When it comes to learning a language, it’s always super hard to translate our own sayings and phrases into our target language. However, translating literally does not always do the job, which can be frustrating. But just remember, it is a process of understanding that people just like us, somewhere on the planet, decided to express what we know in a totally different way. So all we have to do is surrender, relax, breathe and learn a new way, with these Mexican Spanish idioms.
The good news is, we have Mexico News Daily to help us learn these new ways of communicating. So let’s dive into the Spanish equivalents of some common English phrases.
I’m all ears
To fully listen and pay attention. Its Spanish equivalent is “soy todo oídos”.
Examples in context:
Cuéntame sobre tu viaje, soy todo oídos. (Tell me about your trip! I’m all ears).
Si necesitas que te ayude, soy todo oídos. (If you need help, I’m all ears).
Si alguien tiene una buena idea, soy todo oídos. (So, if anyone has a great idea, I’m all ears.)
It slipped my mind
To forget something. In Spanish, “se me olvidó”.
Examples in context:
Se suponía que debía llamarte, pero se me olvidó. (I was supposed to call you but it slipped my mind).
Perdón por perderme la junta, se me olvidó por completo. (I’m sorry I missed the meeting, it completely slipped my mind).
Iba a comprar leche, pero se me olvidó. (I meant to buy milk, but it slipped my mind).
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Shake a leg
To hurry up. You can hear it in Spanish as “apúrale” or “apúrate.” Both mean the same thing but the difference relies on the “te,” used to talk more straightforwardly to the person. You can use them instinctively. We also have “date prisa” or “muévete” which can translate as “move”.
Examples in context:
Vamos a llegar tarde, apúrale (We are going to be late, shake a leg!)
El camión ya casi se va, date prisa. (The bus is leaving soon, shake a leg!)
Si no te mueves vamos a perder nuestro vuelo. (If you don’t shake a leg, we’ll miss our flight).
Learning these phrases will make your conversation in Spanish more natural. Remember it is a journey and every new phrase brings you one step closer to fluency. So don’t lose hope, by reading these articles you are already taking action towards improving your Spanish.
Paulina Gerez is a translator-interpreter, content creator, and founder of Crack The Code, a series of online courses focused on languages. Through her social media, she helps people see learning a language from another perspective through her fun experiences. Instagram: paulinagerezm / Tiktok: paugerez3 / YT: paulina gerez
