her place
Los empleados se quejaban mucho y el jefe les puso en su sitio. [The employees were complaining a lot and the boss put them in their place.]
Ponte en tu sitio y haz tu trabajo. [Put yourself in your place and do your work.]
7. la comidilla del barrio – the talk of the town
Esas dos son la comidilla de la vecindad. [Those two are the talk of the town.]
Todo el mundo comenta lo mismo, es la comidilla del barrio. [Everybody’s talking about the same thing, it’s the talk of the neighborhood.]
8. a eso de – at about
A eso de las ocho pasaré por ti. [I will come to pick you up at about eight.]
Llegó a eso de las nueve. [He arrived at around nine.]
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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.
Comments:
Vasily:
Hola!
Creo que debe ser “pierde cuidado” en vez de “No pierdas cuidado”, no?
weaq84:
No, Vasily. Es el uso imperativo. Con “usted”, en su forma negativa, sería “No pierda cuidado”, y en con “tú” sería “No pierdas cuidado”. Es un orden, así que se conjuga con “a” si es que el verbo termina con “-er” o “-ir”. “No pierde cuidado” significa “He/she doesn’t worry”.
David:
Vasily tiene razón. Lo que dice “pierde cuidado” es modo IMPERATIVO y no en modo indicativo “con usted”. Es decir: “Pierde cuidado!” (A mí me falta el senal ‘!’).
“Perder cuidado” literalmente en english is “losing care”. Si dices que “No pierdas cuidado!”, dices que “Don’t lose the care!” or “Take care of it!”, mientras tanto tú lo que quieres decir es que “Don’t take care of it!”. Exactamente lo contrario.
David:
Me equivoqué, sorry.