If you are studying Spanish you will have noticed that it is a whimsical language. It has a lot of vocabulary, synonyms, words that are written the same and mean different things, etc.
Today we are going to talk about some Spanish expressions that you will find useful to understand Spanish people and to show that you have a good level.
These are expressions that at first you won't know what they mean or what they are used for, but we are going to explain each one of them to you. These expressions you need to learn to understand yourself and be understood:
Popular Spanish expressions
- Mucha mierda. It is used to wish luck. It comes from antiquity, to tell the actors and actresses of the theater to wish that many people would come to see them. If many people came and they did it in carriages, the horses used to leave the area full of excrement waiting for the show to end. It was understood as a complete success that the entrance of a theater was full of shit.
Today it is still used to wish luck in more situations: exam, job, interview, etc.
Ponte las pilas. It´s used when someone gets stuck, without knowing what is going on. Sometimes we all need long-lasting batteries from time to time, don't we? Well, this Spanish expression is used in the most literal sense. - Estás piripi. "piripi" is to be a little drunk, It's how you feel after a couple of pints of beer, when you think you're telling great jokes and you look sexier than ever and you think you're speaking that foreign language almost like a native.
- Echar una mano. It means helping someone. The origin of the expression is quite evident, when you shake someone's hand, you want to help them.
- Dejar plantado. It's the way of saying that you've been left alone in one place when the other person you've been with doesn't show up at the end. Like a lonely tree in the middle of a sad and depressing lot.
- Habla por los codos. This Spanish expression is used to say that someone talks a lot. The origin is not very clear, but it has something to do with the fact that people who talk a lot usually gesticulate so, in a way, we talk "by the elbows" too.
