15 Spanish expressions you won't get by translating word for word

You've learned the grammar, you know a decent amount of vocabulary, and then someone tells you they're hecho polvo ("made dust") or that your friend is como una cabra ("like a goat"). Suddenly, your Spanish isn't helping at all.

Idioms are where a language shows its personality. They're also where translating word for word fails completely. Here are 15 Spanish expressions you'll hear in everyday life, what they actually mean, and how you'd say the same thing in English. Where an expression is mainly used in Spain, I've said so.

Everyday situations

1. Ser pan comido

Literally: to be eaten bread Meaning: to be very easy English equivalent: a piece of cake

El examen fue pan comido. (The exam was a piece of cake.)

2. Costar un ojo de la cara

Literally: to cost an eye from the face Meaning: to be very expensive English equivalent: to cost an arm and a leg

Ese coche me costó un ojo de la cara.

3. Echar una mano

Literally: to throw a hand Meaning: to help English equivalent: to give someone a hand

¿Me echas una mano con la mudanza? (Can you give me a hand with the move?)

4. Ir al grano

Literally: to go to the grain Meaning: to get straight to the main point English equivalent: to get to the point, to cut to the chase

No tenemos mucho tiempo, así que voy al grano.

Talking about people

5. Estar como una cabra

Literally: to be like a goat Meaning: to be a bit crazy or eccentric (usually affectionate) English equivalent: to be nuts, to be bonkers

Mi tío está como una cabra, pero es muy divertido.

6. No tener pelos en la lengua

Literally: to have no hairs on your tongue Meaning: to say exactly what you think English equivalent: not to mince your words

Mi abuela no tiene pelos en la lengua.

7. Hablar por los codos

Literally: to talk through your elbows Meaning: to talk a lot, non-stop English equivalent: to talk the hind legs off a donkey, to be a chatterbox

Mi compañero de piso habla por los codos.

8. Ser uña y carne

Literally: to be nail and flesh Meaning: to be inseparable English equivalent: to be thick as thieves, two peas in a pod

Ana y Lucía son uña y carne desde el colegio.

9. Estar en las nubes

Literally: to be in the clouds Meaning: to be distracted or daydreaming English equivalent: to have your head in the clouds, to be miles away

Perdona, ¿qué has dicho? Estaba en las nubes.

Mistakes, tricks and surprises

10. Meter la pata

Literally: to put in the (animal) leg Meaning: to make an embarrassing mistake English equivalent: to put your foot in it

Metí la pata: le pregunté por su novio y habían roto.

11. Tomar el pelo

Literally: to take the hair Meaning: to tease someone, to joke at their expense English equivalent: to pull someone's leg

¿En serio? ¿O me estás tomando el pelo?

12. Dar gato por liebre

Literally: to give cat instead of hare Meaning: to pass off something inferior as something better English equivalent: to rip someone off, to sell someone a pup (UK)

Cuidado en esa tienda, que te dan gato por liebre.

13. Quedarse de piedra

Literally: to be left as stone Meaning: to be stunned or shocked English equivalent: to be speechless, to be gobsmacked (UK)

Cuando me lo contó, me quedé de piedra.

Energy and effort

14. Estar hecho polvo (Spain)

Literally: to be made dust Meaning: to be exhausted (or, sometimes, emotionally crushed) English equivalent: to be shattered, to be wiped out

Después de la mudanza estoy hecho polvo.

15. Ponerse las pilas

Literally: to put your batteries in Meaning: to get your act together, to get going English equivalent: to pull your socks up, to get your act together

Si quieres aprobar, tienes que ponerte las pilas.

Why idioms are worth learning

You don't need to use idioms to speak good Spanish. But you'll hear them constantly, in conversations, TV series and on social media, and recognising them makes a huge difference to how much you understand.

Using one or two at the right moment also shows a level of comfort with the language that people notice and appreciate. Just be careful with tone: some are informal, and a few are regional. Estar hecho polvo sounds perfectly natural in Madrid but less so in Mexico City, where you might hear estar muerto (to be dead tired) instead.

How to learn them without a list

Learn them in context. An idiom on its own is hard to remember. Me quedé de piedra cuando vi el precio sticks better.
Enjoy the literal image. The stranger the literal meaning, the easier it is to remember. Talking through your elbows is a vivid picture.
Use them in your head. Next time you're exhausted, think estoy hecho polvo. Next time something's easy, es pan comido.
Listen for them. Spanish podcasts and series are full of these. Each time you spot one, it becomes more familiar.

As you move into the intermediate levels, courses like Parlumi's include expressions like these in stories and dialogues, which is the best way to meet them: inside a situation where the meaning makes sense.

Once you start noticing Spanish idioms, you'll find them everywhere. And the first time you use one naturally and a native speaker laughs, you'll know you're getting somewhere.