Cable Girls S04E07: Spanish study pack

Show 6 more expressions

¡Al ladrón!Stop, thief!

A fixed exclamation shouted in the street to alert people that a theft is taking place. Used to call bystanders to intervene or give chase.

Cuando le quitaron el bolso, empezó a gritar: «¡Al ladrón! ¡Al ladrón!»When they grabbed her bag, she started shouting: 'Stop, thief! Stop, thief!'

hija de la gran putason of a bitch (directed at a woman); extreme insult

vulgar

One of the strongest insults in Castilian Spanish. 'La gran puta' intensifies the base insult. Reserved for moments of maximum anger or contempt. The masculine equivalent is 'hijo de la gran puta'.

Cuando se enteró del engaño, la llamó hija de la gran puta y colgó el teléfono.When she found out about the betrayal, she called her a bitch and hung up the phone.

meterse en un líoto get into trouble, to land oneself in a mess

colloquial

'Lío' covers anything from a minor mess to serious trouble. 'Meterse en un buen lío' stresses the severity, 'you've really gone and done it now'. Very natural in spoken registers.

Se metió en un buen lío al firmar ese contrato sin leerlo.He got himself into a real mess by signing that contract without reading it.

echar margaritas a los cerdosto cast pearls before swine

colloquial

A set phrase calqued on the biblical expression. Used to express contempt for an audience or recipient deemed unworthy of something valuable. Somewhat literary in tone despite its colloquial use.

Dar esa charla a gente que no tiene ningún interés es como echar margaritas a los cerdos.Giving that lecture to people who have no interest is like casting pearls before swine.

salirse con la suyato get away with it, to get one's own way

colloquial

Implies that someone has succeeded in an unfair or cunning manoeuvre. Often used with a tone of frustration or grudging acknowledgement.

Siempre se sale con la suya, no importa lo que haga.She always gets her own way, no matter what she does.

pasarla desapercibida/oto go unnoticed, to pass undetected

'Pasar desapercibido/a' is the standard form, no article is used. It describes slipping through a situation without drawing attention.

Llegó tarde a la reunión pero intentó pasar desapercibida.She arrived late to the meeting but tried to go unnoticed.

Key vocabulary

recordar·to remember, to recall

verb (stem-changing o→ue)essential

Después del golpe, no recordaba su propio nombre.After the blow, he couldn't remember his own name.

cárcel·prison, jail

noun (feminine)essential

Estuvo dos años en la cárcel antes de que demostraran su inocencia.She spent two years in prison before they proved her innocence.

coma·coma (medical)

noun (masculine)essential

El accidentado lleva tres semanas en coma y los médicos no saben cuándo despertará.The accident victim has been in a coma for three weeks and doctors don't know when he'll wake up.

engañar·to deceive, to trick, to cheat

verbessential

Me engañó durante meses haciéndome creer que era su amigo.He deceived me for months making me think he was my friend.

ejecutar·to execute (put to death)

verbessential

Al condenado le van a ejecutar al final de la semana si no aparece el indulto.The condemned man is going to be executed at the end of the week if no pardon arrives.

inocente·innocent (not guilty)

adjectiveessential

Todo el mundo creía que era culpable, pero ella siempre supo que era inocente.Everyone thought she was guilty, but she always knew she was innocent.

aislamiento·isolation, solitary confinement

noun (masculine)essential

Le castigaron con tres días de aislamiento por saltarse las normas del centro.He was punished with three days of isolation for breaking the centre's rules.

envenenado/a·poisoned

adjective / past participleessential

El inspector descubrió que la comida estaba envenenada antes de probarla.The inspector discovered that the food was poisoned before tasting it.

Show 9 more words

cuarentena·quarantine

noun (feminine)

Los pasajeros del vuelo tuvieron que guardar cuarentena a su llegada al país.The flight passengers had to observe quarantine upon arrival in the country.

traslado

Chapter 31: Happiness

Expressions to listen for

Key vocabulary