Spanish Verbal Phrases & Idioms

What You'll Learn

Master tener, hacer, dar phrases - Learn essential expressions like tener ganas, hacer falta, dar igual
Use echar phrases naturally - Express missing someone with echar de menos and related idioms
Apply verbal periphrasis - Use acabar de (just did), volver a (do again), ponerse a (start to)
Understand phrase patterns - Recognise how verb + noun combinations create fixed meanings
Sound like a native - Use the expressions Spanish speakers use constantly in daily conversation

Overview / Usage

Verbal phrases (also called phrasal verbs or verbal expressions) are fixed combinations of a verb with another word that together create a specific meaning. In Spanish, these often use tener, hacer, dar, echar, or other common verbs combined with nouns, adjectives, or prepositions.

Idioms, on the other hand, are expressions whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal meanings of the individual words. For example, "estar en las nubes" (to be in the clouds) means "to have one's head in the clouds" - the figurative meaning is completely different from the literal one.

Why Learn These?

Native speakers use verbal phrases and idioms constantly in everyday conversation. They're essential for sounding natural and expressing nuanced meanings that single verbs can't capture. Understanding these expressions is key to achieving fluency.

This lesson covers the most common verbal phrases grouped by their base verb, as well as essential Spanish idioms that are frequently used in daily conversation.

Structure & Formation

Main Verb Categories

🤝 Tener Phrases - States & Feelings

Tener is used to express physical states, emotions, and desires.

Phrase	Meaning	Example
tener ganas de	to feel like	Tengo ganas de salir → I feel like going out
tener que ver (con)	to have to do with	No tiene que ver contigo → It has nothing to do with you
tener en cuenta	to keep in mind	Ten en cuenta el precio → Keep the price in mind
tener razón	to be right	Tienes razón → You're right
tener la culpa	to be to blame	Yo tengo la culpa → It's my fault
tener lugar	to take place	La fiesta tiene lugar aquí → The party takes place here

💡 For more tener expressions, see: Tener, Hacer & Dar Expressions

⚡ Hacer Phrases - Actions & Effects

Hacer creates many common expressions beyond its basic meaning of "to do/make".

Phrase	Meaning	Example
hacer falta	to be needed, to lack	Me hace falta dinero → I need money
hacer caso	to pay attention to	No me hace caso → He/She doesn't pay attention to me
hacer daño	to hurt, to harm	Me hace daño la pierna → My leg hurts
hacer gracia	to be funny, to amuse	Me hace gracia su acento → His/Her accent amuses me
hacer ilusión	to be excited about	Me hace ilusión tu visita → I'm excited about your visit
hacer frente a	to face, to confront	Hay que hacer frente al problema → We must face the problem

🎁 Dar Phrases - Giving & Causing

Dar (to give) forms many idiomatic expressions, often describing causing feelings.

Phrase	Meaning	Example
dar igual	to not matter	Me da igual → I don't mind / It doesn't matter to me
dar miedo	to scare, to frighten	Me dan miedo las arañas → Spiders scare me
dar pena	to feel sorry, to pity	Me da pena verlo así → I feel sorry to see him like this
dar vergüenza	to embarrass	Me da vergüenza hablar en público → I'm embarrassed to speak in public
dar asco	to disgust	Me da asco la comida fría → Cold food disgusts me
darse cuenta (de)	to realise	No me di cuenta del error → I didn't realise the mistake

💔 Echar Phrases - Throwing & Missing

Echar (to throw) creates several important idiomatic phrases.

Phrase	Meaning	Example
echar de menos	to miss (someone/something)	Te echo de menos → I miss you
echar la culpa (a)	to blame	No me eches la culpa → Don't blame me
echar una mano	to lend a hand, to help	¿Me echas una mano? → Can you give me a hand?
echarse a + inf	to start to (suddenly)	Se echó a llorar → He/She burst into tears

🔗 Verbal Periphrasis - Multi-Verb Constructions

Verbal periphrasis are combinations of two or more verbs that function as a single unit.

Construction	Meaning	Example
acabar de + inf	to have just done	Acabo de llegar → I've just arrived
volver a + inf	to do again	Volvió a llamar → He/She called again
ponerse a + inf	to start to, to begin to	Se puso a estudiar → He/She started studying
dejar de + inf	to stop doing	Dejé de fumar → I stopped smoking
llegar a + inf	to manage to, to get to	Llegué a entenderlo → I managed to understand it
parar de + inf	to stop doing	No para de hablar → He/She doesn't stop talking
ir a + inf	to be going to	Voy a comer → I'm going to eat

💡 Note: For more on acabar de, see: Prepositions that Change Verb Meanings

🎭 Common Spanish Idioms

Spanish idioms use figurative language where the meaning can't be understood from the individual words.

Idiom (Literal)	Actual Meaning	Example
estar en las nubes (to be in the clouds)	to have one's head in the clouds	Siempre está en las nubes → He's always got his head in the clouds
costar un ojo de la cara (to cost an eye from the face)	to cost an arm and a leg	Este coche me costó un ojo de la cara → This car cost me an arm and a leg
meter la pata (to put in the leg/paw)	to put one's foot in it	Metí la pata con ese comentario → I put my foot in it with that comment
ser pan comido (to be eaten bread)	to be a piece of cake	El examen fue pan comido → The exam was a piece of cake
estar como una cabra (to be like a goat)	to be crazy/mad	Mi tío está como una cabra → My uncle is completely mad
quedarse de piedra (to stay as stone)	to be stunned/shocked	Me quedé de piedra con la noticia → I was stunned by the news
llover a cántaros (to rain in jugs)	to rain cats and dogs	Está lloviendo a cántaros → It's raining cats and dogs
no tener pelos en la lengua (to not have hairs on the tongue)	to not mince words, to speak one's mind	Ella no tiene pelos en la lengua → She doesn't mince her words

Key difference: Verbal phrases like "tener ganas" are somewhat predictable once you know the pattern, whilst idioms like "estar en las nubes" require learning the figurative meaning that has nothing to do with the literal words.

Examples

Practice in Context

Here are realistic scenarios using multiple verbal phrases:

🗣️ Conversation: Making Weekend Plans

Ana: Tengo ganas de salir este fin de semana.
→ I feel like going out this weekend.

Luis: A mí me da igual qué hacemos.
→ I don't mind what we do.

Ana: ¿Qué tal si vamos al cine? Hace falta relajarse un poco.
→ How about the cinema? We need to relax a bit.

Luis: Vale. Pero no me hagas ver películas de terror, me dan miedo.
→ OK. But don't make me watch horror films, they scare me.

🗣️ Conversation: Catching Up

María: Acabo de volver de Madrid. Te echaba de menos.
→ I just got back from Madrid. I missed you.

Pedro: ¡Yo también! ¿Te diste cuenta de que hace falta más tiempo para vernos?
→ Me too! Did you realise we need more time to see each other?

María: Tienes razón. Hay que hacer un esfuerzo.
→ You're right. We need to make an effort.

🗣️ Monologue: Lifestyle Change

Dejé de fumar hace seis meses y me puse a correr todas las mañanas. Al principio me daba vergüenza salir a correr, pero llegué a disfrutarlo. Ahora no paro de recomendar el ejercicio a todos. Ten en cuenta que los primeros días son difíciles, pero vale la pena.

→ I stopped smoking six months ago and started running every morning. At first I was embarrassed to go running, but I came to enjoy it. Now I don't stop recommending exercise to everyone. Keep in mind that the first days are difficult, but it's worth it.

Gotchas / Common Mistakes

❌ Common Mistakes

Wrong word order with tener/hacer/dar phrases:

❌ Tengo frío mucho

✅ Tengo mucho frío

Using estar instead of tener:

❌ Estoy hambre

✅ Tengo hambre

Forgetting "de" in acabar de and echar de menos:

❌ Acabo llegar

✅ Acabo de llegar

✅ How to Learn Verbal Phrases

Learn as complete units: Don't translate word-by-word. "Tener ganas" is one concept.
Group by verb: All "tener" phrases share similar patterns with indirect object pronouns.
Use them actively: Try using one new phrase per day in conversation or writing.
Notice patterns: Many express feelings (miedo, vergüenza, pena) or necessity (falta, hace falta).
Listen for them: Native speakers use these constantly - start noticing them in films and podcasts.

Quick Test / Mini Quiz

Useful Resources

Coming soon...