A Collection of Weird Spanish Phrases That’ll Crack You Up!

Every dog has his day, where there’s a will there’s a way, and don’t judge a book by its cover. These are all English sayings that we tend to use on a daily basis that may sound strange to someone who isn’t fluent. All languages have phrases like these and sometimes, they don’t translate so well back into English.

Here are a few examples of weird Spanish phrases that sound very peculiar when spoken in English.

1. Ponte las Pilas

You’ve probably heard the saying “look alive” when you’re nodding off during a lecture or when a friend tosses something to you.

The Spanish equivalent to that is “Ponte las Pilas” which translates to “put in your batteries”.

You will probably hear this phrase most often in Latin America, Spain, and Argentina.

2. Comiendo Moscas

We all have that one friend that takes the smallest story and turns it into a long play by play.

For those friends, you would say “comiendo moscas”, which translates to English as “eating flies”

This phrase is used in both Latin America and Spain and is used for anyone who loves going off on tangents.

3. Buena Onda

“Buena onda” is mainly used when talking about another person. It means “good waves.” The best way to translate it to English would be “good vibes.”

You might say something like me “da buena onda” to mean “He’s giving me good vibes.” Some even use “buena onda” to say “cool”.

You are more likely to hear this phrase in Spain than in Latin America.

4. Me Pica el Bagre

When you haven’t eaten in hours you may say that your stomach is eating itself, or that you’re so hungry you could eat a horse.

In Spanish “me pica el bagre” means “the catfish is biting me.” It’s not a literal catfish of course. It just means that you’re so hungry that you feel like something is pinching your stomach.

This phrase is used fairly often in Argentina and surrounding areas. You might also hear it used in South America.

5. Ojo

“Ojo” is a phrase that you are likely to hear in all corners of the world. It translates as “eye”. Someone might say this to a naughty child to mean “I’ve got my eye on you” or “watch yourself.”

6. Creerse la Ultima Coca-Cola en el Desierto

“Creerse la ultima coca-cola en el desierto” is something you would say to someone who is completely full of themselves.

It translates as “You think you’re the last coke in the desert.” There are many equivalents to this such as “you think you’re the bee’s knees” or “all that in a bag of chips.”

You’re basically telling someone that they think their God’s gift to humanity. You are likely to hear this in Latin America.

7. Corto de Luces

The next phrase on this list is great to use on your friends who tend to have a lot of ditsy moments.

“Corto de luces” means “short of lights.” There are similar phrases to this in English like “the lights are on but nobody is home,” “Not the sharpest tool in the shed,” or “Not the brightest crayon in the box.”

You will hear this phrase most commonly spoken on the streets of Mexico.

8. Hablando del Rey de Roma

Isn’t funny how whenever you’re talking about someone to a group of friends, they tend to enter the room when their name is said?

In English, we tend to say “well speak of the devil,” or we make a pun about Beetle Juice.

“Hablando del rey de Roma” is sort of like this. It translates as “speaking of the king of Rome” and means “Hey we were just talking about you!”

This phrase is one that you would hear a lot in Spain, possibly due to it’s close proximity to Rome.

9. Dame pan y dime tonto

There are people in this world that do whatever they can to get what they want. They don’t really care who they have to step on or hurt to get it.

Something this person might say is “dame pan y dime tonto” which translates as “give me bread and call me stupid.”

It’s a weird way of saying “I always get what I want and nobody can stop me.” You would likely hear this phrase said in South and Central America.

10. Mas se perdio en Cuba

It never fails that we manage to get caught up in our friend’s silly drama. There is always that one friend who cries or gets bent out of shape over the most trivial things.

To that friend, you would say “mas se perdio en Cuba” or “More was lost in Cuba.” This means “There are worse things that could happen,” or “The world isn’t ending.”

11. Mejor solo que mal acompanado

This one is less so of a funny Spanish translation and more of a deeper one. It translates as “It’s better to be alone than in bad company.”

It means exactly as it sounds, “Sometimes it’s best to be alone.” It’s a reminder that you don’t need a relationship to be happy and you don’t need fake friends just so you aren’t alone.

These are some of the weird Spanish phrases you would hear all over the world. If they have convinced you to try and take up the language, visit My Daily Spanish to learn more.

Weird Spanish Phrases for Your Arsenal

Every culture has some seriously strange sayings that they use on a daily basis that may sound odd in other languages. These are just a few weird Spanish phrases for your arsenal. There are much more still out there for you to learn.

For more strange facts and weird stories, check out our most popular weirdness.

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