Want to sound like a native Spanish speaker? There’s no better way than using typical Spanish expressions. In this blog we cover some typical Spanish expressions that involve fruits or vegetables. Using food for expressions is very common; can you think of any in your own language?
Add these to your daily vocabulary and start sounding like a true native speaker. Ready? Let’s get started!
- Ponerse como un tomate: We use this expression to say that someone’s face has turned red usually because of an embarrassing situation.
Pedro forgot the lyrics in the middle of his concert and he turned beetroot red.
Pedro olvidó la letra en medio de su concierto y se puso rojo como un tomate.
- Ser del año de la pera: When something is old, I mean very, very old, then it is from ‘el año de la pera’ which literally means “the year of the pear”.
My grandfather gave me that book, it is really old!
Mi abuelo me dio ese libro, ¡es del año de la pera!
- Pedirle peras al olmo: Can you ask for pears to grow on an elm tree? Well, that’s exactly what this expression means: to ask or expect something from somebody who is incapable of doing it, or a situation that is impossible.
If you think Mariana is going to be here on time, then you’re asking for the moon.
Si crees que Mariana llegará a tiempo, entonces estás pidiéndole peras al olmo.
- Comerse el coco: Can’t stop thinking about the same thing over and over again? Then you are ‘eating the coconut’ or ‘comiéndote el coco’. This is an expression we use when someone is obsessing about a certain topic and just can’t seem to get it off his mind.
Pablo wanted to ask Marta on a date and kept overthinking it.
Pablo quería pedirle a Marta una cita y estaba comiéndose el coco.
- Encontrar a la media naranja: Have you ever dreamt of finding that person who completes you, loves you, makes you laugh and looks at you like no one else does? Then you’ve been dreaming about ‘finding your half orange’ or ‘encontrar a tu media naranja”. It is a way of referring to your soul-mate.
The moment I saw him I knew I had found my other half.
En el momento en que lo ví, supe que había encontrado a mi media naranja.
Do you know any other Spanish expressions with fruits or veggies? Share them with us! Leave a comment below or on our Facebook page and let’s make a tutti-frutti of Spanish expressions!
