The Great Seduction: Spanish study pack

Show 5 more expressions

ni con grúanot even with a crane, nothing could make (someone) do/leave something

colloquial

Fixed hyperbolic phrase used to emphasize absolute refusal or immovability. Always appears with negation: 'ni con grúa me sacan de aquí'.

Le encanta tanto ese café que ni con grúa lo sacan de ahí los domingos.He loves that café so much that nothing in the world could drag him away on Sundays.

de sol a solfrom sunrise to sunset, all day long

Fixed expression describing uninterrupted labor throughout the full day. Carries a connotation of hard, relentless work.

Los albañiles trabajaron de sol a sol para terminar la obra antes de la lluvia.The construction workers toiled from sunup to sundown to finish the job before the rain.

partir la madreto beat someone up badly; to mess someone up (a threat)

vulgar

Strong threatening expression. The literal words are meaningless; the whole phrase is an idiom for a severe physical or figurative beating. Tone ranges from genuine threat to exaggerated frustration between friends.

Si le vuelves a hacer eso a mi hermano, te voy a partir la madre.If you do that to my brother again, I'm going to beat you up.

a ojo de buen cuberoroughly, at a rough estimate, by eyeballing it

colloquial

Idiomatic phrase meaning an approximate visual or intuitive estimate, not a precise measurement. Equivalent to 'ballpark figure' or 'at a guess'.

A ojo de buen cubero, diría que el cuarto mide unos veinte metros cuadrados.At a rough guess, I'd say the room is about twenty square meters.

allá túthat's your problem, suit yourself, it's on you

colloquial

Short dismissive phrase indicating the speaker is washing their hands of a decision and placing responsibility squarely on the listener. The tone can range from mildly disapproving to clearly annoyed.

Si no quieres estudiar para el examen, allá tú, pero después no te quejes.If you don't want to study for the exam, suit yourself, but don't complain afterwards.

Key vocabulary

empacadora·packing plant, food-processing facility

noun (f)essential

La empacadora de mariscos da trabajo a cientos de personas en el puerto.The seafood packing plant employs hundreds of people at the port.

pesca·fishing; the fish caught; the fishing industry

noun (f)essential

La pesca del día fue suficiente para surtir a todos los restaurantes del pueblo.The day's catch was enough to supply all the town's restaurants.

plaza·permanent job position (within an institution)

noun (f)essential

Después de tres años como interino, por fin le dieron la plaza en el hospital.After three years as a temporary hire, he was finally given the permanent position at the hospital.

subsidio·subsidy, government benefit payment

noun (m)essential

Muchas familias dependen del subsidio del gobierno para pagar la renta.Many families depend on the government subsidy to pay rent.

carta poder·power of attorney letter; signed authorization to act on someone's behalf

noun (f)essential

Con la carta poder que le firmó su mamá, pudo recoger los documentos en la notaría.With the power of attorney letter his mom signed for him, he was able to pick up the documents at the notary's office.

alcalde·mayor

noun (m)essential

El alcalde convocó a una reunión de emergencia en la plaza principal.The mayor called an emergency meeting in the main square.

cooperativa·cooperative (worker- or community-owned business)

noun (f)essential

Los pescadores formaron una cooperativa para vender su producto directamente al mercado.The fishermen formed a cooperative to sell their product directly to the market.

Show 10 more words

seducir·to seduce; here broadly: to win over, to charm (a person or institution into a decision)

verb

Intentaron seducir a los inversionistas con una presentación muy elaborada.They tried to win over the investors with a very elaborate presentation.

instalar

Expressions to listen for

Key vocabulary