Spanish Verbal Phrases & Idioms
Verbal phrases are fixed verb combinations with their own meaning: tener ganas de (to feel like), acabar de (to have just). Learn each one as a single unit.
The rule at a glance
Learn the whole phrase: tener ganas de, me da igual, acabar de
Don't translate word by word
Verb + noun
tener ganas de
to feel like
Tengo ganas de salir.
I feel like going out.
Me da / me hace (like gustar)
me da igual
I don't mind
Me dan miedo las arañas.
Spiders scare me.
Verb + prep. + infinitive
acabar de
to have just
Acabo de llegar.
I've just arrived.
Idiom
meter la pata
to put one's foot in it
Metí la pata con ese comentario.
I put my foot in it with that comment.
- Me da / me hace phrases work like gustar: the thing that causes the feeling is the subject: Me dan miedo las arañas.
- Keep the preposition: acabar de, volver a, dejar de + infinitive.
Forms
Verbal phrases are fixed combinations of a verb with another word that together have a specific meaning. In Spanish they often use tener, hacer, dar or echar with a noun, adjective or preposition. Idioms are expressions whose meaning can't be worked out from the words: estar en las nubes (to be in the clouds) means "to have your head in the clouds".
Tener, hacer, dar and echar phrases
Many hacer and dar phrases take an indirect object pronoun (me hace falta, me da miedo), like gustar. For more, see Tener, Hacer & Dar Expressions.
Tener: states and feelings
- Tengo ganas de salir – tener ganas de: to feel like. I feel like going out
- No tiene que ver contigo – tener que ver (con): to have to do with. It has nothing to do with you
- Ten en cuenta el precio – tener en cuenta: to keep in mind. Keep the price in mind
- Tienes razón – tener razón: to be right. You're right
- Yo tengo la culpa – tener la culpa: to be to blame. It's my fault
- La fiesta tiene lugar aquí – tener lugar: to take place. The party takes place here
Hacer: actions and effects
- Me hace falta dinero – hacer falta: to be needed, to lack. I need money
- No me hace caso – hacer caso: to pay attention to. He/She doesn't pay attention to me
- Me hacen daño los zapatos – hacer daño: to hurt, to harm. My shoes are hurting me
- Me hace gracia su acento – hacer gracia: to be funny, to amuse. His/Her accent amuses me
- Me hace ilusión tu visita – hacer ilusión: to be excited about. I'm excited about your visit
- Hay que hacer frente al problema – hacer frente a: to face, to confront. We must face the problem
Dar: causing feelings
- Me da igual – dar igual: to not matter. I don't mind / It doesn't matter to me
- Me dan miedo las arañas – dar miedo: to scare, to frighten. Spiders scare me
- Me da pena verlo así – dar pena: to feel sorry, to pity. I feel sorry to see him like this
- Me da vergüenza hablar en público – dar vergüenza: to embarrass. I'm embarrassed to speak in public
- Me da asco la comida fría – dar asco: to disgust. Cold food disgusts me
- No me di cuenta del error – darse cuenta (de): to realise. I didn't notice the mistake
Echar: throwing and missing
- Te echo de menos – echar de menos: to miss (someone/something). I miss you
- No me eches la culpa – echar la culpa (a): to blame. Don't blame me
- ¿Me echas una mano? – echar una mano: to lend a hand, to help. Can you give me a hand?
- Se echó a llorar – echarse a + infinitive: to start to (suddenly). He/She burst into tears
Verbal periphrasis: verb + preposition + infinitive
Verbal periphrases are two verbs that work as a single unit: a conjugated verb, often a preposition, then the infinitive. They are part of the wider family of verb + infinitive patterns; ir a is the immediate future. For more on acabar de, see Prepositions that Change Verb Meanings.
| 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 |
Common Spanish idioms
Verbal phrases like tener ganas are fairly predictable once you know the pattern; idioms like estar en las nubes have to be learnt with their figurative meaning.
| 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 |
In conversation
1. 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 lo que hagamos. 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.
2. Catching up with a friend
María: Acabo de volver de Madrid. Te echaba de menos. I've just got back from Madrid. I've missed you.
Pedro: ¡Yo también! ¿Te has dado cuenta de que hace falta quedar más a menudo? Me too! Have you noticed we need to meet up more often?
María: Tienes razón. Hay que hacer un esfuerzo. You're right. We need to make an effort.
3. Talking about a lifestyle change
Dejé de fumar hace seis meses y me puse a correr todas las mañanas. I stopped smoking six months ago and started running every morning.
Al principio me daba vergüenza salir a correr, pero llegué a disfrutarlo. At first I was embarrassed to go running, but I came to enjoy it.
Ahora no paro de recomendar el ejercicio a todos. Now I can't stop recommending exercise to everyone.
Ten en cuenta que los primeros días son difíciles, pero vale la pena. Keep in mind that the first days are difficult, but it's worth it.
Common mistakes
Muy instead of mucho
Not this (incorrect): Tengo muy frío
But this (correct): Tengo mucho frío – I'm very cold. Frío is a noun here, so "very" is mucho/mucha: mucho frío, mucha hambre.
Using estar instead of tener
Not this (incorrect): Estoy hambre
But this (correct): Tengo hambre – I'm hungry. Hunger, cold, thirst and fear are things you "have" in Spanish.
Forgetting de
Not this (incorrect): Acabo llegar
But this (correct): Acabo de llegar – I've just arrived. Acabar de and echar de menos always keep their preposition.
Dar miedo with a plural subject
Not this (incorrect): Me da miedo las arañas
But this (correct): Me dan miedo las arañas – Spiders scare me. The thing that causes the feeling is the subject, so the verb agrees with it, as with gustar.
Quick check
8 questions1. How do you say "I feel like going to the beach" in Spanish?
"Tener ganas de" is the correct expression for "to feel like". It uses tener (to have) + ganas (desire) + de + infinitive.
2. Which phrase means "I've just arrived"?
"Acabar de + infinitive" means "to have just done something". The preposition "de" is essential.
3. What does "me da igual" mean?
"Dar igual" is an idiomatic expression meaning "to not matter" or "to be all the same". The literal translation doesn't help!
4. Choose the correct phrase: "Spiders scare me."
"Dar miedo" (to scare) is the correct expression. The thing that scares you is the subject, and you use an indirect object pronoun (me, te, le, etc.).
5. What does "echar de menos" mean?
"Echar de menos" is an idiomatic phrase meaning "to miss someone or something". It's completely different from the literal meaning of the individual words.
6. What does the idiom "estar en las nubes" literally mean, and what does it actually mean?
"Estar en las nubes" literally means "to be in the clouds" but is used figuratively to mean someone is daydreaming or not paying attention.
7. If something "cuesta un ojo de la cara", what does it mean?
"Costar un ojo de la cara" is an idiom meaning something is very expensive, equivalent to the English "to cost an arm and a leg".
8. What does "meter la pata" mean?
"Meter la pata" literally means "to put in the leg/paw" but is an idiom meaning "to put your foot in it" or "to make a blunder/mistake".
Test your understanding of verbal phrases and idioms:
Going further
How to learn verbal phrases
How to learn verbal phrases
- Learn them as complete units: don't translate word by word. "Tener ganas" is one concept.
- Group them by verb: dar and hacer phrases (me da miedo, me hace falta) share the same pattern with indirect object pronouns.
- Use them actively: try one new phrase a day in conversation or writing.
- Notice patterns: many express feelings (miedo, vergüenza, pena) or necessity (hace falta).
- Listen for them: native speakers use these constantly; start noticing them in films and podcasts.