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Home Fun Spanish learning situations Spanish Grammar and Language Free Spanish resources Guide to Spain Spanish Courses Spanish America Spanish food/tapas Spanish wines/drinks Spanish fiestas Spanish artists Spanish music Spanish sports Spanish films Contact Us Spanish Links Follow F-L-S on Facebook Follow F-L-S on Twitter Follow F-L-S's Blog	SPANISH IDIOMS To show true fluency in Spanish, try throwing in some of the spanish idioms below. They will impress the locals without a doubt! Remember though that idioms should only be used in a similar situation to as they are used in English - i.e. in a familiar colloquial situation - not a formal situation. See even more spanish idioms. Para mostrar la verdadera fluidez en español, trate de lanzar en algunos de los idiomas españolas a continuación. Que va a impresionar a la gente sin duda alguna! Sin embargo, recuerde que los modismos sólo se debe utilizar en una situación similar a como se utilizan en ingles - es decir en una situación familiar - no una situación formal. Ver aún más modismos españoles. Spanish idioms Literal translation English equivalent Cojean del mismo pie They limp with the same foot They are two of a kind Tener telarañas en los ojos To have cobwebs in one's eyes To be blind Destornillarse de risa To become unscrewed with laughter To split one's side laughing Estoy más ancho que largo I ʼm feeling wider than long I ʼm happy and content Buena onda A good wave A good guy, thing, idea, deal Fumarse una clase To smoke oneself a class To skip a class Perder los estribos To lose the stirrups To lose your temper, to fly off the handle la ocasion la pintan calva they depict opportunity as bald you have to grab the opportunity ahuecar el ala to hollow the wing to beat it, get out of here Pagar los platos rotos To pay for the broken plates To carry the can Soy la leche I am the milk I am so cool, I am the bees knees No saber a qué carta quedarse Not to know which card to stay with Not knowing which one to run with Se cae por su propio peso It falls from its own weight It goes without saying Eres un catacaldos catar = to try; caldo=broth You like to try a bit of everything Me tienes frito You have me fried You ʼve totally worn me out No tener un céntimo Not to have a céntimo To be broke enrollarse como una persiana to roll up like a blind to go on a bit, to go on and on A buenas horas mangas verdes at good hours green sleeves You ʼre too late Tragar sapos To swallow toads to go through hell   El mundo es un pañuelo The world is an handkerchief It's a small world Quien no llora no mama If you (baby) don't cry you don't get (breast) fed If you don't ask you don't get Ser como una regadera To be like a watering can To be totally crazy Dar en el clavo To give on the nail To hit the nail on the head Cierra la puerta, que se escapa el gato Shut the door or the cat will escape Shut the door or all the heat will escape No decir chus ni mus To say neither chus nor mus Not to say a word No es trigo limpio He isn't clean wheat He isn't to be trusted Ser canela fina to be fine cinnamon To be real class, quality Como sardinas en lata Like sardines in a can Packed in close together Estar loco de atar To be mad enough to tie up To be totally off your head. Stark raving mad No estar muy catolico Not to be feeling very Catholic To be feeling a but under the weather Para el carro stop the cart hold your horses, hang on Tener a alguien mas derecho que una vela to have somebody straighter than a sail To have somebody under your thumb Hablar en cristiano to speak in Christian to speak in plain Spanish mas feo que Picio uglier than Picio as ugly as sin Otro gallo te cantaria another cockerel would crow for you it would have been a different story Estar en Babia To be in Babia To be on another planet no despegar los labios not to unstick your lips not to utter a single word hacer de tripas corazón to make a heart out of your guts to pluck up the courage que mosca le habra picado which fly can have bitten him what's up with him Meter palos en las ruedas to put sticks in the wheels to throw a spanner in the works, to put the cat among the pigeons. Echar pelillos a la mar to throw little hairs into the sea to bury the hatchet, let bygones be bygones Perder los estribos to lose your stirrups to lose your temper, or to lose your rag Sacar agua de las piedras to get water out of stones to work miracles No hay que confundir la gimnasia con la magnesia You mustn't confuse gymnastics and magnesium let's not confuse matters Hay moros en la costa There are Moors on the coast Watch out Irse pitando To go off whistling To be off like a shot Quedarse de piedra To turn to stone To be stunned Llevar el agua a su molino To lead the water to your own mill To turn things to your advantage Meter la pata to put your leg to put your foot in it se le va la fuerza por la boca his strength goes out through his mouth he's all talk and no action lo dijo de labios para fuera he said it from the lips outwards he didn't really mean it ser una lanza to be a lance to be sharp, really on the ball estar hecho un ají to be a chilli to be hopping mad estar en la luna de Valencia to be in the Valencia moon to be daydreaming pelar la pava to peel the turkey to chat someone up, to whisper sweet nothings borracho como una cuba drunk as a barrel (wine) totally blathered, plastered. un trabajo de chinos a job for Chinese people a difficult or fiddly job ponerse morado to go purple to stuff yourself, to eat too much, to pig yourself coserse la boca to sew up your mouth to keep your lips sealed cortar el bacalao to cut the bacalao to call the shots, to be in charge por si las moscas just in case the flies to be on the safe side, just in case despedirse a la francesa to say goodbye in the French way to leave without saying goodbye no saber ni jota de algo not to know even letter j about something not to know the first thing about something nadar en la abundancia to be swimming in abundance to be rolling in it no hay que confundir la gimnasia con la magnesia you must not confuse gymnastics with magnesium you mustn't muddle up two totally different things hacer buena migas to make good crumbs to hit it off (with someone) de mala muerte of a bad death horrible, ghastly no saber de la misa la media not to know half the mass not to have a clue Liarse la manta a la cabeza to tie your cape over your head to take the plunge No se gano Zamora en una hora Zamora was not won in an hour Rome wasn't built in an hour Temblar como un flan To shake like a crème caramel To shake like a jelly or a leaf Andar con mucho ojo To walk with a lot of eye To take great care; to keep your wits about you. No saber de qué val la fiesta Not to know what the party`s about Not to have a clue Quedarse bizco To turn cross-eyed To be gobsmacked Tirar la casa por la ventana To throw the house through the window To spare no expense Hablar del sexo de los ángeles to talk about the sex of the angels to have pointless discussion Ganarse las lentejas To earn your lentils To earn your living / earn a crust Ser como guitarra en un entierro To be like a guitar at a funeral To stick out like a sore thumb decir amén a todo to say amen to everything to be a yes man (or woman) Ser un pedazo de pan To be a piece of bread To be a really nice person No todo el monte es oregano Not all the hillside is oregano Life isn't a bed of roses Como llovido del cielo As if rained from the sky A godsend or heaven-sent Oír campanas y no saber de dónde vienen To hear bells and not know where they are coming from To not have a clue Es pan comido It`s bread that`s been eaten It`s a piece of cake tomar el rábano por las hojas to take hold of the radish by the leaves to get hold of the wrong end of the stick ( to completely misunderstand something) A buenas horas mangas verdes In good time green sleeves It`s too late now trabajar como una hormiga to work like an ant to work very hard Dios los cría y ellos se juntan God brings them up and they get together Birds of a feather stick together contra viento y marea against wind and tide against all odds Mandar a alguien al demonio To send someone to the devil To tell someone to get lost, go to hell No hay nada tan atrevido como la ignorancia There is nothing so daring as ignorance Fools rush in where angels fear to tread ¡No me toques las narices! - Do not touch my noses Stop bugging me Poner un candado a la boca To put a lock on one`s mouth To keep secret. Button one`s lip. Y dale la burra al trigo And let the donkey keep at the wheat Same old story Used when someone keeps repeating the same old story. se le pusieron los ojos como platos her eyes became like plates her eyes nearly fell out of their sockets Me cae gordísimo She falls on me very very fat I can't stand her En dos patadas In two kicks In no time at all Haberse caído del guindo To have fallen out of the cherry tree To have been born yesterday Trabajar como un burro To work like a donkey To work really hard, to work your socks off Dale el pie y te tomará la mano Give him your foot and he will take your hand Give him an inch and he will take a mile Estar todavía en pañales To be still in nappies To be naive, wet behind the ears A toda mecha At full fuse like greased lightning Regalar el oído a alguien To regale somebody`s ears To flatter somebody Vivir a cuerpo de rey to live like the body of a king to live like a king El habito no hace al monje The habit doesn`t make the monk Don`t judge by appearances No lo voy a hacer ni loco I'm not going to do it even if (I was) mad Nothing in the world would make me do it. Conocer algo como la palma de la mano To know something like the palm of your hand To know something like the back of your hand Rascarse la barriga To scratch your belly To sit on your backside and do nothing Ahogarse en un vaso de agua To drown in a glass of water To make a mountain out of a molehill. Estar hecho un Adán To be like Adam To look a mess Un hombre de pelo en pecho A man with hair on his chest A real man Beber los aires por alguien To drink the breezes for somebody To be madly in love with someone Estar hasta las narices de algo To be up to the nostrils with something Fed up to the back teeth with something Mientras que en mi casa estoy, rey soy While in my house I am king A man`s home is his castle Llevar a alguien por la calle de la amargura To lead somebody down misery street To make somebody`s life a misery Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito About taste there is nothing written down There is no accounting for taste Tener la cabeza como una bola de bilar To have a head like a billiard ball To be as bald as a coot Tener cara de pascua To have an Easter face To be grinning broadly Estar mas sano que una pera To be healthier than a pear To be as fit as a fiddle Hacer las cuentas de la lechera To the milkmaid`s sums To count your chickens before they are hatched Ser un culo de mal asiento To be a backside that can't sit still To have ants in your pants Ni de aquí a Lima Not from here to Lima Not by a long chalk. There is just no comparison Tener cara de pascua To have an Easter face To be grinning from ear to ear Las mentiras tienen patas cortas Lies have short legs The truth will out (lies won't get you very far). Entre col y col, lechuga Between cabbage and cabbage, lettuce. Variety is the spice of life Esto no tiene mucha ciencia This doesn`t have a lot of science There is nothing difficult about it Untar la mano de alguien To grease somebody`s hand To grease somebody`s palm. To influence someone by giving them money. Ser mas fuerte que un roble To be stronger than an oak tree To be as strong as an ox Al pie de la letra To the foot of the letter To the letter, or exactly Pasar las vacas gordas To spend the fat cows To have a good time / To have a grand time of it. Lo saben hasta las piedras Even stones know that Everyone knows that Tener buen diente To have a good tooth To have a healthy appetite Tener a alguien entre ojos To have somebody between your eyes To have it in for someone Se armó la de San Quintín What happened at San Quintin broke out all hell broke out Meter la cuchara To put in your spoon To stick your oar in Poner toda la carne en el asador To put all the meat on the barbecue Pull out all the stops Cambiar el chip To change one`s chip To change your way of thinking Eso está hecho That`s done It`s a sure thing (promise) No saber ni papa de Not to know even a potato about To know nothing about Alzarse con el santo y la limosna To take off with the saint and the alms. To clear off with everything Hacer algo volando To do something on the fly To do something quickly Préstame la guitarra Lend me the guitar Let me get a word in Meterse en el sobre To put oneself in one`s envelope To go to bed, to hit the sack A jalones y estirones at pulls and stretches Kicking and screaming / with lots of effort Rascarse el bolsillo To scratch the pocket Spend money unwillingly Estoy que me caigo I am about to fall I'm dead tired Quemar las naves To burn one`s shipd To burn one`s bridges Tener mucha cuerda To have a lot of chord To have a lot of life left in them. Bajar a todos los santos To get all the saints down. To try everything when you are up against it. Echar leña al fuego To add fuel to the fire To make things worse Lanzar un rollo To throw a roll To start a long story Que si patatín que si patatán And so on and so on blah, blah, blah, blah Mírate en ese espejo Look at yourself in that mirror Let that be a lesson to you Navegar con bandera de inocente To sail with the flag of an innocent To play dumb. To pretend to be innocent but have a motive for it. Ni corto ni perezoso Neither short nor lazy   Doing it right away. Without losing any time Liso y llano Smooth and flat, as a road A piece of cake. Easy. La procesión va por dentro The procession goes on the inside Bottling it all up. Por un tubo Through a pipe Abundantly. Ver los toros desde la barrera To look at the bulls from behind the barrier To stay out of harm`s way Ya tener una pata allí To now have a paw in there To have a foot in the door Estar como pez en el agua To be like a fish in water To be in one`s element. To enjoy your own comforts. Tapando el sol con un dedo Covering the sun with a finger Covering things up. Hijos de muchas madres Children of many mothers All kinds of people. A diverse group of people. Pintarse solo para una cosa To paint oneself alone for something To be very skillful at something Pisarle los callos a alguien To step on someone`s callouses To bother someone without reason Sin cruzar palabra Without crossing word Without saying a word Que lo haga Rita Let Rita do it Let someone else do it La flor y nata The flower and whipped cream Upper crust. Highest social class. Pagar por sustos To pay in frights To buy on credit Los gajes del oficio The matters of the trade. Part and parcel of the job. Occupational hazards. Tener a alguien en el alma To have someone in one's soul To feel for someone who is having problems. To want to help Llover a cántaros To rain tanks/pitchers Raining buckets Tener buen diente To have good tooth To be a big eater. To have a hollow leg Fresco Fresh Cool as a cucumber. Not worried Estar muy potable To be very drinkable To look attractive Partirse de la risa To split with laughter To crack up with laughter Dar en el clavo To strike home To be spot on. To hit the nail on the head. Mucho ojo, que la vista engaña Much eye, the sight deceives Appearances are deceptive Darle lata a alguien To give someone tin can To give someone a hard time. To upset someone. Quedarse para vestir santos To stay dressing saints To remain an old maid Llevar la batuta To carry the baton To have great influence. To call the shots. Big shot. A mí, me importa un pito lo que pienses   To me, I give a damn what you think I don't give a toss what you think Tirarse los trastos a la cabeza   To throw junk at the head to have a blazing row. Para dar y tomar To give and take In abundance. To burn. ex. money Bailar en la cuerda floja To dance on the tightrope To try to do many things at once Tener los nervios de punta To have one's nerves standing To have one's nerves on edge Hacer San Lunes Make Saint Monday To skive off work on Mondays Sufrir un ataque de cuernos To suffer an attack of horns To go into a jealous rage Estar colgado To be hung, suspended To be in love. To have a crush Hay ropa tendida There is clothing hung out to dry The coast is not clear. Be careful De buenas a primeras From good ones to first ones On the spur of the moment Poderoso caballero es Don Dinero Mighty gentleman is Don Money Money makes the world go round / Money is power, power is money Ser uña y carne To be fingernail and flesh. To be bosom buddies. Buscarle las pulgas a alguien To look for someone`s fleas To irritate someone. To provoke Seguir en sus trece To keep in one`s thirteen To persist. To stick to one`s guns. Siempre me toca bailar con la más fea   I always have to dance with the ugliest girl. I always get the short end of the stick / I always draw the short straw. Salir por la ventana To leave through the window To sneak out the back door. Tengamos la fiesta en paz We have the peace party. Let`s have some peace and quiet. Revolver el gallinero To stir the chicken To put the cat among the pigeons. A falta de pan, buenas son tortas Where there is no bread, cakes are fine. It will do just fine. One thing is as good as another. Para parar un tren To stop a train In large quantities. Tons of Salir el tiro por la culata To have the shot go out the butt of the rifle To backfire. To have the opposite result from what was anticipated. Empezar la casa por el tejado To begin the house with the roof To put the cart before the horse Atar cabos To tie ends To put two and two together Tonto de capirote Idiot chief Dope of dopes. Really stupid Tener un humor de perros To be in a dog mood To be in a foul mood Para colmo de desgracias For the culmination of misfortunes To top it all off Un clavo saca otro clavo One nail takes out another nail. One problem overshadows another. Estar como agua para chocolate To be like water for chocolate. To be at boiling point (anger or passion) Echar flores To throw flowers To pat on the back. To compliment Dar en la madre To give in the mother To hit hard. To hurt someone where they are vulnerable Un hotel de mala muerte a hotel of bad death A grotty hotel Correr como un galgo To run like a greyhound To run like a gazelle Valer su peso en oro To be worth its weight in gold To be worth a fortune Acostarse con las gallinas To go to bed with the chickens To go to bed early Aflojar la cuerda To loosen the cord To take a breather Poner en las nubes To put in the clouds To praise to the skies. To highly praise. Estar metida en un rollo To be put in a roll To get into a bind. To get into hot water. En boca cerrada no entran moscas In a closed mouth flies don`t enter. Loose talk can get you into trouble. El hijo de papá Daddy`s child Rich kid. Kid who has everything provided for them. Estar más loco que una cabra To be crazier than a she-goat To be as mad as a hatter Reparar en migajas To notice crumbs To split hairs. To pay attention to unimportant things instead of the bigger issues. No dar pie con bola To not hit the ball with one`s foot To not be correct. To make a mess of things. To not do things right Donde el diablo perdió el poncho Where the devil lost his poncho In a god-forsaken spot Meterse en el sobre To put oneself in the envelope To hit the sack. To go to bed Meter la cuchara To put in the spoon To put in one`s two penny worth Chiste rojo Red joke Dirty joke No calentar el asiento To not warm the seat To not last long Tener un corazón de acero To have a heart of steel To have a heart of stone Confundir la gimnasia con la magnesia To confuse gymnastics with magnesia To mix apples and oranges Montar un número To put on a number. To make a scene. Llevar en palmas To carry palm trees To treat like a king. To pamper. Comer a dos carrillos To eat with two cheeks To serve two masters. To work for two people. Tomar el pelo a alguien To pull someone`s hair To pull someone`s leg, to make fun of El vivo retrato de alguien The living portrait of someone The spitting image of someone Flotar como el corcho en el agua To float like cork in water To come out on top, come out well despite adversity No dar el brazo a torcer To not give one`s arm to twist To be stubborn Cortado por la misma tijera Cut by the same scissors Very similar, chip off the old block No dejar piedra sobre piedra To not leave stone upon stone To leave nothing standing, to destroy completely Tener alma a acero To have a soul of steel To have a heart of stone, to be without feelings Hacer alharacas   To make a fuss To make a big deal (of something) Ser plato de segunda mesa To be a plate of a second table To feel like a second class citizen A falta de pan, buenas son tortas Where there is no bread, cakes are fine It will do just fine. One thing is as good as another. Quemarse las pestañas To burn one`s eyelashes To burn the midnight oil. To cram Hijo de la gata, ratones mata son of the cat kills rats Like father, like son No van por ahí los tiros The shots aren`t going that way barking up the wrong tree Ni soñarlo In your dreams No way Fumarse una clase To smoke oneself a class To skip a class Irsele a alguien la lengua To make a slip of the tongue Speak without thinking Pon los pies sobre la tierra Put your feet on the ground Come down to earth La sopa boba Crazy soup Life on Easy Street El día de arreglo de cuentas The day of settling accounts Day of reckoning Llevar en palmas To carry with palm trees To treat like a king, pamper Con las manos en la masa With the hands in the dough Red-handed Ponerse las botas To put one`s boots on To make a killing Huir del fuego y caer en las brasas To flee from the fire and fall into the coals From the frying pan into the fire La despidada de soltero Sending off of the single man Stag party Darle a uno una buena lejía To give someone a good dose of bleach To give someone a good scolding Hacer mil maromas para To do a thousand acrobatic tricks in order to To go to a lot of trouble to, to spare no effort to Bájale de crema a tus tacos Decrease the cream in your tacos Don`t exaggerate Estar al loro To be at the parrot To pay attention, be attentive, be up to date Criado(a) a lo bruto raised in a brutish way Brought up in a barn Ser plato de segunda mesa To be second-table dish To play second fiddle Jugar con dos barajas To play with two decks To cheat, act with duplicity Cantar de plano To sing clearly To spill the beans Echar agua al mar To throw water into the sea To be pointless Con los brazos cruzados With arms crossed Twiddling one`s thumbs Marcando ocupado Dialling the busy signal Not understanding anything Encendérsele el bombillo To have the lightbulb turned on To get a brilliant idea Más feo que el pecado Uglier than the sin As ugly as sin Hacer su santa voluntad To do one`s holy will To do as one pleases Por los buenas o por las malas For the good or the bad One way or another No saber ni papa de Not to know even a potato about To know nothing about Caer chuzos de punta To rain sharp spears To rain cats and dogs Tragarle a uno la tierra To be swallowed by the earth To disappear into nowhere No cerrar la puerta To not close the door to not cut down on choices/options, or, not to burn one`s bridges Quedar a la altura de su zapatilla To remain at the height of one`s slipper To be a failure Contigo ni a China me voy I`m not even going to China with you You`re impossible Andar de Herodes a Pilato To walk from Herod to Pilate To go from bad to worse Ser un espantapájaro To be a scarecrow Ugly as sin Tener mal templada la guitarra To have one's guitar badly tuned. To be in a bad mood Ser del montón To be of the heap No great shakes, nothing to write home about Llover sobre mojado To rain over the wetness It never rains but it pours. Ser más del campo que las amapolas To be more from the country than the poppies To be a hick Estar entre la espada y la pared To be between the sword and the wall To be caught between a rock and a hard place Un viento de mil demonios A wind of a thousand demons A howling gale Estar de veinticinco alfileres To be of twenty-five pins To be dressed to kill Tener angel To have an angel to have charm, to be charming Darle perro a uno To give someone a dog To stand someone up, to break a date Largar a otro el mochuelo To pass the owl on to someone else To pass the buck Dar en un hueso To hit a bone To hit a snag Flipar en colores To flip colours To be totally amazed Parecerse como dos gotas de agua To look like two drops of water To look like two peas in a pod Tener un tornillo flojo To have a loose screw To be crazy El mundo es un pañuelo The world is a handkerchief It`s a small world Toda va viento en popa Everything goes wind at the stern All is going well Dejar a uno en la estacada To leave someone in the stockade To leave someone in the lurch No es cosa del otro mundo It`s not anything from another world It`s nothing to write home about Decirle a alguien cuatro verdades To tell someone four truths To give someone a piece of one`s mind Coger a alguien con las manos en la masa To catch someone with his or her hands in the dough To catch someone red-handed Costar un ojo de la cara To cost an eye of the face To cost an arm and a leg Aquello fue llegar y besar el santo That was arriving and kissing the saint It was like taking candy from a baby Andar pisando huevos To walk stepping on eggs To tread on thin ice Venir con músicas To come with music To tell tall tales Reír con risa de conejo To laugh with the laughter of a rabbit To force a laugh Empezar la casa por el tejado To start building the house at the roof To put the cart before the horse Ir al grano To go to the seed Get to the point Faltarle a uno un tornillo to have a screw missing To be nuts Cortar el bacalao To cut the codfish To rule the roost No hay mal que por bien no venga There is not badly that by well come not Every cloud has a silver lining Tirar las frutas frescas con las pochas Throwing the fresh fruits with the green beans To throw the baby out with the bathwater Nadie está contento con su suerte Nobody is content with his luck the grass is always greener on the other side A lo hecho pecho To it fact chest It`s no use crying over spilt milk Más vale prevenir que curar More valuable to prevent than cure Better safe than sorry No hay que vender la piel del oso (antes de cazarlo) Don't sell the the bear skin before hunting it Don`t count your chickens (before they are hatched) Una puntada a tiempo ahorra ciento A stitch in times saves hundred A stitch in time saves nine Estar hasta en la sopa To be even in the soup There's no getting away from him No hay tiempo como el presente   There's no time like the present Caerse de su burro To fall from your donkey To admit your mistake Hay cuatro gatos There are four cats There's hardly anyone Estar como boca de lobo To be like a wolf's mouth To be pitch dark Darle perro a alguien To give someone a dog To stand someone up (on a date) Cuando las ranas críen pelo When frogs grow hair When pigs might fly No oír ni el vuelo de una mosca To not even hear a fly flying You could hear a pin drop Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando A bird in the hand is more valuable than a hundred flying A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A quien madruga Dios lo ayuda To whom rises early God helps him It`s the early bird that catches the worm. Early bed early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise) Más vale mana que fuerza More value brain than strength Brain is better than brawn No se ganó Zamora en una hora You don`t win Zamora in an hour (Zamora is a Spanish town where there was a battle) Rome wasn`t built in a day Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente Eyes that don`t see, heart that doesn`t feel Out of sight, out of mind Nunca llueve a gusto de todos or Lo que a uno cura a otro mata It never rains to the liking of all or what to one priest another kills One man`s meat is another man`s poison Antes de hablar pensar Before speaking think Think before you speak Lo que no cuesta dinero,siempre es bueno That which costs nothing, always is good The best things in life are free El que tiene boca se equivoca The one that has mouth is mistaken We all make mistakes Lo que siembres cosecharas quien siembra vientos recoge tempestades What sowings harvested who sows winds collects storms As you sow, so shall you reap Quien a hierro mata, a hierro muere Who to iron kills, to iron dies They that live by the sword die by the sword Aunque la mona se vista de seda mona se queda Although the monkey itself monkey silk view remains You can`t make a silk purse out of a sow`s ear Nadie sabe lo que vale el agua hasta que falta Nobody knows what is worth the water until he lacks You never know what you`ve got till it`s gone En el peligro se conoce el amigo In the danger the friend is known A friend in need is a friend indeed En boca cerrada no entran moscas Flies don`t enter a closed mouth If you keep your mouth shut, you won`t put your foot in it Lo barato sale caro That which is cheap ends up being expensive If you buy cheaply, you pay dearly Al perro que duerme, no lo despiertes To the dog that sleeps it do not awake   Let sleeping dogs lie La necesidad hace maestros the necessity makes teachers necessity is the mother of invention Loro viejo no aprende a hablar Old parrot does not learn to speak You can`t teach an old dog new tricks El que ríe último, ríe mejor He who laughs last, laughs best He who laughs last laughs longest El sapo a la sapa tiénela por guapa The male toad to the female toad is considered good-looking Beauty is in the eye of the beholder Hablando del rey de Roma - (él que asoma) Talking of the king of Rome - (and he appears) Talk of the devil - (and the devil appears) Más vale tarde que nunca More value late than never Better late than never Si quieres ser bien servido, sírvete a ti mismo If you want to be well served, serve yourself If you want something done well, do it yourself El tiempo es oro Time is gold Time is money Reír con risa de conejo To laugh like a rabbit To force a laugh   FUN SPANISH LANGUAGE RESOURCES SPANISH CULTURE VISIT SPAIN SPANISH AMERICA Spanish Crosswords Spanish Idioms 1 Spanish Idioms 2 Spanish Idioms 3 Spanish Idioms 4 Spanish Idioms 5 Spanish Jokes Spanish Music fill-in-the-gaps Spanish Proverbs Spanish Tapas Recipes Spanish Verbs Conjugation Balloon Game Spanish Verbs Conjugation Space Invaders Game Spanish Verbs Flashcards Spanish Wordsearches Verbodoku: Spanish Verb Sudoku Puzzles       Join F-L-S on FACEBOOK; TWITTER; BLOG; CONTACT US; SHARE LINKS   Conectores Textuales Free Spanish resources Spanish English Names Imperfect vs Preterite Most Useful Spanish words and phrases Por vs Para Ser vs Estar Spanish Courses Spanish Dictionary Spanish Grammar and Language Spanish Lesson of the Week Spanish Media Links Spanish Links Spanish Oral Exam Linking Phrases Spanish Pronouns Spanish Questions Spanish Speaking situations Spanish Subjunctive Spanish Verbs Spanish Artists Picasso Miro Spanish Cocktails Spanish Fiestas - Día de San Valentín (Valentine's) - El Colacho (Baby jumping) - Las Fallas (Festival of fire) - La Tomatina (Tomato fight) - San Fermin (Running of the bulls) Semana Santa (Holy Week-Easter) Spanish Food Pancake Recipe Spanish Music Spanish Tapas Spanish Wine Top Spanish Beaches Top Spanish Golf Top Spanish Resorts Top Spanish Restaurants Top Spanish Sports Alicante Barcelona Benidorm Buñol (La Tomatina) Cabo de Palos Cantabria Cartagena Ciutadella Coastal Spain Cuba Denia Gran Canaria Tenerife Hotels in Spain Lanzarote La Manga del Mar Menor La Pineda Madrid Mallorca Menorca Nerja Pamplona (San Fermin) Spanish America Torrevieja Valencia (Las Fallas)   Mexico City Mexico Places Mexican Posadas Food of Mexico Colombia Spanish USA Spanish California Argentina Buenos Aires Iguazu Falls Peru Machu Picchu Venezuela Santiago Chile Concha Y Toro wines Ecuador Galapagos Guatemala Paraguay Cuba Costa Rica Dominican Republic Bolivia Honduras El Salvador Copyright © and TM 2007-2024 fun-learning-spanish.com