Admin
Here are 10 common random idioms you may have trouble with if you hear them for the first time:
| Expression | Approximate literal translation (what you might think you actually heard) | Explanation |
| ni loco, ni loca | neither crazy | no way. (Not even if I were crazy) |
| ¿no que no? |
no that not?, not that not? not not? |
Did you change your mind?, I thought you said no. Didn’t you say no? (this expression could be a little sarcastic). It’s the perfect combination for ¿No que no?, sí se puede. |
| dichosos los ojos (probably MX only, they use it in very old Mexican movies) | happy the eyes | it’s nice seeing you, the full expression is dichosos los ojos que te ven. Happy the eyes that are seeing you. Dicha is happiness, but I think it’s a more permanent condition than just being feliz about something. |
|
de día, de noche |
of day, of night |
daytime, nighttime |
| marcar el número | to mark the number | to dial the phone number |
| agua con gas, gaseosa | water with gas | carbonated water, soda, pop |
| día de fiesta | party day | holiday (I thought this one was obvious, until I noticed that when I say día de fiesta, my students ask me where is the party!!!). |
|
traerse algo entre manos |
to bring something between your hands |
to be up to something, to be plotting something |
|
no me trago ese cuento |
I don’t swallow that story |
I don’t buy that story, I don’t believe that story |
| ya me cayó el veinte (MX) | the twenty fell on me now. | I just realized it, I just got it, I just understood something. (it comes from old payphones. In Mexico, they used 20 cent coins, when the call was established, the coin came down making a noise. It’s like the quarter dropped in me, the quarter fell on me. My student from Israel tells me this expression is used in that country, he thinks that it might have arrived in Israel via Telenovelas. |
This is La Casera gaseosa. Homemade seltzer water. 
Originally posted on 20100816. Latest update 20210504 (spanishNY.com) top
