Confusing Native Phrases: Living the Spanish Language

Once, an English-speaking friend told me that after several years living with Spanish-speaking relatives, he felt ready to visit one of his favorite Spanish-speaking countries. However, upon arrival, he had an experience that initially scared him but later became a funny anecdote.

He told me that he visited a luxury clothing store and wanted to buy a coat. He approached another customer to ask about prices. The Spanish-speaking customer said, “Watch out, that coat is going to cost you an arm and a leg!” My friend thought this person was offending him to start a fight.

With all this, he could only turn around and leave without his beloved coat. He didn’t realize that the person was just trying to say that the coat was very expensive. What a mix-up!

If something similar has ever happened to you, don’t worry! We are here to help. Join us and discover some of the most common confusing phrases from native speakers and why incorporating them into your vocabulary will improve your communication skills.

Understanding Colloquial Phrases

Understanding typical Spanish colloquial phrases is complicated for several reasons. Most reflect the beliefs, customs, experiences, and history of an entire community. Learning them means knowing and immersing yourself in different cultures, which is not easy and takes time.

Moreover, the variations and different meanings depending on the country can confuse non-natives. For example, in Venezuela, the word “chimbo/chimba” indicates something boring or of poor quality. Example:

• Esa fiesta estuvo muy chimba.
• Ese teléfono es muy chimbo.

On the other hand, in Colombia, this word refers to good and positive things. Example:

• ¡Qué chimba de fiesta! (What a great party!)

Did you notice how the same word can have opposite meanings?

Common Expressions

Compiling all confusing phrases from native speakers in a single article would require many pages. However, we have selected some of the most common ones for you to study and add to your collection. Here we go!

Tomar al toro por los cuernos

This famous phrase refers to facing problems and complicated situations with determination and immediately. Example:

• Si te molesta tanto la situación, debes tomar al toro por los cuernos. Solo así lo resolverás.

No tiene ni pies ni cabeza

If you want to say that something lacks order, sense, or logic, this phrase is ideal. Example:

• Disculpa, Enrique, lo que dices no tiene ni pies ni cabeza. No puedo correr 5 kilómetros en 8 minutos.

Estar “salado”

Have you ever felt that everything goes wrong? Well, you are salty! This phrase refers to people who don’t achieve results despite their efforts and those who always have bad luck. It applies to relationships, work, personal goals, etc. Example:

• Tuve la oportunidad de patear 3 penaltis, y no anoté gol en ninguno ¡estoy salado!

Poner los puntos sobre las íes

This classic confusing phrase from natives cannot be overlooked. Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s means making the most relevant aspects of a specific topic clear. Example:

• Ahora que aceptaste el trabajo, debemos poner los puntos sobre las íes.

Entra por un oído y sale por el otro

We can use this to refer to someone who doesn’t take into account requests, orders, or advice. Example:

• Te dije que no comieras dulces, pero lo que te digo te entra por un oído y te sale por el otro.

Salió el tiro por la culata

Imagine a soldier about to fire his weapon, and the bullet backfires, hitting him instead. Unexpected, right? This phrase is used in situations where something didn’t go as expected, and the consequences were negative. Example:

• Intenté saltarme la luz roja, y me salió el tiro por la culata, choqué el carro.

Tips for Learning and Memorizing

Here are some tips to successfully integrate confusing phrases from natives into your vocabulary:

• Surround yourself with Spanish speakers

Constant contact with Spanish speakers will help you discover dozens of new Spanish phrases that will enrich your vocabulary. Plus, who better than a native speaker to teach and correct you?

• Memorization strategies

Reading idiomatic expressions and knowing their origin is not enough to memorize them. Write them down and repeat them aloud every day. Repetition is one of the best strategies for memorization.

• Recognize the level of formality

Keep in mind that most of these expressions are informal; use them when talking with friends or family. Using them in formal situations like work is inappropriate.

• Constant exercises

Test yourself by doing fictitious exercises where you have to use the colloquial phrases you’ve learned. This way, you’ll associate each phrase with a context and find it easier to learn and memorize them correctly.

• Immerse yourself in the culture

Remember that these phrases carry important cultural connotations that you need to understand to use them in the appropriate context. Learn these cultural connotations to avoid possible misunderstandings of your phrases in Spanish.

• Mastering Colloquialism

If you want to enrich your vocabulary while learning about Hispanic culture, you should definitely give all those idiomatic expressions that have characterized Spanish speakers a chance.

Go for it! Learn and master as many Spanish phrases from Hispanic colloquialism as you can, and you’ll live the language to the fullest!