Spanish
Vocab Builder for commonly used words in Spanish.
dar una patada
The Spanish phrase 'dar una patada' directly translates as 'give a kick'. In English usage, we simply say 'kick'. This phrase can be used in various contexts just like in English. It's often used to describe the action in sports such as football, or in a physical altercation where one person might 'kick' another. So if you hear or read 'dar una patada', you can be sure it refers to the act of using the foot or leg in a swift motion to hit or strike something or someone.
dar una propina
The Spanish phrase 'dar una propina' directly translates into English as 'give a tip'. In the context of services (like dining or hospitality), this refers to the act of providing some extra money beyond the stated cost as a way of appreciation to the service provider. The amount of money given as a tip often depends on the quality of service or can be a particular percentage of the total cost of service. This concept exists in many cultures and can often be seen as a common courtesy or required etiquette.
Example sentences with dar una propina →dar una reacción alérgica
The Spanish phrase 'dar una reacción alérgica' translates to 'give an allergic reaction' in English. The phrase represents the act of a body's immune system responding in a harmful manner when exposed to certain substances. In English, the words 'give an allergic reaction' are often used in medical contexts or when discussing issues related to health and wellness.
Example sentences with dar una reacción alérgica →dar una receta (médica)
The Spanish phrase 'dar una receta (médica)' literally translates to 'give a prescription (medical)' in English. This phrase is commonly used in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry, where a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or a nurse practitioner, provides a directive, or a 'prescription' to a patient to procure certain medications for their treatment. The action of giving this direction or order is what the phrase 'dar una receta (médica)' describes.
Example sentences with dar una receta (médica) →dar una rueda de prensa
The expression 'dar una rueda de prensa' in Spanish translates to 'give a press conference' in English. A 'rueda de prensa' is literally a 'wheel of press', but in usage it refers to a press conference. This is an event where a person or an organization makes a statement or gives information to members of the media. Typically, 'dar una rueda de prensa' is used when someone in a position of importance or authority, such as a politician or a business leader, is providing a formal briefing to journalists or presenting information to the public, usually through the media.
dar(se) un apretón de manos
The phrase 'dar(se) un apretón de manos' in Spanish translates to 'give oneself a handshake' in English. This might sound literal but the more appropriate interpretation is to 'shake hands' usually as a sign of agreement or greeting in most cultural contexts. It is commonly used in formal situations such as meetings, introductions or to seal a deal between two or more parties. Similarly, it can be utilized in casual settings as a way of acknowledging someone or showing respect.
dar(se) un golpe
The Spanish phrase 'dar(se) un golpe' translates to 'give a blow' in English. It's generally used in the context of unintentionally hurting oneself such as hitting or knocking into something. 'Golpe' is the Spanish word for 'blow' or 'hit' and 'dar(se)' means 'to give'. In the reflexive form as 'darse un golpe', it refers to someone giving themselves a blow. This phrase is often used to express physical accidents or injuries.
Example sentences with dar(se) un golpe →dar(se) una palmada en el hombro
The Spanish phrase 'dar(se) una palmada en el hombro' translates to 'give oneself a pat on the shoulder' in English. It is often used in a metaphorical sense, similar to the English phrase, to signify self-congratulation or admitting a job well done by oneself. The phrase can also be used literally, indicating the physical action of patting one's own shoulder.
darse cuenta
The term 'darse cuenta' in Spanish refers to the English term 'realize.' It typically means that someone has come to an understanding or has developed awareness about something. It may be used in a variety of contexts, such as realizing an error in a calculation, realizing the importance of an event, or realizing a fact about oneself. It is often used in past tense to describe when someone realized something.
Example sentences with darse cuenta →darse dos besos
The Spanish phrase 'Darse dos besos' translates to 'Give two kisses' in English. In many Spanish-speaking cultures, it's a common greeting between friends and family members. In this practice, each person touches each other's cheek with their cheek and makes a kiss sound, once on each cheek, thus 'giving two kisses'. It's a sign of warmth and friendship.
darse un baño
The Spanish phrase 'darse un baño' translates as 'to take a bath' in English. The verb 'darse' is a reflexive form of the verb 'dar', which means 'to give'. However, in this context and combined with the noun 'baño', it translates into 'to take', creating the whole phrase to mean 'to take a bath'. It's used to express the action of bathing oneself.
Example sentences with darse un baño →darse un baño caliente
The Spanish phrase 'darse un baño caliente' translates into English as 'give yourself a hot bath'. This is an informal phrase that one might hear in Spanish-speaking households. Essentially, it is referring to the act of taking a relaxing, warm bath, especially after a long day. The phrase is descriptive and could also be seen as serving as a reminder about the importance of self-care.
Example sentences with darse un baño caliente →darse un baño de espuma
The Spanish phrase 'darse un baño de espuma' translates into English as 'give yourself a foam bath'. This phrase is used to describe the act of indulging in a relaxing bubble bath. However, it can also be metaphorically used to describe a situation where a person treats, pampers, or indulges themselves with something enjoyable. This phrase is not typically used in formal contexts and is more common in relaxed, informal settings or in literary pieces.
Example sentences with darse un baño de espuma →darse un baño frío
The phrase 'darse un baño frío' is a Spanish phrase that translates to 'give yourself a cold bath' in English. It can be broken down into 'darse' (give oneself), 'un' (a), 'baño' (bath), and 'frío' (cold). It's often used to imply the action of immersing oneself in cold water, which could be literally to cool down or symbolically to refresh and invigorate oneself. However, like all languages, context is key in Spanish, and the phrase might not always be used in this exact way.
Example sentences with darse un baño frío →darse un baño relajante
The Spanish phrase 'darse un baño relajante' translates to 'taking a relaxing bath' in English. It is a phrase typically used to denote the action of indulging in a peaceful and therapeutic bathing experience, often featuring soothing elements like warm water, bath oils, candles, and tranquil music. This phrase can often be heard in contexts relating to self-care and relaxation practices.
Example sentences with darse un baño relajante →darse un masaje relajante
The Spanish phrase 'darse un masaje relajante' translates into English as 'give yourself a relaxing massage'. It consists of four words: 'darse' means 'to give oneself', 'un' is an indefinite article equivalent to English 'a', 'masaje' means 'massage', and 'relajante' means 'relaxing'. Thus, when you say 'darse un masaje relajante' in Spanish, you're encouraging someone to engage in self-care by giving themselves a massage to relax and ease any tension they might be feeling.
Example sentences with darse un masaje relajante →darse un masaje terapéutico
The Spanish phrase 'darse un masaje terapéutico' translates to 'give yourself a therapeutic massage' in English. This may be used in scenarios where you are discussing self-care, healing, relaxation or wellness activities. It could also be used in instructional contexts where you are teaching or learning about how to perform different types of body or muscle massages which have therapeutic benefits.
Example sentences with darse un masaje terapéutico →darse una crema
The phrase 'darse una crema' in Spanish can be directly translated to English as 'give some cream', however, the interpretation can be very different depending on the context. In a culinary context, 'darse una crema' might literally mean to give or apply a certain type of cream or sauce. In skincare or cosmetic contexts, the phrase is used to refer to the act of applying a cream to one's body or face. While teaching English to Spanish learners, it's crucial to highlight the importance of context in interpreting and understanding idioms or phrases like this one.
Example sentences with darse una crema →darse una ducha caliente
The Spanish phrase 'darse una ducha caliente' translates to 'having a hot shower' in English. This phrase is typically used in the context when one is getting ready for the day or preparing for bed in Spanish-speaking households. The word 'ducha' can be used to refer to both the act of showering and the shower itself, much like in English. Meanwhile, 'caliente' is an adjective in Spanish that is used to describe something that is hot or warm.
Example sentences with darse una ducha caliente →darse una ducha fría
The Spanish phrase 'darse una ducha fría' translates to 'having a cold shower' in English. It is typically used when referring to the act of taking a shower with cold water. Similar to English, the phrase can also be used metaphorically in Spanish to indicate a sudden disappointment or unwelcome surprise.
Example sentences with darse una ducha fría →darse una ducha rápida
The Spanish phrase 'darse una ducha rápida' translates to 'take a quick shower' in English. It's often used to express the concept of quickly getting ready or freshening up, particularly in the morning or before going out. Like many Spanish phrases, it can be broken down into smaller parts: 'darse' means 'to give oneself', 'una' means 'a', 'ducha' is 'shower', and 'rápida' means 'quick'. Together, they form a commonly used phrase in everyday Spanish conversation.
Example sentences with darse una ducha rápida →darse una mascarilla
The phrase 'darse una mascarilla' in Spanish is a reflexive phrase that translates literally to 'give oneself a mask' in English. However, it is contextually used to mean applying a facial mask on one's own face, often in the context of skincare or health measures. This phrase exhibits the reflexive form of the verb 'dar', which means 'to give', combined with the reflexive pronoun 'se'. 'Una mascarilla' translates to 'a mask'. Hence, the phrase can be used when someone is applying a mask on their face for skincare or protection.
Example sentences with darse una mascarilla →datos
The English word 'data' is translated into Spanish as 'datos'. It is generally used in the context of information, facts, statistics, or details that are gathered and used for analysis and reasoning. For example: ¿Dónde están los datos? translates to Where is the data?
Example sentences with datos →de cuadros
The Spanish term 'de cuadros' translates to 'squared' in English. This can be used in a variety of contexts. It might be used in relation to math, where a number squared is the result of multiplying that number by itself. Similarly, 'de cuadros' can also refer to geometry, describing a shape with four equal edges and angles. Additionally, it can be used to describe patterns, such as a squared pattern on fabrics or designs.
de rayas
The Spanish phrase 'de rayas' translates to 'stripes' in English. It is often used in the context of patterns and designs, particularly in fashion or art. For instance, when describing a shirt or a piece of fabric, or identifying patterns in animals' fur or skin. So, if you see something described as 'de rayas' in Spanish, know that it refers to a striped pattern or design.
de todos modos
The Spanish version 'de todos modos' is used almost in the same manner as 'anyway' in English. It's commonly used to show a change in the conversation or to indicate that something is happening despite whatever else may occur. It can also be used to transition into a new topic.
Example sentences with de todos modos →debajo
The Spanish word 'debajo' translates to 'under' in English and is usually used to describe the location of something. It implies that a certain object is below or beneath another object in a physical sense. Like in English, 'debajo' is often used prepositionally in Spanish sentences. An example sentence in Spanish would be 'El gato está debajo de la mesa,' which means 'The cat is under the table.'
Example sentences with debajo →debate
The word 'debate' in Spanish translates directly to 'debate' in English. It is used to describe a formal discussion or argument, typically in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are advocated. It can also refer to a discussion of a specific topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which the participants present and discuss their views on the topic.
debatir un tema
The Spanish phrase 'debatir un tema' translates to 'discuss an issue' in English. It can be used in formal or informal contexts and is often associated with engaging in a conversation, dialogue, or discussion about a specific issue or topic. It signals the exchange of views, ideas, or opinions between two or more parties. This phrase can be used in a variety of contexts such as in a meeting, during a debate, in a conversation or when participating in a forum or panel discussion.
debe
The Spanish word 'debe' is used to translate the English term 'must'. It is primarily used to express obligation or necessity. Like in English, it is commonly used in formal contexts or the imperative mood. For example, in the sentence, 'One must learn Spanish', you can say 'Uno debe aprender Español'.
Example sentences with debe →