B2 · Unit 32 · 43 words, 2 texts with translation
Retell gossip from a party
Tell a friend the latest party gossip the way people really talk ("so he goes and…", "long story short…"), and jokingly bargain with your partner before you move in together.
Texts in this unit
Grammar in this unit
Telling a story: va y me dice, total que
When you tell a friend about last night, you don't talk like a book: "So then he goes and gets down on one knee. And I'm like, 'no way.' Long story short, she said yes." Spanish storytelling has its own short words too.
| What you want to say | In Spanish | Example |
|---|---|---|
| "goes and…" — a sudden twist | va y + verb | Va Dani y se arrodilla. — Dani goes and gets down on one knee. |
| "and I'm like…" — your reaction or a quote | y yo, en plan + words | Y yo, en plan, «¿en serio?» — And I'm like, "Seriously?" |
| "long story short", "so in the end" | total que + the outcome | Total que dijo que sí. — Long story short, she said yes. |
| "it turns out" | resulta que (A2) | Resulta que era otro Dani. — It turns out it was a different Dani. |
In va y, nobody goes anywhere. The verb ir doesn't mean moving here, just like in English "he went and told everyone". It's in the same tense as the rest of the story: va y me dice (a story told in the present), fue y me dijo (a story told in the past). The subject can go where it's convenient: va Dani y… or Dani va y….
The present instead of the past. People often tell a story about yesterday in the present tense, so it sounds like it's happening right now. Casual English does the same: Ayer salgo del trabajo, me encuentro con Lucía y va y me dice… ("So yesterday I'm leaving work, I run into Lucía, and she goes and tells me…"). Background and earlier events stay in the past: me había pedido que…, la cosa iba de mal en peor. Something from this morning is in the present perfect: esta mañana le ha escrito. Mixing tenses here isn't a mistake; that's how people tell stories.
en plan and total que are only for casual speech. You don't tell a story like this to your boss, in a letter or in a notice. As a noun, total means "total, sum" (el total de la cuenta — the total on the check); in total que it means "long story short, anyway". In writing there's often a comma before que: total, que, but you can't hear it.
Crazy about, sick of: estar + word + preposition
Spanish often describes how someone feels with estar + a word + a preposition. Learn the preposition together with the word: it often isn't the one English uses. The word after estar changes for gender and number: él está colado, ella está colada, están coladas.
| Preposition | Words | Example |
|---|---|---|
por — for someone, or because of someone | colado por, loco por, preocupado por | Pablo está colado por Raquel. — Pablo has a crush on Raquel. |
de — what you're tired of or proud of | harto de, cansado de, enamorado de, orgulloso de | Estoy harta de los atascos. — I'm sick of traffic jams (woman speaking). |
con — happy with something, angry with someone | encantado con, contento con, enfadado con, casado con | Estamos encantados con el piso. — We love the apartment. |
en | interesado en | Está interesado en alquilar. — He's interested in renting. |
a | acostumbrado a | Estoy acostumbrada al ruido. — I'm used to the noise (woman speaking). |
A common mistake is copying the English preposition: "in love with" is not ✗ enamorado con but enamorado de; "married to" is not ✗ casado a but casado con. If you're not sure, think of a pair from this table.
The preposition can also be followed by an infinitive: harto de esperar ("sick of waiting"), loca por viajar ("crazy about traveling"). But encantado de conocerte ("nice to meet you") takes de, not con: con is for a thing, a place or a person you're happy with: encantada con mi jefe ("really happy with my boss").
Register. Estar colado por — to have a crush on: casual, about a new crush, among friends; in neutral speech and in writing, say estar enamorado de. The other words in the table are neutral.
Words in this unit
estar colado por — to have a crush on, to be crazy about
Pablo está colado por la hermana de Noelia. — Pablo has a crush on Noelia's sister.
tirar los tejos — to hit on, to flirt with
Ese chico lleva toda la noche tirándome los tejos. — That guy has been hitting on me all night.
dar calabazas — to turn down, to reject
Le pidió una cita y ella le dio calabazas. — He asked her out, and she turned him down.
poner los cuernos — to cheat on
Dice que su novio le ponía los cuernos con una compañera. — She says her boyfriend was cheating on her with a coworker.
ir en serio — to be serious (about a relationship or a plan)
Llevan solo tres meses, pero la cosa va en serio. — They've only been together for three months, but it's serious.
sentar la cabeza — to settle down
Mi hermano dice que no quiere sentar la cabeza todavía. — My brother says he doesn't want to settle down yet.
pedir matrimonio — to propose (marriage)
Le pidió matrimonio en la playa, al atardecer. — He proposed to her on the beach at sunset.
irse a vivir juntos — to move in together
Nos vamos a vivir juntos en marzo. — We're moving in together in March.
hacerse de rogar — to play hard to get, to make people beg
No te hagas de rogar y ven a la fiesta. — Don't play hard to get, just come to the party.
hacerse ilusiones — to get your hopes up
No te hagas ilusiones: todavía no sabemos nada. — Don't get your hopes up: we don't know anything yet.
armar un lío — to cause a scene, to make a mess of things
Cada vez que bebe, arma un lío. — Every time he drinks, he causes a scene.
echar la bronca — to chew out, to scold, to yell at
Mi jefe me echó la bronca por llegar tarde. — My boss chewed me out for being late.
sacar de quicio — to drive crazy, to drive up the wall
Me saca de quicio que nadie conteste a mis mensajes. — It drives me crazy that nobody answers my messages.
poner de los nervios — to get on someone's nerves, to make nervous
Los atascos me ponen de los nervios. — Traffic jams get on my nerves.
hacer el ridículo — to make a fool of yourself
No quiero hacer el ridículo cantando delante de todos. — I don't want to make a fool of myself singing in front of everyone.
hacerse el tonto — to play dumb
No te hagas el tonto, sabes perfectamente de qué hablo. — Don't play dumb, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about (to a man).
dar la lata — to bug, to pester
Mi vecino me da la lata con la música. — My neighbor bugs me with his music.
ni de coña — no way, not a chance
¿Yo, cantar en el karaoke? ¡Ni de coña! — Me, sing at karaoke? No way!
estar como una cabra — to be nuts, to be a little crazy
Quiere ir en bici a la oficina con esta lluvia; está como una cabra. — He wants to bike to the office in this rain; he's nuts.
cada dos por tres — every five minutes, all the time
Cada dos por tres se va la luz en mi calle. — The power goes out on my street every five minutes.
de mal en peor — from bad to worse
El día empezó mal y fue de mal en peor. — The day started badly and went from bad to worse.
dar vergüenza ajena — to make you cringe, to feel embarrassed for someone
Ese anuncio da vergüenza ajena. — That ad makes you cringe.
perder la cabeza — to lose your head, to go crazy (over)
Perdió la cabeza por una chica que conoció en el tren. — He lost his head over a girl he met on the train.
dejarse llevar — to go with the flow, to let yourself go, to get carried away
Déjate llevar y disfruta del viaje. — Let yourself go and enjoy the trip.
total que — long story short, anyway, so
Perdí el autobús y no había taxis. Total que llegué a pie. — I missed the bus and there were no taxis. Long story short, I got there on foot.
infiel — unfaithful
Se enteró de que su novio era infiel. — She found out that her boyfriend was unfaithful.
la lealtad — loyalty
Lo que más valoro en un amigo es la lealtad. — What I value most in a friend is loyalty.
enrollarse — to go on and on, to talk too much
No te enrolles, dime solo lo importante. — Don't go on and on, just tell me what's important.
liarse — to get mixed up, to hook up (with someone)
Me lío con los horarios de los trenes. — I get mixed up with the train schedules.
el ligón — flirt, player
Mi primo es un ligón y siempre tiene una historia nueva. — My cousin is a player and always has a new story.
la soltería — being single, single life
Mis amigos presumen de soltería, pero buscan pareja. — My friends brag about being single, but they're looking for a partner.
roncar — to snore
Mi compañero de piso ronca tanto que duermo con tapones. — My roommate snores so much that I sleep with earplugs.
el/la pelma — bore, pain, nag
No seas pelma y déjame ver la serie. — Don't be a pain, let me watch the show.
la alianza — wedding ring, alliance
Se quitó la alianza para fregar los platos. — He took off his wedding ring to do the dishes.
arrodillarse — to kneel (down)
Se arrodilló para buscar las llaves debajo del sofá. — He knelt down to look for the keys under the couch.
el micrófono — microphone
Pásame el micrófono, quiero decir unas palabras. — Pass me the microphone, I want to say a few words.
el karaoke — karaoke
El sábado vamos a un karaoke con los compañeros. — On Saturday we're going to a karaoke bar with our coworkers.
desafinar — to sing off-key, to be out of tune
Canta con ganas, pero desafina bastante. — She sings her heart out, but she's pretty off-key.
tartamudear — to stutter, to stammer
Se puso rojo y empezó a tartamudear. — He turned red and started to stutter.
el bochorno — embarrassment, muggy heat
¡Qué bochorno! Se me cayó el café delante de todos. — How embarrassing! I dropped my coffee in front of everyone.
meterse en líos — to get into trouble
Es un buen chico, pero siempre se mete en líos. — He's a good guy, but he's always getting into trouble.
coger cariño — to get attached to, to grow fond of
Le he cogido mucho cariño a este barrio. — I've gotten really attached to this neighborhood.
saber mal — to feel bad (about something)
Me sabe mal decirte que no, pero hoy no puedo. — I feel bad saying no to you, but I can't today.
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