If you have ever heard expressions like ‘it’s not my cup of tea’ and ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ in the United Kingdom, you know what idioms are. But have you ever thought about Spanish idioms?
It’s said that in order to find out more about the culture of a country, one need look no further than the language, or languages, spoken by the people who live there as it’s quite clear that a country’s language reflects what is most important to the people who speak it.
Bearing this in mind, today we’ll examine 12 Spanish idioms, or modismos, based on one particularly important aspect of Spanish and Hispanic culture: food.
¡Qué aproveche!
Note: the meaning of some of these idioms may vary from country to country, so watch out!
1. Ser la leche (Literally: To be the milk)
Have you ever wanted to be enthused about something in Spanish but already exhausted classic words like genial or bien? Well, next time you want to say that something or someone is really cool, you can use the idiom ser la leche.
For example: ‘Me encanta esa película, ¡es la leche!’ = ‘I love that film, it’s the best!’.
However, the catch with this expression is that it can also be used to mean the exact opposite.
For example: ‘¡Es la leche! ¿Cómo puede ser tan terco?’ = ‘He’s really something. How can he be so stubborn?’.
In this context, la leche is used to describe someone negatively. So, how do people know when it’s being used as a positive or a negative word? Well, as with many Spanish idioms, it all lies in the context and the tone of voice of the person using it, so keep an eye (or an ear) out!
2. Estar de mala leche (Literally: To be of bad milk)
The second Spanish idiom we are going to look at also uses the word leche, but this time with the verb estar. This is because this expression refers to a person’s current state, and, as we know, changeable things normally use estar. So what does estar de mala leche actually mean?
Here’s an example: ‘Hoy es mejor no hablar con Juan, está de mala leche’ = ‘It’s better not to talk to Juan today, he’s in a bad mood’.
The word uva, meaning ‘grape’ can also be used instead of leche (estar de mala uva), but has the same meaning: to be in a bad mood.
Note: the phrase ¡Qué mala leche! can be used to express sympathy, like the phrase ‘Too bad!’ in English.
For example: ‘¡Qué mala leche que no pudieron venir a la boda!’ = Too bad they couldn’t come to the wedding!
3. Ser pan comido (Literally: to be eaten bread)
If you are hoping to find literal translations of Spanish idioms in English, we are sorry to disappoint you. This one is the only one in our list that can be directly translated into English with another food-related idiom, although in the English version, it’s a different type of food. Can you think what it might be?
Well, pan comido literally means ‘eaten bread’, although this still doesn’t help us decipher the meaning of the idiom. Let’s look at an example to make it clearer:
Con todo el trabajo que he hecho, este examen va a ser pan comido’ = ‘With all the work I’ve done, this exam’s going to be a piece of cake!’.
So, ‘eaten bread’ is a Spanish version of the English idiom ‘a piece of cake’!
4. Importar un pimiento / un pepino (Literally: To matter a pepper / a cucumber)
How important is a pepper to you? And how about a cucumber? Apparently not very important, at least not in Spanish! In terms of Spanish idioms, this one is commonly used and means ‘I don’t care’ or even ‘I couldn’t care less’, if you’re really riled up!
Here it is in context: ‘A mi madre no le gusta mi novia, pero me importa un pimiento su opinión’ = ‘My Mum doesn’t like my girlfriend, but her opinion doesn’t matter to me / but I don’t care’.
5. Estar como una sopa (Literally: To be like a soup)
Among Spanish idioms, this is perhaps one of the easiest to understand from its literal meaning.
Let’s have a look at it in a sentence: Estaba lloviendo a mares y cuando la pobrecita llegó a casa, estaba como una sopa.’ = ‘It was absolutely chucking it down, and when the poor thing arrived home, she was soaked to the skin.’
So ‘estar como una sopa’ means ‘to be drenched’.
Bonus point: ‘llover a mares’ literally means ‘to rain oceans’, or as we say in English, ‘to rain cats and dogs’.
6. Cortar /partir el bacalao (Literally: To cut / to share out the cod)
Who shares the cod in your household or workplace? As with most Spanish idioms, this one doesn’t actually refer to fish. Cortar el bacalao can be translated in many ways, but the closest equivalent in English is probably ‘call the shots’. Can you think of any other translations?
Here it is in an example sentence: ‘Tengo que hablar con la jefa antes de tomar una decisión mañana porque es quien corta el bacalao en esta oficina.’ = ‘I have to speak to the boss before making a decision tomorrow because she’s the one who calls the shots in this office.
7. Ser del año de la pera (Literally: To be from the year of the pear)
At number 7 on our list of Spanish idioms, this is perhaps one of the most difficult to deduce from its literal meaning. In Spanish, if something is ‘from the year of the pear’, it means that it is old-fashioned or dated.
Let’s have a look at it in context: ‘Me encanta esta canción, pero es del año de la pera.’ = ‘I love this song, but it’s quite behind the times’.
This expression isn’t exclusively used for things such as clothing or music; it can also be used to say that someone’s views on a particular topic are outdated.
For example: ‘Armando es muy amable, pero sus ideas son del año de la pera.’ = ‘Armando is really nice, but his ideas are pretty outdated’.
8. ¡Vete a freír espárragos! (Literally: Go to fry asparagus!)
This modismo is slightly impolite, but no less useful. It can be used when you’re fed up with somebody.
For example: ‘Estoy harto de ti, ¡vete a freír espárragos!’ = ‘I’ve had enough of you, clear off!’.
9. Estar como un flan (Literally: To be like crème caramel)
If you are feeling very nervous and jittery, much like the way a flan wobbles, you can use one of the Spanish idioms that relate to food. Check the example below to understand how to use it in context:
Lorena tiene un examen muy importante mañana y está como un flan. = Lorena has a very important exam tomorrow and she is very nervous.
10. Ir al grano (Literally: To go to the grain)
This is another very useful Spanish idiom. It is used when you want to get straight to the point without wasting time on unnecessary details.
For example: No tenemos mucho tiempo, así que hay que ir al grano. = We don’t have a lot of time, so we have to get to the point.
11. Salir un churro (Literally: To get a churro)
Salir un churro is one of several funny Spanish idioms for when something turns out poorly or is of low quality. It is similar to saying “it turned out a mess” in English.
See it in context: No sé dibujar y, siempre que lo hago, me sale un churro. = I can’t draw and every time I do, I get a bad result.
12. Ponerse / Estar rojo como un tomate (To get/be red as a tomato)
This Spanish idiom is used to describe someone who is extremely embarrassed or blushing intensely. It’s similar to the English expression “to turn red as a beetroot.”
For example: Mi hijo se pone rojo como un tomate cada vez que ve a la persona que le gusta: ¡qué tierno! = My son blushes every time he sees the person he likes.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this article and are ready to have a go at using these Spanish idioms in context, even if it’s just a case of talking to yourself in Spanish! Using idiomatic phrases can help you sound more fluent.
Although the meaning of Spanish idioms in English can be quite tricky to remember – they are an invaluable tool for more advanced learners who want to take their language skills to the next level.
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1 thought on “12 ‘Digestable’ Spanish idioms for your delectation”
That was very interesting to understand some of the words that i have known and all of the sudden i have realized what was the correct mining.
thank you for bringing me this knowledge.
shulamit.