Physical Sensations & Perceptions in Spanish
Explore a collection of Spanish words related to physical sensations and perceptions. Ideal learning resource for beginners.
sentirse mal
feel bad.
The Spanish phrase 'sentirse mal' translates to 'feel bad' in English. It's a reflexive verb that is used to express feeling physically or emotionally unwell. The phrase is often used in the context of illness or discomfort, and when someone is expressing sentiments of guilt or sadness. One may use it when they are experiencing a rough day, not feeling well, or going through a difficult emotional state.
sonrojarse
Smile
The translation provided is incorrect. The Spanish word 'sonrojarse' does not mean 'smile' in English. Instead, 'sonrojarse' translates to 'to blush' in English. It is a reflexive verb that refers to the act of one's face turning red, typically due to embarrassment, shame, or modesty. This is usually an involuntary physical response to a particular situation.
sueño
dream
The word 'sueño' in Spanish translates to 'dream' in English. It can be used in the same manner as in English - to indicate the series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep. It can also refer to an aspiration or goal that a person would like to achieve in their lifetime.
Example sentences with sueño →tacto
tact
The Spanish word 'tacto' is translated into English as 'tact'. Tact refers to sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues. It often implies a considerate and thoughtful approach, with an understanding of the context or feelings of other people involved, thereby ensuring that feelings are not upset. Therefore, 'tacto' in Spanish means possessing the ability to say or do the right thing at the right time without causing offence.
temblar como una hoja
shaking like a leaf
The Spanish phrase 'temblar como una hoja' translates to 'shaking like a leaf' in English. It is often used to describe a person who is very frightened or nervous, similar to the way a leaf might shake or tremble in the wind. This expression creates a vivid image and is a fairly common idiom in both languages, reflecting the human tendency to relate strong emotions with nature and physical reactions.
tener apetito
Having appetite
The Spanish phrase 'tener apetito' translates to 'having appetite' in English. It is used when someone feels the need to eat or has a desire for food. This phrase is a common way to express hunger in the Spanish language.
tener calor
It's hot.
'Tener calor' is a Spanish phrase directly translating to 'have heat' in English. However, it is colloquially used to express the sensation of feeling hot, similar to how in English one might say, 'I'm hot.' Unlike English, where 'hot' can be used to reference the temperature or one's personal feeling of warmth, in Spanish these are distinct: 'hace calor' describes hot weather, while 'tener calor' describes the personal sensation of feeling hot.
tener debilidad
have weakness
The Spanish phrase 'tener debilidad' translates to 'have weakness' in English. It's used to denote that someone has a weak spot, frailty, or a particular affection for something or someone. It can be used in a variety of contexts such as physical weakness (like a health issue), emotional weakness (like a deep and specific liking or love for someone), or even a preference for certain food, just as the English phrase 'have a weakness for'.
tener dolor
Have pain
The Spanish phrase 'tener dolor' translates to 'have pain' in English. It is often used to express physical discomfort or pain in a certain part of the body. For example, 'tener dolor de cabeza' means 'to have a headache'. Just like in English, it can also be used metaphorically to express emotional pain or distress.
tener frío
cold.
The Spanish phrase 'tener frío' translates to 'to be cold' in English. However, this phrase does not denote the temperature of a thing or an environment but the feeling of coldness experienced by a person. It is important to note that in Spanish, people 'have cold', unlike in English where people 'are cold'. Therefore, when a person says 'tengo frío' in Spanish, it means 'I am cold' in English, indicating that they are feeling cold.
tener ganas de comer
feel like eating
The Spanish phrase 'tener ganas de comer' translates to 'feel like eating' in English. It is a common phrase used to express desire or a craving for food. 'Tener' means 'to have', 'ganas de' translates as 'desire for' or 'feel like', and 'comer' means 'to eat'. So combined, it literally means 'to have a desire to eat'. This phrase communicates more of an emotional desire or craving rather than physical hunger.
tener hambre
hunger
The Spanish phrase 'tener hambre' directly translates to 'have hunger' in English. However, in usage it is more accurately translated to 'be hungry'. The phrase is used to express hunger or the need for food. For instance, 'Yo tengo hambre' means 'I am hungry'.
tener la garganta seca
have a dry throat
The Spanish phrase 'tener la garganta seca' translates to 'have a dry throat' in English. This phrase is usually used in a context where someone feels a physical sensation of dryness in the throat. This could be due to thirst, illness, or speaking for a long time. It's common to use it when expressing physical discomfort or potential symptoms of illness such as a cold or flu.
tener sed
be thirsty
The Spanish phrase 'tener sed' translates to 'be thirsty' in English. It is often used when someone wants to express that they have a physical need to drink something, typically water or other hydrating beverages. In English, we directly say 'I am thirsty', but in Spanish, the verb 'tener' is used to express a variety of states or feelings, in this case, thirst. Therefore, 'Yo tengo sed' would translate as 'I am thirsty'.
tener un agujero en el estómago
have a hole in the stomach
The Spanish phrase 'tener un agujero en el estómago' directly translates to English as 'have a hole in the stomach'. However, it is important to note that idiomatic phrases do not always translate directly in this way. In English usage, this phrase is often used metaphorically to express a feeling of extreme hunger or to describe a strong desire or need for something.
tener un calor espantoso
be terribly hot
'Tener un calor espantoso' in Spanish can be translated to 'be terribly hot' in English. This phrase is often used to express extreme heat, typically related to weather conditions. It may not necessarily refer to the temperature of a particular object or person, but rather it indicates a general feeling of overwhelming heat in the surrounding environment. Metaphorically, it can also be used to express a strong emotion or situation that is hard to bear due to its intensity.
tener un calor horrible
have horrible heat
The Spanish phrase 'tener un calor horrible' translates to 'have horrible heat' in English. It is usually used to express the feeling of enduring excessive or unbearable heat. Even though it may seem like a direct reference to the weather condition, it can also metaphorically refer to a difficult or stressful situation. For instance, in English, one might say, 'It's hot as hell in here,' to express discomfort due to high temperature or a tense environment.
tener un dolor espantoso
having a terrible pain
The phrase 'tener un dolor espantoso' in Spanish translates to 'having a terrible pain' in English. This could be used in different contexts to talk about both physical and emotional pain that is particularly strong or unbearable. It is a phrase often used to emphasize the severity of the discomfort or suffering someone is going through.
tener un dolor horrible
having a horrible pain
The phrase 'tener un dolor horrible' in Spanish translates to 'having a horrible pain' in English. It's often used to describe a severe physical discomfort or distress, for instance due to injury or illness. Please note that the verb 'tener' is used in this context to express 'having'. Also, as in English, in Spanish too, the adjective 'horrible' corresponds to 'horrible' and 'dolor' corresponds to 'pain'. Thus, grammatically, 'tener un dolor horrible' is a common phrase in Spanish expressing the state of enduring a severe pain.
tener un frío espantoso
having a terrible cold
The Spanish phrase 'tener un frío espantoso' translates to 'having a terrible cold' in English. It can be used to describe a severe chilliness that you are experiencing, derived from either actual low temperatures or from not feeling well due to a health condition such as a cold or flu. While 'frío' on its own means 'cold', 'espantoso' augments it to express a level of intensity, becoming 'terrible' or 'dreadful' in English. This phrase is subjective and could mean different things to different people, based on their personal tolerance to cold.
tener un frío horrible
having a horrible cold
The phrase 'tener un frío horrible' originates from Spanish and translates to 'having a horrible cold' in English. This phrase is typically used to describe an uncomfortable condition where one is feeling extremely cold, similar to experiencing chills due to illness or bad weather conditions. It's an idiomatic expression, meaning the words together have a different meaning from the literal translation of each individual word.
tener un sueño espantoso
having a dreadful dream
The Spanish phrase 'tener un sueño espantoso' translates to 'having a dreadful dream' in English. It is often used to describe a bad or scary dream experience. The word 'tener' is a commonly used verb in Spanish that means 'to have'. 'Un sueño' means 'a dream' and the adjective 'espantoso' means 'dreadful' or 'horrible'. Altogether, 'tener un sueño espantoso' evokes a strong, negative emotional response, similar to the English expression.
tener un sueño horrible
having a horrible dream
The Spanish phrase 'tener un sueño horrible' directly translates to 'having a horrible dream' in English. This phrase can be broken down into three words - 'tener', 'un', and 'sueño horrible'. 'Tener', a verb, means 'to have' in English. 'Un' is a singular, masculine indefinite article that translates to 'a'. Finally, 'sueño horrible' means 'horrible dream'. So, when you say 'tener un sueño horrible', you're saying that you're experiencing a particularly bad dream.
tocar calor
touch heat
The Spanish phrase 'tocar calor' does not align precisely with its literal English translation 'touch heat'. In Spanish, 'tocar' can mean 'to touch' or 'to play an instrument'; 'calor' translates to 'heat'. However, the phrase as a combined unit typically isn't used cohesively in regular Spanish conversation. The closest, contextually valid translation for 'tocar calor' might refer to experiencing or feeling warmth or heat.
tocar frío
touch cold
'Tocar frío' is a Spanish phrase that directly translates to 'touch cold' in English. However, in many contexts, this phrase can mean to experience or feel something cold. It's important to note that the interpretation of such phrases can change based on the situation and is not always literal. For example, in a sentence where someone is told to 'tocar frío', they are not necessarily being told to physically touch something cold, but may instead be warned they will experience a 'cold' or harsh reality or situation.
tocar hambre
play hungry
'Tocar hambre' is a phrase in Spanish that doesn't directly translate to 'play hungry' in English. Spanish is highly idiomatic, and phrases often don't translate literally to English. A more accurate interpretation might be 'to be hungry', but the phrase is not commonly used in the Spanish language.
tocar sed
touch thirst
The term 'tocar sed' is actually a phrase rather than a single word in Spanish. While the direct translation into English is 'touch thirst', there is no equivalent idiom in English. In a literal sense, 'tocar' means 'to touch' and 'sed' means 'thirst'. However, when used in conversation, this phrase is better translated as 'to be thirsty'. It reflects an intense need or desire for something, not only for water but can also be used metaphorically for things like desire for success, knowledge, etc.
tocar sueño
play sleep
'Tocar sueño' is a phrase in Spanish that can be translated into English as 'play sleep'. However, this literal translation might not fully capture its meaning as it depends on the context. In general, 'tocar' means 'to touch' or 'to play' (referring to an instrument); and 'sueño' means 'dream' or 'sleep'. Without context, the phrase could be interpreted as 'touching a dream' or 'playing a dream'. More context would offer a clearer translation.