Paquita Salas S03E06: Spanish study pack

Show 7 more expressions

meterse un puroto get hit with a serious punishment or fine, to cop a big blow

colloquial

Puro literally means 'cigar', but the phrase is figurative. Used to describe facing serious legal, financial, or professional consequences.

Como no pagues los impuestos a tiempo, te van a meter un puro.If you don't pay your taxes on time, you're going to get hit hard.

estar muerto de miedoto be scared to death, to be absolutely terrified

colloquial

Fixed intensified phrase. The verb 'estar' marks a temporary emotional state; the hyperbole is idiomatic and very natural in speech.

Antes de subir al escenario siempre estoy muerta de miedo.Before going on stage I'm always scared to death.

tontorrónsilly thing, you daft one (affectionate)

colloquial

Augmentative-pejorative suffix on 'tonto', but tone is almost always warm and teasing between people who know each other well, not genuinely insulting.

Venga, tontorrona, que no pasa nada si te equivocas un poco.Come on, you silly thing, it's fine if you make a small mistake.

coñazototal bore, massive pain in the neck

vulgar

Derives from a vulgar root but functions in everyday speech mainly to express strong annoyance or tedium. The vulgarity is mild in context among friends.

La reunión fue un coñazo de tres horas sin llegar a ninguna conclusión.The meeting was a three-hour bore with no conclusion reached.

tocar el coñoto really annoy someone, to get on someone's nerves intensely

vulgar

Strong vulgar expression of irritation. The literal anatomical meaning is entirely absent in this idiomatic use; it signals real anger rather than mild annoyance.

Me toca el coño que siempre me interrumpas cuando estoy hablando.It really pisses me off that you always interrupt me when I'm talking.

piano, pianoslowly, slowly; hold your horses; one step at a time

colloquial

Borrowed from Italian and fully naturalised in colloquial speech. Used to urge caution or patience, often slightly ironic.

Piano, piano, que todavía no sabemos si han aceptado la oferta.One step at a time, we still don't know if they've accepted the offer.

estar en shockto be in shock, to be stunned

colloquial

Direct borrowing of the English word 'shock'. Fully naturalised and very common. Often spelled 'shocp' humorously in social media contexts, as in this dialogue.

Cuando me dieron la noticia me quedé en shock varios minutos.When they told me the news I was in shock for several minutes.

Back to Navarrete II

Expressions to listen for

Key vocabulary