Oops! It happened again. You watched Money Heist or some other Spanish show on Netflix and didn’t get a single thing, not a word: ni papa*. It was packed with idiomatic expressions you’ve never heard of.
And then you think: what’s going on? I always understand my teacher in the lessons! Are they really speaking Spanish in this show?
Yep, they sure are. And that’s why I’m here. To help you out with the everyday idioms in Spanish that aren’t so easy to grasp.
In this article, you’ll find 20 very common colloquial expressions in Spanish with their meanings and examples. Plus, I’ll give you some practical tips to make learning everyday Spanish a piece of cake: ¡es pan comido!**. Keep reading!
*not to understand a single word = no entender ni papa **to be a piece of cake = ser pan comido
Heads up! Colloquial language and idioms vary depending on the country. Here I will explain idioms used in Spain because those are the ones I know best.
It’s simple: because thanks to them you’ll speak better and sound much more natural.
Idiomatic expressions are colloquial phrases unique to a language that are often difficult to learn because they can’t be understood literally.
For example, I can tell you that Spanish expressions are a piece of cake, but this isn’t so easy to understand if you don’t know the expression “a piece of cake,” right?
If you master the idioms in Spanish:
Here are the expressions that, in my opinion, are among the most commonly used. Don’t miss them!
Let’s start with Spanish idiomatic expressions that contain numbers:
Estar de diez I love this expression: “estar de diez.” Do you know what it means?
In the Spanish grading system, ten is the highest grade.
That’s why “estar de diez,” it means it is excellent, it’s very good.
For example: “la cena está de diez” (the dinner is excellent). Or: “tu trabajo está de diez” (your work is excellent).
Ni a la de tres“Ni a la de tres” means there is no way to do something right.
For example: “Este ejercicio no me sale ni a la de tres”. That is: I can’t get this exercise right no matter what). In other words, there’s no way to do it correctly.
Cada dos por tres Have you ever heard this expression?
“Cada dos por tres” means: very often.
For example: “Usamos esta expresión cada dos por tres”. Which means: we use this expression very often 🙂
Desde ceroAnother expression I’d like to introduce to you is: “desde cero.”
“Desde cero” means: from the beginning.
For example: Después de romper su relación decidieron empezar de nuevo desde cero.
That is: after ending their relationship, they decided to start over from scratch.
En sus treceAnd the last idiom with numbers that I would like to present here is: “en sus trece.”
If someone is “en sus trece,” or “sigue en sus trece,” it means that he/she is insisting on the own opinion.
For example: “sigue en sus trece y no hay manera de hacerle cambiar de opinión”
That is: He insists on his opinion and there is no way to make him change his mind.
In my book „Aprende expresiones idiomáticas con ejemplos y ejercicios” (you can find it in Amazon) you can learn more Spanish idioms with numbers that will be very useful when you speak Spanish:
Ir de cabezaThis expression is a must-have: “ir de cabeza.”
It means being very busy with urgent things to do. In other words, something very common in our times.
For example: “esta semana voy de cabeza, tengo muchísimo trabajo”. That is: this week I’m swamped, I have a ton of work.
No tener ni pies ni cabeza“No tener ni pies ni cabeza” means to make no sense.
For example: “He leído su correo pero no tiene ni pies ni cabeza, no he entendido nada”.
That is: I have read his email, but it makes no sense, I didn’t understand anything.
Tener mucha cara“Tener mucha cara” means to be shameless, a scoundrel. Someone who takes advantage of others, who doesn’t behave correctly.
For example, we can say: “Juan tiene mucha cara, quiere que yo haga todo el trabajo pero que repartamos los beneficios”.
Which means: Juan is shameless, he wants me to do all the work but share the profits.
Estar hasta las naricesAnother expression we use a lot is “estar hasta las narices” (de algo o de alguien).
This means to be fed up with something or someone.
For example: “estoy hasta las narices de su comportamiento. ¡Es insoportable!”. That is: I’m fed up with his behavior. It’s unbearable!
Or: “estoy hasta las narices de mi jefe…siempre quiere que trabaje el fin de semana”. Which means: I’m fed up with my boss…he always wants me to work on the weekend.
No pegar ojoAnd the last expression with a part of the body is “no pegar ojo.” It means: not to sleep.
For example: “Esta noche los vecinos tenían una fiesta con la música muy alta y no he podido pegar ojo”. Which means: Last night the neighbors had a party with very loud music and I couldn’t sleep at all.
Now let’s look at some idioms with colors. If you’re interested, you can listen to more in episode 6 of my podcast: “Tinto de verano, el pódcast de español coloquial”.
Estar sin blancaAn expression we use a lot in Spain is: “estar sin blanca.”
Have you ever heard it?
If we are “sin blanca,” it means we have no money.
For example: “este mes estoy sin blanca. He tenido que reparar el coche y me he quedado sin dinero”. That means: this month I’m broke. I had to repair the car and I’m out of money.
Poner verde a alguienOk, onto the next expression: “poner verde a alguien.”
Do you know what it means?
“Poner verde a alguien” means to criticize someone.
Take this example: “en este programa siempre ponen verdes a los famosos”. That means: On this show, they always criticize celebrities. They always speak badly about them.
Quedarse en blanco“Quedarse en blanco” means to go blank: not knowing what to say, write, or answer at a given moment.
We usually go blank in stressful situations, such as during an exam or a work meeting.
For example: “me he quedado en blanco en el examen de mates y no he podido responder a la pregunta”. Which means: I went blank during the math exam and couldn’t answer the question.
Ponerse moradoAnother expression with a color is “ponerse morado.”
“Ponerse morado” means we eat a lot, we eat until we are stuffed.
For example: “me he puesto morada de chocolate”.
No hay colorAnother very used Spanish expression with colours is “no hay color”.
We use “no hay color” when we want to say that there is a very big difference between two things.
For example: “Entre los dos libros no hay color: este es mucho mejor”. Which means: between the two books, there’s no comparison: this one is much better.
If there’s something we like in Spain, it’s to exaggerate.
Well, we like many other things, but definitely exaggerating is one of them. 😁
And what does this have to do with idiomatic expressions? Well, since we like to exaggerate, we have some veeeery funny colloquial expressions because they are veeeery exaggerated.
Yoy can find here a small selection of my favorite ones.
Estar más perdido que un pulpo en un garaje When someone is very lost, very confused, we can say they are more lost than an octopus in a garage.
Imagine, an octopus in a garage would be very lost, right? Exactly.
This expression has some variations. It’s also very common to say more lost than a penguin in a garage, but it means the same thing.
Estar donde Cristo perdió el gorro When something is very far away, we say it’s where Christ lost his hat.
I’ve also heard various versions of this: where Christ lost his lighter, where Christ lost his slipper, or where Christ lost his flip-flop. You can choose the version you like the most!
Beberse hasta el agua de los florerosWhen someone drinks a lot (of alcohol) we say they drink even the water from the vases.
For example, imagine: on a night out with friends at a bar, someone has had too many drinks. Then we say: “se ha bebido hasta el agua de los floreros”. That is, he has drunk even the water from the vases, meaning he has drunk eeeeverything they found to drink.
Ser peor que un dolor de muelasAnother expression that makes me laugh is: to be worse than a toothache.
To be worse than a toothache means to be very annoying, difficult, causing discomfort.
For example: “Para muchos estudiantes, aprender el subjuntivo es peor que un dolor de muelas”. That is: for many students, learning the subjunctive is worse than a toothache.😉
Estar más visto que el tebeo It means that something is very overdone, that it is not original at all, that it is nothing new.
Do you know what “tebeos” are?
“Tebeos” are comic books. They are usually read and reread a lot, they are very overdone, and that’s where the expression comes from. Notice this example: “Quiero hacer un episodio para el pódcast sobre la diferencia entre ser y estar, pero eso está más visto que el tebeo. me gustaría pensar un tema más original”.
This means: I want to do a podcast episode about the difference between ‘ser’ and ‘estar,’ but that’s more overdone than comic books. I’d like to think of a more original topic.
Ok, you are decided now: you want to learn idiomatic expressions to improve your colloquial language.
The best way is to be in contact with everyday Spanish, but how to do it?
Do you know which are the best series to learn idioms in Spanish? Keep reading and I’ll tell you!
First off, I want to say that any series is good for learning, but the ones I’m suggesting here are particularly interesting for students from an intermediate level and up.
I have chosen series where they speak clearly, with Spanish you can actually use in daily life. So, not too many swear words, no tricky accents, and no overly technical vocab.
My number one is the series Cuéntame cómo pasó, which has a whopping 22 seasons and 413 episodes—the longest-running series on Spanish TV.
Cuéntame cómo pasó also teaches us about recent Spanish history. Through the life of the main family, the Alcántaras, we get to discover the most important events in Spain since the 60s, making it super recommended.
The next series I think is great for learning everyday language is Los misterios de Laura. It’s a super fun detective show. Inspector Laura Lebrel solves every case brilliantly, even though she seems a bit clumsy at first. I recommend this series for fans of detective shows. Unlike other series of this genre, Los misterios de Laura is very relaxed, not full of violence and bad language. They speak understandable Spanish, letting you enjoy the adventures of the inspector.
Another series I recommend is Velvet. It’s a great pick for those who love love stories. It’s about the classic impossible romance between a rich boy and a poor girl. Velvet is a very charming series, and if you like these kinds of stories, it’s sure to hook you.
Lastly, I recommend an action and adventure series: El ministerio del tiempo. The plot is a bit complicated: in this series, there is a Ministry that ensures Spain’s past doesn’t change. In this ministry, there are doors that lead to different moments in time, and the protagonists go through these doors to specific moments to make sure everything stays as it is. Each episode dives into Spain’s history, both recent and not so recent, so it’s also great for those who like history.
You can listen to me talk about the best series for learning Spanish expressions in episodes 8 and 9 of my podcast “Tinto de verano. The colloquial Spanish podcast.”