350 Frases en ingls

A un hablante nativo se le distingue fcilmente no solo por su acento y habilidad para formar frases, sino tambin por el conjunto
de expresiones que utiliza. El conocimiento de estas frases, obviamente, no te convertir en un experto en ingls pero te ayudar
a entender a los nativos bien y mantener cualquier conversacin.
Genial.guru te presenta las expresiones idiomticas ms importantes en ingls con su traduccin y ejemplo de uso.

Expresiones idiomticas con sus Traduccin Ejemplo

sinnimos
after all despite, nevertheless
all along all the time
all ears eager to listen
all of a sudden suddenly
all the same no difference
all thumbs clumsy
apple of discord subject of envy
or quarrel
as a rule usually
as far as I am concerned
in my opinion
as for me/as to me in my opinion
as well also, too
at all (not) in the smallest degree
at random without order
at this point at this time
be about to ready (to do)
despus de todo, al fin y al cabo I knew it! After all, I was right!
todo el tiempo I knew about his little secret all along.
todo odos I am all ears.
de repente, de pronto All of a sudden, he refused to pay.
da igual, lo mismo; de todos modos If its all the same to you, lets start at two.
torpe He cant fix anything, hes all thumbs.
manzana de la discordia This question is an apple of discord in our family.
como regla general As a rule, we offer a 5% discount.
en lo que a m respecta As far as I am concerned, both the book and the
movie are good.
en cuanto a m As for me, you can rely on his support.
tambin He knows math, and physics as well.
en lo ms mnimo, en absoluto He doesnt know French at all. I dont like it at all.
al azar He chose those places at random.
a estas alturas At this point, we cant turn back.
estar a punto de I was about to leave when you called.
be after someone insist, press
be all in be extremely tired
be back on ones feet healthy again
or better financially
beat around the bush avoid giving
a clear/definite answer
be beside oneself be very upset,
nervous, worried, etc.
be better off be in a better situation
be broke have no money at all
be hard on something /someone treat
roughly
be high on ones list be one of the
most important things
be in charge of be responsible for
be in the red be in debt
be into smth. be interested in
bend over backwards try hard
be on ones way
be on the safe side not to take any
chances
be out of be without
be out of shape be physically unfit
be out of sorts in bad humor
estar tras alguien; insistir, presionar
estar hecho polvo
recuperarse despus de un tiempo
difcil;
ponerse de pie otra vez
irse por las ramas
estar fuera de s
estar en una mejor situacin
estar en bancarrota
ser duro con algo/alguien
encabezar la lista de los asuntos
importantes
estar a cargo de, ser responsable de
estar en deuda, estar quebrado
estar interesado/apasionado por algo
hacer todo lo que se pueda
estar en el camino
para mayor seguridad
estar fuera de, estar desabastecido,
no tener
no estar en forma / estar en mala
condicin fsica
estar de mal humor
His mother is always after him to study.
Im all in, Id better go to bed now.
Hes back on his feet after a long period of debt and
unemployment.
Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point!
She was beside herself with worry / with grief.
Hell be better off with a new job.
I spent all my money, Im broke.
My son is hard on shoes, they dont last long with
him. Life was pretty hard on Tom.
A new car is high on my list of priorities. A new TV
is not high on my list.
He is in charge of marketing.
Our sales were in the red last year.
He is into computers. She is into sports.
I bent over backwards to help her.
Im on my way.
Take an extra key, just to be on the safe side.
We are out of bread, cheese, and sugar.
He needs to exercise, he is out of shape.
Leave him alone, hes out of sorts today
be pressed for time / money
be short of; not have enough
beside the point off the point
be to blame be responsible for
a mistake / something wrong
be touch and go be uncertain of the
result
be up against be opposed by, have
problems, be in danger
be up and around/about able to be out volver a andar, recuperarse (despus
of bed after an illness
be up to ones ears very busy
be up to something do mischief
be up to someone be ones own
decision or responsibility
be used to be accustomed to
big shot important person
bite off more than one can chew try sobrevalorar tus fuerzas (morder ms
to do more than one can
bite ones tongue stop talking
bite the dust die, be defeated
black sheep a good-for-nothing
member of the family
blind date a meeting of a man and
woman arranged by friends
blow it lose the chance
estar presionado por tiempo/dinero Im pressed for time now. We are pressed for
(no tener suficiente tiempo/dinero por money at the moment.
el momento)
ajeno a la cuestin, no va al caso What I said to him privately is beside the point.
ser culpable Who is to blame for this awful mistake? Tom
is to blame for this mix-up.
pender de un hilo He was very sick, and for some time it was touch
and go, but he is better now.
enfrentar (a algo/alguien), encontrarse Our company is up against serious attempts
ante problemas of hostile takeover.
He was sick for a month, but now he is up and
de una enfermedad) around.
estar muy ocupado Im up to my ears in work.
estar tramando algo I have to check what the kids are up to.
ser decisin de alguien, corresponderle Its up to you to decide. Its up to you to close the
a alguien office every day at 8 oclock.
estar acostumbrado a Im used to hard work. Hes used to heat.
persona importante He is a big shot around here.
I couldnt handle two jobs and family. I really bit
de lo que puedes masticar) off more than I could chew.
morderse la lengua, dejar de hablar I almost told her, but bit my tongue.
morder el polvo, morir Many of them bit the dust in that war.
oveja negra Their second son is the black sheep of the family,
he is good for nothing.
cita a ciegas She refuses to go on a blind date again because she
had bad experience.
perder la oportunidad He understood that he blew it.
blow over pass, end pasar Wait here till his anger blows over.
bottom line main result/factor resultado The bottom line is, I dont have enough money.
break into enter by force entrar por la fuerza, penetrar The police broke into the robbers house.
break ones heart hurt deeply romper el corazn de alguien The news of her death broke his heart.
break the ice overcome shyness romper el hielo (superar la timidez The party was dull until someone broke the ice with
in making the first step y dar el primer paso) a joke and we all laughed.
break the news tell new facts difundir la informacin CNN is breaking the news right now.
bring home the bacon earn the living proveer a la familia He works very hard at several places to bring home
for the family the bacon.
brush off give no attention to no hacer caso The boss brushed off my project again.
brush up on review repasar, refrescar la memoria You need to brush up on the tenses.
by all means -definitely, certainly definitivamente, por supuesto Do you need my help? By all means.
by heart by memorizing de memoria Learn this poem by heart for tomorrow.
by hook or by crook by any means como sea She will get what she wants by hook or by crook.
possible
by the way incidentally por cierto By the way, Ann is coming back today.
call a spade a spade use plain, direct llamar a las cosas por su nombre He always tells the truth and calls a spade a spade.
words
call it a day consider work finished for considerar el trabajo terminado Weve been working for 10 straight hours. Lets call
the day it a day.
call off cancel cancelar The police called off the search.
carry out fulfill realizar, cumplir She never carries out her plans.
carry weight be important tener peso en, influir, ser importante His advice always carries weight here.
cast down depressed, sad desanimar He was cast down by the bad news.
castles in the air daydreaming about (construir) castillos en el aire Instead of working hard, he spends time building
success castles in the air.
catch ones eye attract attention llamar la atencin This picture caught my eye.
catch ones breath stop and rest recobrar el aliento I cant run, I need to catch my breath.
catch someone off guard catch tomar por sorpresa He caught me off guard with his question.
someone unprepared
catch someone red-handed find smb. sorprender a alguien con las manos The manager caught the boy red-handed when
in the act of doing wrong en la masa he was stealing cigarettes.
catch up become not behind ponerse al da He needs to catch up with the others.
close call a narrow escape, a bad thing por poco sucede algo malo (escaparse The speeding car almost hit the man. That was
that almost happened por milagro) really a close call.
come across meet by chance encontrar I came across that article yesterday.
come down with become ill caer resfriado Im coming down with a cold.
come to ones senses start acting entrar en razn He finally came to his senses, started to work hard,
reasonably, intelligently and passed his exams.
come true become reality volverse realidad My dream came true when I met Pat.
come up with suggest proponer Mike came up with a brilliant idea.
count on depend on contar con You can always count on me for help.
cut corners to take a short-cut; to limit buscar atajos, omitir procedimientos He ran fast, cutting corners where he could. I have
ones spending to cut corners this week.
cut down on reduce reducir el consumo You have to cut down on chocolate.
cut out to be /cut out for it have the estar hecho para (algn trabajo) She isnt cut out to be a surgeon. Hes cut out
ability to do something to be a leader.
do ones best try very hard dar lo mejor de s I did my best to help him in his work.
do ones bit do whats needed aportar su granito de arena; hacer Ill do my bit, you can count on me.
lo necesario
do over do again rehacer This work is not good, do it over.
do someone good be good for beneficiar Fresh air and exercise will do you good.
do something behind ones back hacer algo a espaldas de uno I hate people who do things behind my back.
do (harmful) things secretively He did it behind my back again.
do without live without
down to earth practical
draw the line fix a limit
dress up put on the best clothes
drop off deliver somewhere
drop out quit (school)
duty calls must fulfill obligations
easier said than done
eat ones words take back words
even so nevertheless, but
every now and then -occasionally
every other day every second one
fall behind lag behind
fall in love begin to love
fall out of love stop loving
false alarm untrue rumor
a far cry from something very
different, almost opposite (neg.)
feel it in ones bones expect something tener una corazonada (presentimiento)
bad to happen
feel like doing something want to do, antojarse de hacer algo, sentir ganas
be inclined to do smth.
feel up to be able to do
few and far between rare, scarce
find fault with criticize
vivir sin, prescindir Ill have to do without a car for a while.
prctico, realista Hes quiet, sensible and down to earth.
trazar la lnea, limitar He drew the line for her at $100 a day.
ponerse la mejor ropa What are you dressed up for?
llevar (a una persona a un lugar), dejar Can you drop me off at the bank?
(a una persona en un lugar)
abandonar He dropped out of school last year.
el deber llama He said, Duty calls and left for work.
es ms fcil decir que hacerlo Its easier said than done, but Ill try to do it.
tragarse las palabras He had to eat his words after her report.
an as I work hard. Even so, I like my job.
de vez en cuando Every now and then I visit my old aunt.
cada dos das; un da s y un da no She washes her hair every other day.
quedarse atrs The little boy fell behind the older boys.
enamorarse Tom fell in love with Sue at first sight.
dejar de amar They fell out of love and divorced soon.
falsa alarma I heard he quit but it was a false alarm.
muy lejos de ser algo, muy diferente His second book wasnt bad, but it was a far cry
a lo que creas from his first book.
Something bad is going to happen, I feel
it in my bones.
I feel like going for a walk. I dont feel like
de hacer algo working now, Im tired.
tener nimo para hacer algo I dont feel up to cleaning the house.
muy pocos, escasos Her visits are few and far between.
encontrar fallos, criticar He always finds faults with everybody.
find out learn or discover averiguar, descubrir I found out that Maria left town.
firsthand directly from the source de primera mano You can trust it, its firsthand information.
first things first important things come primero lo primero First things first: how much money do we have
before others to pay right away?
fly off the handle get angry perder los estribos He flew off the handle and yelled at me.
follow in someones footsteps do the seguir los pasos de otro Igor followed in his fathers footsteps, he became
same thing a doctor, too.
foot in the door a special opportunity tener un pie adentro (tener una Nina got a foot in the door because her friend works
for a job oportunidad de trabajo) in that company.
foot the bill pay the bill pagar Her father footed the bill for the party.
for good forever para siempre After her death, he left town for good.
for the time being at this time por el momento, por ahora For the time being, this house is all right for us.
frame of mind mental state estado de nimo I cant do it in this frame of mind.
from A to Z completely conocer algo de pe a pa; de cabo a rabo He knows this town from A to Z.
from now on now and in the future desde ahora, a partir de ahora From now on, I forbid you to go there.
get a grip on oneself take control obtener control sobre s mismo Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself!
of ones feelings
get along with have good relations llevarse bien con Ann gets along with most coworkers, but doesnt
get along with Laura.
get away with not be caught after evitar el castigo, escapar de la justicia The police didnt find the thief. He got away with
doing wrong his crime.
get carried away get too excited and entusiasmarse He got carried away with opening a store and lost
enthusiastic about something most of his money.
get cold feet be afraid to do entrarle miedo a alguien I wanted to try it but got cold feet.
get even with have ones revenge desquitarse Ill get even with him for everything!
get in touch with contact contactar a alguien Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help.
get lost lose ones way perderse She got lost in the old part of town.
Get lost! Lay off!
get mixed up get confused
get off ones back leave alone
get on ones high horse behave
haughtily towards someone
get on (the bus, train, plane)
get off (the bus, train, plane)
get out of hand get out of control
get over recover after an illness or bad
experience
get rid of dispose of, discard
get together meet with
get to the bottom know deeply
get to the point get to the matter
Give me a break! spare me
give someone a hand help
give someone a lift /a ride take
to some place by car
give someone a piece of ones mind
criticize frankly
give up stop doing something, stop
trying to do something
go back on ones word break
a promise
go for it try to do a new thing
go from bad to worse be worse
go out go to parties, movies
Vete! Desaparcete! Lrgate! I dont want to see you again. Get lost!
confundir I got mixed up, went the wrong way and got lost.
dejar a alguien en paz Stop bothering me! Get off my back!
actuar como si fueras mejor que otras Every time I ask her to help me with typing, she
personas, ser engredo gets on her high horse.
subir (el transporte) I got on the bus on Oak Street.
bajar (el transporte) I got off the bus at the bank.
salirse de las manos, fuera de control If he gets out of hand again, call me right away.
recuperarse despus de una enfermedad I cant get over how rude he was to me. She got
o mala experiencia, superar over her illness quite quickly.
deshacerse He got rid of his old useless car.
reunirse My friends and I get together often.
llegar al fondo de algo He usually gets to the bottom of things.
ir al grano Get to the point!
Dame un respiro! Djame! Come on, stop it! Give me a break!
dar la mano, ayudar Can you give me a hand with cooking?
llevar a alguien en auto Can you give me a lift to the bank? He gave her
a ride in his new Porsche.
criticar, decir abiertamente lo que She lost my umbrella again, so I gave her a piece
piensas of my mind about her carelessness.
rendirse I gave up smoking. I gave up trying to fix my old
car.
romper la palabra/promesa First he said he would help me, but then he went
back on his word.
intentar algo nuevo If I were you, I would go for it.
ir de mal en peor His business went from bad to worse.
salir (de fiesta, al cine, etc.) Do he and his wife go out often?
go out of ones way -try very hard
go to ones head make too proud
go to pieces get very upset, fall apart
go with the flow lead quiet life
grow on someone become liked
had better should
have a ball have a good time
have a bone to pick complain
or discuss something unpleasant
have a word with someone talk to
have words with someone argue with
someone about something
have it in him have the ability
have no business doing something
have no right to do
have ones back to the wall be hard-
pressed, on the defensive
have ones hands full very busy
have ones heart set on something
want something very much
have pull have influence on
(not) have the heart (not) have the
courage to do smth. unpleasant
high and low everywhere
poner mucho esfuerzo, intentar mucho
subirse a la cabeza (xito), sentirse
demasiado orgulloso
derrumbarse, quedar deshecho
ir con la corriente
gustar poco a poco
ms vale que
pasarla bien
tener una cuenta que ajustar
hablar con alguien
hablar muy seriamente con alguien
/discutir
tener habilidades
no es tu asunto, no tienes derecho de
(estar aqu, hacer esto, etc.)
estar entre la espada y la pared
estar muy ocupado
querer algo demasiado, ansiar algo
influir, pesar
(no) atreverse a hacer algo
desagradable;
(no) tener corazn para
en todas partes (en el cielo
y en la tierra, cuando se refiere
He goes out of his way to please her.
His acting success went to his head.
She went to pieces when she heard it.
She always goes with the flow.
When she knew him more, he grew on her.
You look ill, youd better see a doctor.
Yesterday we had a ball at the party.
Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with you.
My mail was lost because of you.
Can I have a word with you?
I had words with my coworker today because
he used my computer again.
Laura has it in her to be a good doctor.
You have no business staying here without
my permission.
I had no choice, I had my back to the wall.
He has his hands full with hard work.
She has her heart set on going to New York. He has
his heart set on Betty.
Does he have pull with the director?
I dont have the heart to tell him that he wasnt
accepted, hell be so unhappy.
I searched high and low for my lost cat.

hit the nail on the head say exactly
the right thing
hit upon something to discover
hold it against someone blame
somebody for doing something
Hold it! Stop! Wait!
Hold on! Wait!
hold ones own maintain oneself
in a situation, behave as needed
hold up rob using a weapon
a bsquedas)
acertar You hit the nail on the head when you said our
company needs a new director.
pensar en algo; descubrir They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan.
guardar rencores en contra de alguien; I lost his book, but he doesnt hold it against me.
culpar a alguien por algo
Detente! Espera! Hold it! I forgot my key.
Espera! Hold on! Ill be back in a minute.
mantenerse firme He can hold his own in any situation. We need men
who can hold their own.
asaltar, atacar This bank was held up twice last year.

ill at ease uncomfortable disgustado, incmodo She felt ill at ease because of her cheap dress.
in advance well before de antemano He told her about his plan in advance.
in a nutshell in a few words en breve, en pocas palabras In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land.
in care of someone write to one person (escribir) a alguien a la direccin Im staying at Toms house. Write to me in care
at the address of another de otra persona (al cuidado de) of Tom Gray, Chicago, Illinois.
in cold blood mercilessly a sangre fra He killed her in cold blood.
in fact actually, in reality de hecho, en realidad In fact, he works as a manager here.
in general generally, generally en general In general, he likes to be alone. He described the
speaking place only in general.
in ones element what one likes estar como pez en el agua Hes in his element when hes arguing.
in other words using other words en otras palabras In other words, you refused to do it for her.
in plain English in simple, frank terms sencillamente hablando I didnt really like the concert. In plain English, the
concert was terrible.
the ins and outs all info about los pormenores He knows the ins and outs of this business.
in someones shoes in another persons en los zapatos de alguin, en lugar Id hate to be in his shoes now. He lost his job, and
position de otra persona his wife is in the hospital.
in the long run in the end al final de cuentas In the long run, itll be better to buy it.
in the same boat in the same situation en el mismo barco; en la misma Stop arguing with me, were in the same boat and
situacion should help each other.
in the clear free from blame estar fuera de sospecha Pay the bill and youll be in the clear.
in time (to do something) before a tiempo (para hacer algo) I came in time to have a cup of coffee before class.
something begins
it goes without saying should be clear no hace falta decir nada It goes without saying that he must pay what
without words he owes right away.
Its on the tip of my tongue. est en la punta de mi lengua His name is on the tip of my tongue.
its time should do it right away es hora Hurry up, its time to go.
Its worth it. / Its not worth it. Its (not) lo vale / no lo vale Watch this film, its worth it. Dont buy this coat,
worth buying, visiting, watching, etc. vale la pena / no vale la pena it is not worth it. This museum is worth visiting.
This film is not worth watching.
it will do its enough es suficiente Stop reading, it will do for now.
jump at the opportunity/chance aprovechar la oportunidad His boss mentioned a job in Europe, and Peter
accept the opportunity eagerly jumped at the opportunity.
just as soon prefer this one preferira Id just as soon stay home, Im tired.
just in case to be on the safe side por si acaso Take an extra shirt, just in case.
Just my luck! Bad / Hard luck! Vaya suerte que tengo! Qu mala They lost my job application. Just my luck!
suerte!
keep an eye on take care of, watch, estar pendiente; vigilar Betty keeps an eye on my sons for me. Ill keep
look after an eye on you!
keep a straight face not to laugh mantener la cara seria I tried to keep a straight face, but failed.
keep company accompany hacer compaa She keeps me company quite often.
keep ones word fulfill a promise mantener la palabra You promised, now keep your word.
keep someone posted inform mantener a alguien al tanto / informado Keep me posted about your plans.
keep your fingers crossed hope that
nothing will go wrong
kill time fill/spend empty time
(not) know the first thing about not
to have any knowledge about
know the ropes be very familiar with
some business
last-minute notice little or no time
to prepare for something
lay ones cards on the table be frank
and open
lay ones life on the line put oneself
in a dangerous situation
lead a dogs life live in misery
lead someone on make someone
believe something that isnt true
leave it at that accept reluctantly
leave word leave a message
let bygones be bygones forget and
forgive bad things in the past
let go of release the hold
let (it) go forget bad experience, return
to normal life
let ones hair down be relaxed and
informal with other people
let someone down disappoint, fail
someone
let someone know inform
cruzar los dedos I have a job interview today. Keep your fingers
crossed for me, will you?
matar el tiempo I went to the show to kill time.
no saber nada acerca de I dont know the first thing about nuclear physics.
estar al tanto He knows all the ropes in this company.
noticia de timo minuto His arrival was a last-minute notice, we didnt have
time to prepare for it.
poner las cartas sobre la mesa; ser Finally, we asked him to lay his cards on the table
sincero y abierto and tell us about his plans.
poner la vida en juego, arriesgar la vida He laid his life on the line to fulfill this task, but
nobody appreciated his efforts.
llevar una vida de perros He leads a dogs life.
engaar, hacer a alguien creer que They suspect that you are leading them on. You led
es cierto me on!
dejar las cosas como son Leave it at that, what else can you do?
dejar un mensaje He left word for you to meet him at the airport at 6.
lo pasado, pasado est Why dont you let bygones be bygones and forget
about what he said?
soltar, dejar ir Let go of my hand or Ill call the guard.
dejarlo ir, superar malas experiencias Hes still in despair and cant let (it) go. You cant
change anything, so let it go.
soltarse la melena, echarse una cana She is always so formal. She never lets her hair
al aire, relajarse down.
quedar mal con alguien, decepcionar Dont let me down this time!
a alguien
notificar, informar Let me know when you find a job.
like father, like son be like ones
parent in something
little by little step by step
look for search for
look forward to expect with pleasure
look out be careful, watch out
look up check with /in a dictionary
or a reference book
lose ones temper become angry
lose ones way get lost
lose track of not to know where
someone or something is
lucky break a lucky chance
make a living earn money to provide ganarse la vida
for life
make allowance for take into
consideration when judging
make a point of be sure
to do something intentionally
make ends meet to have and spend
only what one earns
make friends become friends
make fun of laugh at, joke about
make no bones about it say/do openly, no darle ms vueltas, no andar por las Ill make no bones about it: I dont like your
without hesitation
make room for allow space for
de tal palo, tal astilla Paul won a prize in a chess tournament. Great! Like
father, like son!
poco a poco Little by little, he got used to Tokyo.
buscar What are you looking for?
esperar con impaciencia Im looking forward to your letter. Mary is looking
forward to the party.
tener cuidado Look out! The bus is coming!
buscar (informacin en un diccionario, If you dont know this word, look it up in the
Internet, etc.) dictionary.
perder la paciencia, enojarse He loses his temper very often.
perder el camino, perderse I lost my way. Can you help me?
perder el hilo/la pista I lost track of him years ago.
golpe de suerte He got his lucky break when he got this job.
He works hard. His family is big, and he has
to make a living somehow.
tener en cuenta Dont criticize him so hard, make (an) allowance
for his inexperience.
poner empeo en (hacer algo); hacer Make a point of asking about his wife. Make
algo intencionalmente; tender a/intentar it a point to be here by 10.
llegar a fin de mes; sobrevivir con His doesnt get much money. I wonder how
pocos ingresos he manages to make ends meet.
hacer amigos Anton makes new friends easily.
burlarse de He made fun of her German accent.
ramas attitude to work.
liberar espacio para We can make room for one more dog.
make sense be logical
make the most of smth do the best
in the given situation
make up become friends again
make up for smth compensate
make up ones mind decide
make yourself at home
be comfortable, feel at home
man of his word one who keeps
promises, is dependable
mean well have good intentions
might as well a good idea
missing person someone who is lost
and cant be located
meet someone halfway compromise
with others
never mind it doesnt matter
not to mention in addition to
no wonder not surprising
now and again occasionally
odds and ends a variety of small
unimportant things or leftovers
off the cuff without preparation
off the point beside the point
tener sentido What you say makes sense.
sacar lo mejor de Lets make the most of our vacation.
reconciliarse Im tired of fighting. Lets make up.
recompensar Ill make up for the time you spent on it.
tomar una decisin When will you go? Make up your mind.
sintete como en tu casa Come in please. Make yourself at home.
el hombre de palabra You can depend on his promise to help. Hes a man
of his word.
tener buenas intenciones He meant well, but it turned out that he spoiled
a couple of things for me.
podras aprovechar y hacerlo (es buena I might as well telephone him now.
idea hacer algo)
persona desaparecida The little boy disappeared. The police registered
him as a missing person.
encontrar un trmino medio Hes reasonable and tries to meet his coworkers
halfway, when possible.
olvdalo, no importa Thank you. Never mind.
sin mencionar We have three dogs, not to mention two cats.
no es una sorpresa He ate three big fish. No wonder hes sick.
de vez en cuando I meet them now and again at the bank.
restos, pedacitos I needed to buy some odds and ends for the kitchen.
de improviso, sin preparacin previa Off the cuff, I can give you only a rough estimate.
no va al caso, fuera de la cuestin What I think about him is off the point.
off the record not for the public, extraoficialmente Strictly off the record, I think the director is going
unofficially to get married soon.
once and for all decidedly de una vez por todas You must quit smoking once and for all.
on credit not pay cash right away a crdito He bought a car on credit.
on edge nervous, irritable nervioso, irritado Hes been on edge ever since she left.
on guard on the alert en guardia, alerta Hes cautious and always on guard.
on hand available a la mano Do you have a calculator on hand?
on ones own alone, by oneself por su cuenta, independientemente She likes to live and work on her own.
on ones toes alert, attentive, prepared alerta He was on his toes and produced a very good
for difficulties impression on them.
on purpose intentionally a propsito, intencionalmente I didnt do it on purpose, it just happened so.
on second thought after thinking again pensndolo bien Id like to sit on the aisle. On second thought, Id
like a window seat.
on the alert on guard alerta, en guardia Hes cautious and always on the alert.
on the carpet called in by the boss for llamar al despacho del director, llamar Yesterday the boss called her on the carpet for
criticism la atencin, criticar being rude to the coworkers.
on the go busy, on the move en marcha, en movimiento He is always on the go.
on the off chance unlikely to happen, es poco probable pero On the off chance that you dont find him at work,
but still heres his home address.
on the other hand considering the por otro lado Id like to have a dog. On the other hand, my wife
other side of the question likes cats better.
on the spot right there en el mismo sitio I decided to do it on the spot.
on the spur of the moment without en la euforia del momento He bought this car on the spur of the moment, now
previous thought / plan he regrets it.
on time punctual a tiempo Jim is always on time.
out of ones mind crazy loco, fuera de s If you think so, youre out of your mind.
out of ones way away from someonesdesviado del camino, fuera del camino I cant give you a lift to the bank, its out of my way
usual route today.
out of the question impossible fuera de la cuestin Paying him is out of the question!
pack rat a person who saves lots acumulador obsesivo Why does she keep all those things she never uses?
of unnecessary things She is a pack rat.
pay attention be attentive prestar atencin Pay attention to his words.
pick a fight start a quarrel empezar una pelea/discusin He often tries to pick a fight with me.
pick up take, get elegir, recoger Ill pick you up at 7.
play ones cards right choose the right jugar bien sus cartas If you play your cards right, hell agree to your
steps in doing something plan.
potluck supper a surprise meal, where una cena en grupo donde cada quien You know what happened at our last potluck
nobody knows what dishes other guests trae lo que quiere supper? Everybody brought macaroni and cheese,
will bring apples, and beer!
pull oneself together brace oneself, sobreponerse Stop crying and complaining! You have to pull
summon your strength yourself together now.
pull the wool over someones eyes engaar Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?
deceive, mislead someone It wont do you any good.
put a damper on discourage poner un freno a She always puts a damper on my plans.
put in a word for someone say defender a alguien con palabras, decir Id be very grateful if you could put in a word for
positive things about someone algo bueno acerca de alguien me when you speak to him.
put off postpone posponer Dont put it off till tomorrow.
put ones foot down object strongly oponerse fuertemente Her father put his foot down when she said she
wanted to marry Alan.
put ones foot in it do the wrong thing, meter la pata; decir /hacer algo estpidoHe put his foot in it when he told the boss his
make a fool of oneself daughter wasnt pretty.
put up with accept, tolerate aguantar, tolerar I cant put up with your bad work!
quite a bit of much, a lot of mucho I had quite a bit of trouble with that car.
quite a few many, a lot of muchos He wrote quite a few good stories.
rack ones brain try hard to think esforzar el cerebro He racked his brain to solve the puzzle.
read between the lines find leer entre lneas His books are not easy to understand; you have
or understand the implied meaning to read between the lines.
remember me to say hello to enviar saludos Please remember me to your family.
right away immediately de inmediato It very important to do it right away.
ring a bell remind someone se parece a algo, luce familiar Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell, but I cant place
of something familiar /half-forgotten it right now.
rock the boat make the situation causar problemas, desestabilizar una Peter always rocks the boat when we discuss
unstable situacin companys spending policy.
rub shoulders with meet with codearse He doesnt rub shoulders with the rich.
rub someone the wrong way irritate, irritar, molestar a alguien His remarks rub many coworkers the wrong way.
annoy, make angry
run into meet by chance encontrarse a alguien por casualidad I ran into an old friend yesterday.
save face try to change the negative rescatar la reputacin He said a stupid thing and tried to save face
impression produced by saying he misunderstood me.
save ones breath stop useless talk ahorrarse las palabras Theres no use talking to him about his spending
habits, so save your breath.
scratch the surface study something no profundizar en el tema, estudiar He examines all the facts closely, he doesnt just
superficially de manera superficial scratch the surface.
see about make arrangements for ocuparse de I have to see about our plane tickets.
see eye to eye agree compartir un mismo punto de vista con We dont see eye to eye any longer.
alguien
serve someone right get what someonerecibir lo que uno se merece It serves him right that he didnt get this job,
deserves he despised all other candidates.
serve ones purpose be useful servir al propsito de alguien, ser til I doubt that hiring this man will serve your purpose.
to someone for his purpose para el propsito de alguien
show promise be promising mostrar esperanza This young actor shows promise.
show up appear aparecer I waited for hours but he didnt show up.
size up evaluate someone evaluar It took me 5 minutes to size up that man.
sleep on it postpone a decision till next posponer algo hasta la maana Dont decide now, sleep on it.
morning siguiente
a slip of the tongue a mistake error, equivocacin, lapsus It was just a slip of the tongue!
slip (from) ones mind forget olvidar It slipped my mind what she asked me.
smell a rat suspect something sospechar algo Im not sure what it is, but I smell a rat.
so far up to now hasta ahora So far, I have read 3 books by King.
so much the better its even better an mejor If he can pay cash, so much the better.
spill the beans tell a secret soltar la sopa, decir un secreto Who spilled the beans about our plan?
stand a chance have a chance tener una oportunidad He doesnt stand a chance of getting it.
stand out be noticeable destacarse He stands out in any group of people.
stand to reason be logical ser lgico It stands to reason that he apologized.
straight from the shoulder speak sin rodeos, abiertamente Dont try to spare my feelings, give it to me straight
frankly from the shoulder.
take a dim view of something tener una opinin negativa acerca My sister takes a dim view of the way I raise
disapprove of something de algo my children.
take a break stop for rest tomar una pausa Lets take a break, Im tired.
take advantage of use for ones own aprovecharse de We took advantage of the low prices and bought
benefit, to profit from a computer and a monitor.
take after be like one of the parents parecerse a los padres Tom takes after his father in character, and after his
mother in appearance.
take a stand on something make tomar una posicin firme respecto People need to take a stand on the issue of nuclear
a firm opinion/decision on smth. a algo weapons.
take care of look after, protect, see that cuidar de Can you take care of my dog while Im away? Tom
smth. is done properly takes good care of his car.
take hold of something take, hold tomar, sujetar Take hold of this rope and pull.
take into account consider smth. tomar en cuenta You must take into account her old age.
take it easy relax, be calm no te preocupes Take it easy, everything will be OK.
take (it) for granted accept as given dar por sentado Mothers love is always taken for granted
by children.
take ones breath away dejarlo a uno sin aliento That great view took my breath away.
take ones time do slowly tomarte tu tiempo, hacer algo despacio, Dont hurry. Take your time.
sin prisa
take ones word for it believe creer en la palabra de alguien, creerle Take my word for it, he wont go there.
a alguien
take pains try hard to do it well esmerarse He took pains to make his report perfect.
take part in smth. participate in tomar parte, participar Mary is going to take part in the show.
take place happen tomar lugar, suceder The accident took place on Oak Street.
take someones mind off things distraer a alguien de sus pensamientos Go to a concert or a movie to take your mind off
distract from fixed ideas/thoughts things.
take steps take action /measures tomar medidas, actuar We need to take steps against it.
take the words right out of ones quitar las palabras de la boca (decir I was about to say the same! You took the words
mouth say the same before somebody algo que quera decir otra persona) right out of my mouth.
else says it
take time take a long time tomar tiempo It takes time to get used to a new place.
take time off be absent from work tomar un da libre He took time off to attend the wedding.
take turns alternate doing something cambiar turnos, hacer algo por turnos We went to Minsk by car. We didnt get tired
one after another because we took turns driving
talk back answer rudely replicar, responder insolentemente Dont talk back to the teacher!
talk it over discuss discutir Ill talk it over with my family.
tell apart see the difference distinguir Can you tell the twins apart?
Thats just the point. Thats it. Este es el punto. Thats just the point! I hate this job!
the writing on the wall a sign of futurepremonicin (de algo malo) The plane crashed. Tim said he saw the writing
events (usually, trouble) on the wall about this flight.
not think much of think low tener un concepto bajo de alguien I dont think much of her cooking.
think over consider carefully pensar en detalle, considerar Think over your answer. Think it over carefully.
till one is blue in the face try hard esforzarse demasiado I repeated it till I was blue in the face!
to make a long story short in short en pocas palabras To make a long story short, we won.
to say the least to make the minimum para no decir ms The film was boring and long, to say the least.
comment about smth.
try on put on new clothes to test them probarse (la ropa) Try on this leather coat, its very good. She tried
for size or look it on, but it didnt fit her at all.
try ones hand at something try probar algo, probar suerte con algo I want to try my hand at painting.
turn on / off switch on / off encender/apagar Turn on the radio. Turn off the water.
turn out to be result/end this way resultar He turned out to be a very good actor.
turn over a new leaf make a fresh start empezar de nuevo, hacer borrn He promises to turn over a new leaf and quit
in life, work, etc. y cuenta nueva alcohol for good.
turn the tide reverse the course cambiar el curso de los eventos The new evidence turned the tide, and the defendant
of events was acquitted of charges.
twist ones arm make to agree retorcer brazos, obligar a alguien They twisted his arm to sell the house.
a hacer algo en contra de su voluntad
under the weather feel ill resfriado Im a little under the weather today.
up-and-coming showing promise prometedor He is an up-and-coming young lawyer who might
of future success help you with your case.
up in arms hostile to, in strong protest protestar, estar en contra The employees are up in arms about the new
against something retirement rules.
up in the air undecided colgado en el aire, indefinido My vacation plans are still up in the air.
up to par equal in standard adecuado y normal His behavior isnt up to par.
used to did often in the past, but not sola (hacer algo) I used to play the piano when I was in school (but I
now dont play it now).
walk on air be very happy
waste ones breath speak uselessly,
to no purpose
watch ones step be careful
watch out look out, be careful
wet blanket a kill-joy, who spoils
everybodys fun
Whats the matter? What is it?
which way the wind blows what the
real situation is
white lie unimportant lie
word for word in the same words
would rather prefer
estar en las nubes, estar muy feliz He got the job and is walking on air now.
esforzarse en vano Dont waste your breath trying to make him do it,
he wont change his mind.
tener cuidado, ser cauteloso Watch your step!
tener cuidado Watch out for that car! Watch out!
aguafiestas Remember what a wet blanket he was last time?
Please dont invite him again.
Qu pasa? Whats the matter? What happened?
cul es la situacin real (en qu He knows which way the wind blows and always
direccin sopla el viento) acts accordingly.
mentira piadosa A white lie is told to spare your feelings.
literalmente Tell me word for word what he said.
preferir Id rather stay at home today.
Fuente: Study-English.info