We previously talked in this blog about English words that don’t translate directly into Spanish, or how their direct or literal translations are not widely used in Spanish. Now it is time to go the other way around. Let's talk about words in Spanish that don’t translate directly, or whose translations are not widely used in English. Let's get started!
estrenar to use for the first time
¿Estás estrenando esos pantalones?
ajeno someone else’s, (something) that belongs to others
No toques eso, es ajeno.
empalagoso overly sweet
Esta crema es empalagosa.
abrigarse wrap up warm, dress warmly, take shelter
Me abrigué demasiado, tengo calor.
friolento sensitive to the cold
Luke siempre se abriga un montón, es muy friolento.
consuegra/o mother/father-in-law of your daughter/son
Mi consuegra me invitó a jugar al tenis.
concuñada/o sibling of your sister/brother-in-law or
spouse of your sister/brother-in-law
La del vestido rojo es Elsa, mi concuñada.
sobremesa chat after lunch or dinner, table talk
Laura está acostumbrada a las largas sobremesas de mi familia.
madrugar get up early
Tengo mucho sueño porque hoy madrugué.
tentarse (de risa) being unable to stop laughing
Nos tentamos y tuvimos que salir de la iglesia.
opinar give your opinion
Claudio siempre opina aunque nadie le pregunte nada.
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