Ben Wright-Smith
22 May 2015
Spanish Idioms - they "Crack us Up"! (A2-B2)
Idioms are often strange and unusual - yet sometimes the perfect way to express ourselves. Have you ever actually seen it "rain cats and dogs"? … in Spanish we'd say "llueve a cántaros" (it's raining buckets). Idioms are a great way to enter into a culture's unique way of thinking, a way to "get to the point". It really pays to learn one or two - you are so going to impress your Hispanic friends if you throw one in at the right moment. Read Ben Wright-Smith's amusing article with his illustrations - which "hit the nail on the head"!
Sometimes Spanish sayings ...
... when examined literally, appear a little bit out of place, like a fish out of water. Although, if you were in Argentina perhaps they might seem like an octopus in a garage (como un pulpo en un garaje). While entertaining, such expressions are a great way to convey interesting ideas and add a little colour to your Spanish speaking.
Have you ever heard the expression silence is golden? In Spanish you could say en boca cerrada no entran moscas (in a closed mouth flies can’t enter). If that is the case, you may wish to get a fly net before trying to learn all of these idioms (there are said to be well over twenty-five thousand idiomatic expressions in the English language alone!). With the Spanish language being the official language of 21 countries and the first language of around 442 million people, we can only imagine how many expressions exist locally around the world.
No need to fret however as often our idioms have more in common than we might think. In Spanish and English we can both have butterflies in our stomachs or mariposas en el estómago when we are nervous. If we are having trouble concentrating we may have our heads in the clouds or tener la cabeza en las nubes. That being said, it is best to be sure whether the idiom will translate beforehand! This might help avoid blank or confused faces staring back at you after telling a stranger that you'll be a monkey's uncle …
But… as they say Rome wasn’t built in a day and Zamora wasn’t won in an hour (no se ganó Zamora en una hora). So what better time than now to get started learning some of these great expressions?!
Check out a big list of Spanish idioms here at Language Realm.
Illustrations by Ben Wright-Smith, editing and colours by Penelope Ray
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