The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide

A Dictionary of Over 3,000 Slang Expressions, Proverbs, Idioms, and Other Tricky English and Spanish Words and Phrases Translated and Explained

Eleanor Hamer, Fernando Díez de Urdanivia

• Publisher: Skyhorse
• Year: 2008
• ISBN:
  9781628730326
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Spanish Language
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

If you were dropped into the middle of Managua, Mexico City, or Miami, would you know how to speak not only the language, but also the lingo? In The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide, the reader who is already familiar with Spanish will discover the banter and metaphor (both polite and rude) that enrich the spoken language as it is really used, hints on avoiding embarrassing mistakes in grammar, and a list of dreaded false cognates. Full of advice on pronunciation and tips on customs and manners, and keyed with time-saving symbols, this is the best guide available to understanding and appreciating Spanish as it is spoken in Latin America and the United States.

I

EXPRESSIONS

A. Common Expressions in Spanish

It is a well-known fact that structures vary from language to language, sometimes to such an extent that the overall meaning of a sentence or phrase may be utterly different from its component parts. This is even more true of idiomatic expressions. It usually takes years of living in a foreign country to master the structures and idioms of its language. However, the following explanations will probably go a long way to shorten this difficult process and make it less painful.

Below are a few examples of normal Spanish construction which demonstrate the absurdity of analyzing word for word.

Acabar de ...

— Acabaris “to finish” and de is “of”, but acabar de + verb is “to have just finished ❒”.

• ■ Marta acaba de comer (desayunar) (cenar).
  Marta just had lunch (breakfast) (dinner).
• ■ Acaban de empezar.
  They just got started.

Dar con ...

— Daris “to give” and con is “with”, but dar con is “to find” or “to come up with ❒”.

• ■ No damos con el hotel.
  We can’t find the hotel.
• ■ Finalmente dimos con la solución.
  We finally came up with the solution.

Hacer el papel ...

— This is literally “to make paper”, but means to “play a role”.

• ■ Él hace el papel del ciego.
  He plays the role of the blind man.
• ■ No me gustó cómo hizo su papel.
  I didn’t like the way she played her role.

Por si acaso; por si + verb

— Literally “for if perhaps”. It means “just in case”.

• ■ Lleva dinero, por si acaso.
  Take some money, just in case.
• ■ Traje paraguas,por si llueve.
  I brought an umbrella, just in case it rains.

Following is an assortment of interesting idiomatic expressions. As can be seen, words don’t usually give much of an idea as to the overall meaning. Section 1 contains expressions listed as verbs, as they can be conjugated. Section 2 groups expressions that do not stand alone but must be used as part of a sentence and Section 3 groups self-contained expressions (that stand alone).

All expressions are in alphabetical order, according to the English language. Words in parentheses are not considered for alphabetical purpose.

When the literal translation of an expression is interesting, it is given, preceded by the symbol

. Expressions used only in Mexico have the

symbol. Expressions marked

are sometimes used also by adults.

If you want to know the Spanish equivalent of an expression in English, see Section B.

1. VERBS

Abrir(se) de capa (

To open your cape)

— To speak frankly and sincerely

• ■ Se abrió de capa cuando le pregunté acerca de mi hijo.
  He gave it to me straight when I asked him about my son.

Aguantar carros y carretas

— To have the capacity to take a lot of negative acts or nonsense from ☺

• ■ A veces tengo que aguantarles carros y carretas a los latosos de mis parientes.
  Sometimes I have to take a lot of nonsense from my annoying relatives.

Alborotar el gallinero (

To get t...