Spanish Vocabulary and Colloquial Expressions

Vocabulary flashcards covering Spanish verbs, nouns, adjectives, and colloquial expressions from the lecture notes.

Altibajos

The “ups and downs” (of life)

Según recuerdo

If I recall

Hay mucho que desconocen

There’s a lot they don’t know

Tendido

Drawn out, e.g. a conversation

Me da poquito de cosa

It kind of creeps me out

Presentir que

To sense, have a feeling that…

Espero serte de ayuda

I hope to have helped

Ya tuve suficiente

I’ve had enough

Manos están atadas

Hands are tied

Contenerse

Restrain oneself, hold back

Relatar

To regale, recount

Desmoronado

Crumbled; desmoronarse = to crumble, collapse, go to pieces

Pese a…

In spite of, despite of

La carrera contrarreloj

A race against time

Decena o docena?

Decena = set of ten; Docena = set of twelve

Ajetreado

Busy, see also atareado

Ajetreo

Hustle and bustle

Enervar

Annoyed, worked up, get on s.o.’s nerves

Deparar, aguardar

Transitive = to wait for; Intransitive = To wait, to have __ in store (E.g. No sé que me aguarda)

Lindura

Beauty

Ráfaga

Gust (of wind)

Borrón y cuenta nueva

A clean slate. I.e., Hacer un borrón y cuenta nueva

Indagar

To investigate

Como uña y mugre

Thick as thieves (Also “como uña y carne”)

Esmerado

Careful, painstaking

Metiche

Meddler, nosy

Malandro

Thug, criminal

Sobresaltado

Startled, shocked

Aturdido

Dazed, stunned, light-headed

Arrebato

Outburst

Más vale prevenir que lamentar

Better safe than sorry

Ser un regalo para la vista

To be a sight for sore eyes

Merodear

Loiter, hang around

En el entretanto

In the meantime

El don de la palabra

Gift of the gab

Remordimiento

Regret

Recabar

To gather

Estremecerse

To shudder, to shiver

Pasarse de listos

Show off as smart

Sujeto

Person, character

Beberse/tomarse hasta el agua de los floreros

Drink like crazy

Esparcir

To spread (transitive)

Dispersarse

To spread (reflexive)

Chapiadora (chapiar)

Gold digger (we think?), woman wants a sugar daddy, cazafortunas

Careto

Ugly mug

Gentuza

Riff raff, dodgy people, gente que se considera despreciable

Sospechoso

Suss

Basto

Coarse/rough (contrast with vasto = grande, amplio; Basta que = it’s enough that…)

Atronador

Un sonido/ruido fuerte, ensordecedor; Thunderous; Atronar

Ralentizar

To slow down (e.g. Una laptop se ralentizó; La huelgas ralentizaron los esfuerzos del gob)

(Caiste) en la boca del lobo

Get into a dangerous situation

Esfumarse

Desvanecerse, Disappear (“dònde està, se esfumó”, Salir silbando bajito)

Prevalecer

Prevail; Superar p.ej las dificultades

Adormecido

Gone to sleep; Numb (tr.) e.g. el pie, el brazo

Confiado

Someone who trusts people (cf. Confidente = confidant; Confident = seguro/a; Èl es de confianza = trustworthy)

De todo un poco

Un poco de todo; A bit of everything; A bit of this a bit of that

Alborotarse

Enredarse; Get disorganised, make a mess

Desapercibido

Algo no notado, no visto

Plantar cara

Enfrentarse a (jefe, etc); Face up to someone

Dar la cara

Face the music; Face the facts (you were wrong)

Qué mas da?

What difference does it make? What does it matter?

Què va, John?

No way!

Ingrato

Ungrateful, also thankless (e.g. task)

Recto

Upright, straight, honourable

Cómplice

Accomplice

Ignominia

Disgraceful

Bajarle dos rayitas

Turn it down a notch

Si bien

Although, while, even though…

Acudir

To come, to turn to (advice), to attend

No puedo ser limonsero con garrote

Beggars can’t be choosers

Arrasar

To raze, destroy, devastate

Entre menos/más…, menos/mas…

The more/less you…, the more/less (subj.)

Albergar

To harbour, to house (person, emotions)

Magnicidio

Assassination (usually political)

Coordenada

Coordinate

Intrincado

Intricate, complex

Paradero

Whereabouts

Pésame

Condolences (e.g., Le dio el pésame; Le di mi más pésame al viudo)

Acertar

To guess right, hit the target

Recurrir a

To turn to, to resort to

Redada

Raid, catch (e.g. fish)

Tombo

Pig (police), sudamérica (paco, Ch.)

Alcaide

Prison warden (e.g. prison)

Alcalde

Mayor

Cuneta

Ditch, gutter

Funcionario

Civil servant, official

Requiebro

Flirtatious remark, amorous compliment, compliment

Carnaza

Stew, cannon fodder (in battle)

Idilio

Love affair (romantic, also figurative = hobby)

Notición (masc.)

Big news, scoop

Depurar

To purify, clariy, to refine (e.g. language)

Engrasar

To grease, to “grease the wheels”, bribe

Por algo será

There must be something to it

Destierro

Exile, banishment

Reprochar

To reproach, to blame

Zarpar

To set sail

Cuesta arriba

To be uphill (lit. and figurative)

Oportuna

Well-timed, good timing

Entumecer

To numb, se me entumeció ___

Portaminas

Mechanical pencil