Dichos Traducidos

Do you want to learn how to speak Spanish like a native?  Here are some colloquial phrases and 'street' vocab that you'll need to know:

• Estoy hasta las narices = I have had it up to my neck (angry)

• Estar cañón/ guapo/ como un tren = He/she is very attractive.

• Estoy como un pez en el agua= I'm like a fish in water (happy)

• Estar como una cabra= To be crazy like a goat

• Estás listo si piensas que... = You're crazy if you think that...

• Estar cachas = to have Abs (tablets of chocolate)

• Estar fofo = to be weak/ flabby

• Estar verde = to lack experience

Refranes/ Dichos = Sayings

• De tal palo tal astilla. --> The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

• Segundas partes nunca fueron buenos. --> Learn from your mistakes because the 2nd time it's worse

• Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente. --> What the eyes don't see, the heart doesn't feel.

• Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito. --> To each his own.

• Afortunado en el juego, desafortunado en amores. --> Lucky in card games, unlucky in love.

• Dios los cría y ellos se juntan. --> God gives you life, but you choose your friends.

• Más vale tarde que nunca. --> Better late than never!

• Quien calla otorga. --> The one who stays quiet did it (or disagrees with an opinion)

• A rey muerto rey puesto. --> When one relationship fails, another one appears.

• Quien tiene un amigo tiene un tesoro. --> He who has a friend has a treasure.

• Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando. --> Better one bird in the hand than 2 in the bush.

• No hay mal que cien años dure. --> There is nothing bad that last for 100 years.

• Cuando el río suena, agua lleva. --> When you hear the same rumor from many sources, it's true.

• Más vale que sobre que no que falte. --> Better too much than too little. (especially for food)

• Dime de qué presumes y te diré de qué careces. --> People who pretend to have material things.

• Agua pasada no mueve molino. --> Water under the bridge.

• Quien mucho abarca poco aprieta. --> Rome wasn't built in a day.

• Se coge antes a un mentiroso que a un cojo. --> Liars don't have much time until they'll be found out.

• Hay que estar a las duras y a las maduras. --> You have to be there for the good times & the bad.

• Perro ladrador poco mordedor. --> Little dog, little bite.

• Más vale sola que mal acompañado. --> It's better to be alone than in bad company.

• Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda. = A monkey dressed up in silk, is still a monkey.

• Más vale prevenir que curar. --> Better safe than sorry!

Expresiones Idiomáticos/ Coloquiales 

• Estar a dos velas. -- To be broke.

• Tomar el pelo a alguien. -- Pull someone's leg.  (No me tomes el pelo!)

• Ser un carroza -- To be an old soul or have traditional ideas

• Ser pan comido -- It's easy!

• Estar en Babia -- To be distracted/ have your head in the clouds

• Ser uña y carne -- To be nail & meat (inseperable)

• Estar como un fideo -- To be like a noodle (very skinny)

• Estar hecho polvo -- To be exhausted

• A mi plin! -- Whatever!

• Me da un patatús! -- You gave me a fright!

• Chungo! - Uh oh 

• Chupi! - Great

• Mola! - This rocks!

• Tener agallas -- to have guts

• Tengo monos en la cara? - Do I have monkeys on my face? (if someone is staring at you)

• Sentir un cosquilleo en el estómago. - to have butterflies (goosebumps) in your stomach

• requete - super (requeteguapo = really beautiful)

• guiri = foreigner 

• Buscarle tres pies al gato. - Looking for 3 legs on a cat. (finding problems where there are none)

• Se me cae la baba. - Makes my mouth water.

• No tener ni pies ni cabeza. - Lacks common sense (can be a person, problem, or situation)

• Hablar por los codos. -- Chatty Kathy, talks a lot

• No dar pie con bola. - I can't do anything right.

• Matar el tiempo. - Kill time.

• Comerse la cabeza (Comerse el coco) - Thinking a lot/ too much

• Encontrarse entre la espada y la pared. - Finding yourself with your back against the wall

• No tener pelos en la lengua. - They don't have a filter (they don't have any hairs on their tongue)

• Con pelos y señales - Telling a story with all of the little/ hairy details

• Dar en el clavo. - Hit the nail on the head.

• Costar un ojo de la cara. - It costs an arm & a leg (an eye off our face)

• Remover cielo y tierra. - Look under every rock.

Tacos -- Insults

• agarrado - cheap/stingy

• hortera - bad style (clothing)

• repipi - girly girl

• pijo - an artificial/fake/spoiled person

• tiquismiquis - picky/OCD

• carca - traditional minded

• chulo - arrogant (different from Que chulo! = cool)

• payaso - idiot

• creído - egotistical

• plasta - repetitive, boring

• sobón - touchy feely

• muermo - boring

• pardillo - naive

• macarra - rough style/ ghetto

• aguafiestas - party pooper (literally you rain on the party)

• torpe- clumsy

• caradura - cheeky

• terco/ testaduro/ cabezón - stubborn

• Un cero a la izquierda - You are a nobody

Tongue Twisters = Tralenguas
--Have trouble with rolling your r's?  Practice these sayings to get your tongue rolling!

Tres tristes tigres comen trigo en un trigal.  Un tigre, dos tigres, tres tristes tigres.

El perro corre por la carreterra.