10 Spanish Expressions That Don’t Translate Literally

SPANISH EXPRESSIONS

One of the most interesting parts of learning Spanish is discovering expressions that make perfect sense to native speakers — but sound completely confusing when translated word for word. These phrases are part of everyday conversation, and learning what they really mean can help you understand Spanish more naturally and sound more confident when you speak.

Then you could follow it with:

Here are 10 Spanish expressions that don’t translate literally — and what they actually mean.

1. 🐐 Estar como una cabra

Literal translation: To be like a goat

Real meaning: To be crazy/a little crazy

Example: Mi hermano está como una cabra.

In English: My brother is crazy.

JustSpanish note: You probably don’t want to tell someone they’re a goat—but in Spanish, you might!

2. 🐔 Tener la cabeza llena de pájaros

Literal translation: To have your head full of birds

Real meaning: To have unrealistic ideas/to be a dreamer

Example: Juan tiene la cabeza llena de pájaros. Quiere viajar por el mundo sin trabajar.

In English: Juan has his head in the clouds. He wants to travel around the world without working.

JustSpanish note: Spanish apparently has a lot of animals with opinions about our personalities!

3. 🧈 Estar como un flan

Literal translation: To be like a flan

Real meaning: To be very nervous or trembling

Example: Antes de mi examen, estaba como un flan.

In English: I was really nervous before my exam.

JustSpanish note: Why a flan? Because it shakes!

4. 🐷 Hacer un tiempo de perros

Literal translation: To make dog weather

Real meaning: To have terrible weather

Example: Hoy hace un tiempo de perros.

In English: The weather is terrible today.

JustSpanish note: Definitely not the kind of weather you want for a picnic.

5. 🍐 Pedir peras al olmo

Literal translation: To ask an elm tree for pears

Real meaning: To expect something impossible

Example: No le pidas peras al olmo. Él nunca llega temprano.

In English: Don’t expect the impossible. He never arrives early.

JustSpanish note: An elm tree produces no pears—so you’re basically asking for something that can’t happen.

6. 🐴 Irse por los cerros de Úbeda

Literal translation: To go through the hills of Úbeda

Real meaning: To go off-topic/avoid the point

Example: Le pregunté por el proyecto, pero se fue por los cerros de Úbeda.

In English: I asked him about the project, but he went completely off-topic.

JustSpanish note: This expression has a fascinating historical origin connected to the Spanish town of Úbeda.

7. 🥔 Estar en el quinto pino

Literal translation: To be at the fifth pine tree

Real meaning: To be very far away/in the middle of nowhere

Example: Mi hotel está en el quinto pino.

In English: My hotel is really far away.

JustSpanish note: If someone tells you their house is en el quinto pino, don’t expect it to be around the corner!

8. 🧹 Buscarle tres pies al gato

Literal translation: To look for three feet on a cat

Real meaning: To complicate something unnecessarily / look for problems where there aren’t any

Example: No le busques tres pies al gato. Es muy sencillo.

In English: Don’t overcomplicate things. It’s very simple.

JustSpanish note: You’ll also hear buscarle cinco pies al gato in modern Spanish.

9. 🌙 Estar en Babia

Literal translation: To be in Babia

Real meaning: To be distracted/daydreaming/not paying attention

Example: ¡Pedro! ¿Estás en Babia? Te estoy hablando.

In English: Pedro! Are you daydreaming? I’m talking to you.

JustSpanish note: Babia is actually a real place in León, Spain.

10. 🥚 Costar un huevo

Literal translation: To cost an egg

Real meaning: To be very expensive/to require a lot of effort

Example: Ese coche cuesta un huevo.

In English: That car costs a fortune.

JustSpanish note: This is informal, so it’s better with friends than in a formal business meeting.

💡 What Can We Learn From These Expressions?

One of the biggest challenges when learning Spanish is trying to translate everything directly from English. Native speakers don’t communicate word by word. They use expressions, humor, cultural references and little phrases that give Spanish its personality.

So when you hear something strange like:

“Estoy como un flan.”

Don’t immediately think: “Why is this person comparing themselves to dessert?” Instead, ask: “What does this expression mean in context?”

That’s when you start moving from translating Spanish → understanding Spanish.

🇪🇸 JustSpanish Tip

Don’t learn expressions as individual words. Learn them as complete phrases.

estar como un flan = to be very nervous

That’s how you’ll start sounding more natural—and understanding what Spanish speakers really mean.