Spanish Idioms Flashcards
a altas horas de la madrugada
In the small hours of the morning
a (la) merced de
at the mercy of. (n.b.: the “la” is often omitted)
a cargo de
idiom. in charge of; responsible for; by
a causa de
idiom. because of; as a result of. (lit.: at the cause of)
a chorros
idiom. in abundance; plenty; lots
a contrapelo
idiom. wrong way; backwards; backassed
a corto plazo
idiom. in the short run; short-term; in the short term. (lit.: at short place)
a deshora
idiom. at an inconvenient time
a diario
idiom. daily; every day
a disgusto
idiom. reluctantly
a duras penas
idiom. hardly; barely; with difficulty
a eso de
idiom. around, about (time). (lit.: a this of)
a estas alturas
idiom. at this point; in this situation
a fin de cuentas
idiom. in the end; after all
a fondo
idiom. in depth; deeply; fully
a gatas
idiom. crawling. (lit.: on legs/feet; used with the verbs estar or andar)
a juro
idiom. no matter what. (used in Venezuela)
a la altura
idiom. at the level; up to. (lit.: at the height)
a la intemperie
idiom. in the open. (lit.: at/on the elements. Intemperie refers to the weather and other forces in the physical, natural world, particularly as experienced without the benefits of technology, particularly modern technology)
a la par de
idiom. on the same level as
a la salida del sol
idiom. sunrise. (lit.: at the appearance of the sun)
a la vez
idiom. at once; at the same time. (lit.: at the time)
a la vista
idiom. in view; in sight. (lit.: at the sight)
a largo plazo
idiom. in the long run; long-term; in the long term. (lit.: at long place)
a lo largo (de)
idiom. along; at the other end. (lit.: at the far/long)
a lo lejos
idiom. from afar; at a distance. (lit.: at the distant; also in the form “a los lejos.”)
a lo mejor
idiom. probably; most likely. (lit.: to the better)
a manos de
idiom. at the hands of
a manos llenas
idiom. generously; lavishly. (lit.: with full hands)
a medida que
idiom. as (something happens or happened); in the process of (something happening)
a medio plazo
idiom. medium-term; in the medium term
a menudo
idiom. often, frequently. (lit.: of often)
a mi modo de pensar
idiom. in my view; the way I see it
a otro perro con ese hueso
idiom. go tell it to the marines. (lit.: [give] this bone to another dog)
a palo seco
idiom. on its own; with nothing else
a partir de ahora
idiom. from now one. (lit.: at the start of now)
a pesar de
idiom. despite; in spite of
a plazo
idiom. on credit
a plena luz
idiom. in broad daylight
a primera hora
idiom. at the earliest moment
a primera vista
idiom. at first sight; at first blush. (lit.: at first sight)
