English for Spanish speakers · part 21 of 22
English idioms vs Spanish idioms
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words. Both languages have thousands, and comparing them is genuinely encouraging for a class — students often find Spanish has an idiom for the same idea, sometimes with an almost identical image, sometimes with a completely different one.
Same idea, similar image:
| English | Spanish | Shared image |
|---|---|---|
| Break the ice. | Romper el hielo. | breaking ice |
| Hit the nail on the head. | Dar en el clavo. | the nail |
Same idea, different image:
| English | Spanish | Literal Spanish |
|---|---|---|
| It's raining cats and dogs. | Llueve a cántaros. | it's raining by the pitcher |
| Once in a blue moon. | De uvas a peras. | from grapes to pears |
The lesson to drive home: never translate an idiom word for word. Students should learn the idea each idiom expresses and match it to the equivalent expression in the other language.