I am learning Spanish, and in an effort to improve my level, have started to learn more colloquial expressions.

I’m adding them here so I don’t forget them, don’t lose them, and also so at some point in the dim and distant I can add them to a new section in Surface languages.

Also, to include them here, I have to have used them at least once, preferably in speech, but written will do. 🙂

Spanish colloquial phrases that I’ve used:

Estar en Babia   to be daydreaming

Estar a dos velas  to be skint

Ser un loro  to be a chatterbox

Hacer la negra to have bad luck

Tener memoria de elefante    to have the memory of an elephant

Tener memoria de mosquito  to have the memory of a goldfish

Volverse loco   to go nuts

Irse la olla    to go nuts (se me fue la olla)

Estar de mala leche      to be in a bad mood

Importar un pimiento      to not matter, be important (me importa un pimiento quien gana las elleciones)

tienes que ir con mil ojos  you have to have eyes in the back of your head

Me lo pierdo    I miss out (from doing something I want to).

Me he pasado la noche en blano  I slept badly.

Mi vida está patas arriba  My life is a complete mess.  (patas arriba literally means paws upwards).

La casa está patas arriba  The house is a mess (un lugar muy desorganizado)

Levantarse con el pie izquierdo  to get up on the wrong side of the bed.

Frase hecho    set phrase

Estás de broma!    You’re kidding.

He oido hablar de el     I’ve heard of him.

Matar el gusanillo         To have a snack.

Estar como sardinas en lata    To be cramped (like sardines).

a gatas                          On all fours.

fuimos al quinto pino      We went a long way.

pedirle peras al olmo      This has two meanings : to ask for something impossible, and  a similar meaning to the english ‘to get blood out of a stone’.

The first meaning is clear as an olmo ‘elm’ can’t produce peras ‘pears’. I don’t know why it also has the translation of ‘to get blood out of a stone’.

Watch this space.

Peace,

MF