Spanish expressions quiz
Your textbook never taught you these.
Could you keep up on the street, at a party, on a date or at a family lunch? Let’s see how many of these you’d catch.
10 expressionsbeginner to advancedabout 2 minutesno sign-up
Word for word: “to be in the clouds”
So what does it really mean? Tap an answer to start.
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Spanish expressions quiz
The 10 expressions in this quiz
Word for word, they make no sense. Here’s what people in Spain and Latin America actually mean by them.
estar en las nubes
BeginnerWord for word: “to be in the clouds”
To be daydreaming
Perdona, no te escuché, estaba en las nubes. Sorry, I didn’t hear you, I was miles away.
Fine at workcostar un ojo de la cara
BeginnerWord for word: “to cost an eye of the face”
To cost a fortune
Las entradas del concierto nos costaron un ojo de la cara. The concert tickets cost us a fortune.
Fine at workser pan comido
BeginnerWord for word: “to be eaten bread”
To be dead easy
Tranquilo, el examen fue pan comido. Relax, the exam was dead easy.
Fine at workmeter la pata
IntermediateWord for word: “to put the paw in”
To put your foot in it
Metí la pata: le pregunté por su novio y ya no están juntos. I put my foot in it: I asked her about her boyfriend and they’re not together anymore.
With friendsestar hasta la coronilla
IntermediateWord for word: “to be up to the crown of your head”
To be fed up
Estoy hasta la coronilla del ruido de los vecinos. I’m fed up with the neighbours’ noise.
With friendsno tener pelos en la lengua
IntermediateWord for word: “to have no hairs on your tongue”
To speak your mind
Mi abuela no tiene pelos en la lengua: te dice todo lo que piensa. My grandma doesn’t mince her words: she tells you exactly what she thinks.
Fine at workponerse las pilas
IntermediateWord for word: “to put your batteries in”
To get your act together
Si quieres aprobar, tienes que ponerte las pilas. If you want to pass, you need to get your act together.
Fine at worktener la mosca detrás de la oreja
AdvancedWord for word: “to have the fly behind your ear”
To be suspicious
Lleva días muy amable conmigo y tengo la mosca detrás de la oreja. He’s been really sweet to me for days, and I’m suspicious.
With friendsme importa un pepino
AdvancedWord for word: “it matters a cucumber to me”
I couldn’t care less
¿Que no le gusta mi camisa? Me importa un pepino. He doesn’t like my shirt? I couldn’t care less.
With friendscuando las ranas críen pelo
AdvancedWord for word: “when frogs grow hair”
Never, when pigs fly
¿Él, pidiendo perdón? Cuando las ranas críen pelo. Him, apologising? When pigs fly.
With friends
Questions
Are these expressions still used?
Yes, every day. The quiz leaves out anything dated or crude, and every answer tells you where it’s safe to say: fine at work, with friends, or best avoided.
Why does the quiz go from beginner to advanced?
The first three are common and you’ll hear them early on. The last three need nuance, like sarcasm or mood, which is where most learners lose the thread.
What do I get if I unlock the 15?
A free deck with all 25 expressions, added for you when you finish setting up: the 10 from the quiz (the ones you missed first, each with its example), then the 15 new ones. Every card has audio and comes back for review just before you’d forget it.
Are these used in Spain or in Latin America?
Both. Every expression in this quiz is understood on both sides of the Atlantic. Each country has its own slang on top, but these are the shared ones you can use anywhere.