Latin American idioms

Sound more natural with everyday idiomatic expressions

Goal: Understand and use common Latin American idioms in daily conversation.

Context

Listen to the dialogue. Tap the speaker to hear each line.

Carla

¿Me ayudas con la mudanza el sábado?

Can you help me with the move on Saturday?

Diego

Claro, te echo una mano. ¿A qué hora?

Sure, I'll lend you a hand. What time?

Carla

A las nueve. ¡Ponte las pilas porque hay mucho que cargar!

At nine. Get your act together because there's a lot to carry!

Diego

No te preocupes, no es pan comido pero tampoco es imposible.

Don't worry, it's not a piece of cake but it's not impossible either.

Carla

Bueno, no me des la lata con excusas y llega a tiempo.

OK, don't give me a hard time with excuses and arrive on time.

Practice the dialogue

Choose a role. You'll hear my line and then record yours, automatically, turn by turn.

I'll practice the role of:

Dialogue recorded! Press play to hear the full conversation.

Choose your role to start

Vocabulary

Save the words you find hard to review them in your dashboard.

echar una mano

Te echo una mano con la mudanza.

Very common to offer help. '¿Te echo una mano?' = 'Can I help you?'

to lend a hand

Save

ponerse las pilas

Ponte las pilas o llegaremos tarde.

'Pilas' = batteries. Literally 'put on your batteries' — wake up and get moving.

to get your act together / get going

Save

estar en las nubes

Está en las nubes, no escucha nada.

Says someone isn't paying attention, lost in thought.

to be daydreaming / in the clouds

Save

costar un ojo de la cara

Ese restaurante cuesta un ojo de la cara.

Used when something is very expensive. 'Ojo' = eye.

to cost an arm and a leg

Save

ser pan comido

El examen fue pan comido.

'Pan' = bread. Something as easy as eating bread.

to be a piece of cake

Save

dar la lata

Deja de darme la lata, por favor.

Litterally 'to give the can'. Means to bother someone repeatedly.

to annoy / be a pain

Save

meter la pata

Metí la pata con mi comentario.

'Pata' = animal leg. To say something embarrassing or wrong.

to put your foot in it / mess up

Save

hacer la vista gorda

El profe hizo la vista gorda con el teléfono.

'Vista' = sight, 'gorda' = fat. To deliberately ignore something.

to turn a blind eye

Save

estar hasta las narices

Estoy hasta las narices del tráfico.

Strong way to say you're fed up. 'Narices' = noses.

to be fed up

Save

caer gordo

Ese tipo me cae gordo.

'Caer gordo' = to be disliked. 'Me cae bien/mal' also work for like/dislike.

to rub someone the wrong way

Save

Grammar in 1 minute

Idioms are fixed expressions

Idioms don't translate word for word. You must learn the whole phrase as a unit, and you can't change the words without losing the meaning.

'Echar una mano' (lend a hand) has nothing to do with 'echar' (to throw) or 'mano' (hand) literally.

When you meet an idiom, write it as one piece: expression + meaning + an example you made up.

Reflexive and pronoun patterns in idioms

Many idioms use pronouns that change with the subject. 'Ponerse' changes to 'me pongo, te pones, se pone'. 'Caer gordo' changes the object pronoun: 'me cae, te cae, le cae'.

Me pongo las pilas. / Te pones las pilas. / Ella se pone las pilas.

Practise the full conjugation, not just the fixed form. 'Me cae gordo' = I dislike him.

Imperative for 'ponte las pilas'

To tell someone to get going, use the informal imperative 'ponte'. With 'tú', reflexive imperatives add the pronoun: 'ponte', 'échame', 'déjame'.

Ponte las pilas. / Échame una mano, por favor.

This is a 'tú' command. In Latin America it's the standard, friendly way to give an order.

Interactive practice

Each exercise is checked instantly. You need an account to save your progress.

What did you hear?

Listen and choose the correct meaning of the idiom you hear.

listening

Tip: Listen for the key word of the idiom — 'pilas', 'nubes', 'mano' — then match the meaning.

What does the speaker offer?

Complete the idiom

Write the missing word to complete the idiom.

writing

Tip: Think of the literal image: what would you 'put on' to get energized?

Necesito ponerme las para terminar este proyecto.

Accents optional: write "como estas" and it works.

Match idiom to meaning

Connect each Spanish idiom with its English equivalent.

reading

Tip: Say the idiom out loud as you match. The sound helps you remember the fixed phrase.

Use 'meter la pata'

Write the idiom that means 'to mess up' in the correct form.

writing

Tip: The subject pronoun changes: yo meto, tú metes, él mete. The phrase stays 'la pata'.

No quiero en la entrevista.

Accents optional: write "como estas" and it works.

What feeling is expressed?

Listen and choose the feeling the speaker expresses.

listening

Tip: 'Estar hasta las narices' is a strong, annoyed expression. Listen for the tone too.

How does the speaker feel?

Repeat the idiom

Listen, pause and repeat the sentence out loud. Pay attention to rhythm.

speaking

Tip: Idioms are learned with melody. Repeat until the whole phrase flows as one unit.

Tranquilo, yo te echo una mano con eso.

Don't worry, I'll lend you a hand with that.

Listen, pause and repeat out loud. Repeat 3 times until it sounds natural.

Great. Repeat tomorrow to lock it in.

Pronunciation trainer

Write your own sentence

Write a short Spanish sentence using 'estar en las nubes'.

writing

Tip: Structure: subject + estar en las nubes. Example: 'Mi hermano está en las nubes.'

Write a Spanish sentence using 'estar en las nubes'.

Suggested answer: Mi hermano está en las nubes.

Final quiz

Score 70% or more to unlock the next lesson. You can retake it as many times as you want; your best score is saved.