15 Famous Spanish Movie Quotes
The world of cinema has brought us many gems, and with them, plenty of famous movie quotes. These quotes will remind you of some of the best movies of all time…or maybe intrigue you to finally watch them.
Let’s check out some of the most well-known and often-recited Spanish movie quotes, from the classics to modern-day hits.
Contents
- 1. “La vida es como una caja de bombones; nunca sabes lo qué te va a tocar.”
- 2. “Sigue nadando, sigue nadando.”
- 3. “Solo las ollas saben los hervores de su caldo.”
- 4. “Volveré.”
- 5. “Francamente, querida, eso no me importa.”
- 6. “Veo gente muerta.”
- 7. “¿Hablas conmigo? ¿Me lo dices a mí?”
- 8. “Hasta la vista, baby.”
- 9. “¡Saluden a mi pequeña amiga!”
- 10. “Tócala otra vez, Sam.”
- 11. “Siempre nos quedará Paris.”
- 12. “¡No puedes soportar la verdad!”
- 13. “Necesitará otro barco más grande.”
- 14. “No permitiré que nadie te arrincone.”
- 15. “No, yo soy tu padre.”
- How to Practice Spanish Movie Quotes
- And One More Thing…
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. “La vida es como una caja de bombones; nunca sabes lo qué te va a tocar.”
English: “Life is like a box of chocolates: you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Movie: “Forrest Gump” (1994)
Tocar can mean “to touch” or “to play” (a musical instrument), but it can also be used to talk about an obligation or something out of your control. For example: Me toca trabajar mañana (I have to work tomorrow). In other contexts, it can refer to taking turns: Me toca (It’s my turn), Te toca (It’s your turn), etc.
2. “Sigue nadando, sigue nadando.”
English: “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”
Movie: “Finding Nemo” (2003)
This quote from the well-loved animated movie “Finding Nemo” (or “Buscando a Nemo”) is by the hilarious and relentlessly positive character Dory. Sigue is the informal singular command of seguir (to continue), while nadando is the present progressive form of nadar (to swim).
3. “Solo las ollas saben los hervores de su caldo.”
English: “Only the pots know the boils of their broth.”
Movie: “Como agua para chocolate” / “Like Water for Chocolate” (1992)
This quote comes from a well-known Mexican drama based on the novel of the same name. The quote is a Spanish proverb that conveys how only those who experience something firsthand truly understand its nuances and difficulties.
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In this case, the difficulty is that Tita, the youngest daughter of a traditional Mexican family, can’t marry the man she loves.
4. “Volveré.”
English: “I’ll be back.”
Movie: “The Terminator” (1984)
Here’s a good example of the future tense in Spanish. Volver means “to return” and by adding an -é to the end of the infinitive, you get the future tense volveré (“I’ll return” or “I’ll be back”). Some other future tense examples are hablaré (I’ll speak) and iré (“I’ll go”).
5. “Francamente, querida, eso no me importa.”
English: “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Movie: “Gone with the Wind” (1940)
This is what Rhett Butler says to Scarlett O’Hara in this classic film. However, the Spanish translation varies. The original Spanish version ended with “me importa un bledo” (I don’t give a damn) but the updated translation is “eso no me importa” (“I don’t care about that” or literally “that doesn’t matter to me”).
6. “Veo gente muerta.”
English: “I see dead people.”
Movie: “The Sixth Sense” (1999)
This is a useful quote to remember that gente (people) is a feminine noun and is used with feminine, singular adjectives (like muerta in this quote) and the third-person singular verb form. For example: La gente salió del teatro muy contenta (The people left the theater very content).
7. “¿Hablas conmigo? ¿Me lo dices a mí?”
English: “You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?”
Movie: “Taxi Driver” (1976)
The Spanish version of this quote is a bit different from the original version in English. Its approximate meaning is, “Are you talking with me? Are you telling me?” The lo refers to what the other (imaginary) character is saying to him. Robert De Niro actually improvised this famous line during his confrontation in a mirror.
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8. “Hasta la vista, baby.”
English: “See you later, baby.”
Movie: “Terminator 2” (1991)
This Spanglish quote comes from an English-language movie that taught the world some Spanish when it came out. Hasta la vista can be translated as “See you later,” “See you around” or “Until next time.” “Baby” in Spanish is actually bebé, hence why this quote is considered Spanglish.
9. “¡Saluden a mi pequeña amiga!”
English: “Say hello to my little friend!”
Movie: “Scarface” (1983)
The verb saludar means “to greet,” and saluden is the informal plural command form of the verb. That means it’s used in informal contexts when talking to multiple people. The amiga (friend) is not so pequeña (little), so putting the adjective before the noun emphasizes this sarcasm and just sounds better.
10. “Tócala otra vez, Sam.”
English: “Play it again, Sam.”
Movie: “Casablanca” (1943)
Some Spanish translations of this line say “Tócala de nuevo, Sam,” as both otra vez and de nuevo can mean “again.” Toca is the informal command of tocar, and la is tacked onto the end to mean “it” (referring to the song, or la canción). The accent is placed over the “o” to make sure the first syllable continues to be stressed after adding la.
11. “Siempre nos quedará Paris.”
English: “We’ll always have Paris.”
Movie: “Casablanca” (1943)
This is another great quote from “Casablanca.” Quedarse usually means “to stay” or “to remain.” In this case, it refers to a memory that will remain with them. Quedará is another example of the future tense.
12. “¡No puedes soportar la verdad!”
English: “You can’t handle the truth!”
Movie: “A Few Good Men” (1992)
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Soportar more literally means “to stand” or “to tolerate.” In some Spanish versions of the movie, such as in the clip above, the verb encajar is used. Encajar typically means “to fit,” but can also mean “to take” as in to take a joke or, in this case, to take/handle the truth.
13. “Necesitará otro barco más grande.”
English: “You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Movie: “Jaws” (1975)
If you haven’t already had enough practice with future tense, necesitará is another example. The Spanish version of this quote uses otro (another) and más grande (bigger) when referring to the boat that’s needed. Note that más grande goes after the noun.
14. “No permitiré que nadie te arrincone.”
English: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
Movie: “Dirty Dancing” (1987)
The literal translation of this Spanish quote is “I won’t let anyone corner you.” It uses yet another future tense verb (permitiré) and the present subjunctive conjugation of the verb arrinconar (“to corner” or “to lay aside”).
15. “No, yo soy tu padre.”
English: “No, I am your father.”
Movie: “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” (1980)
This is one of the most famous movie quotes of all time, and even people who aren’t huge Star Wars fans are probably familiar with it. It’s often misquoted in English as “Luke, I am your father.” Darth Vader doesn’t actually start the iconic sentence with “Luke” but rather “No.”
How to Practice Spanish Movie Quotes
Whenever you watch a movie, jot down your favorite quotes on your phone, in a notebook or even on flashcards. If it’s in Spanish, jot down the English equivalent. If it’s in English, translate it into Spanish. Refer back to your favorite quotes often and practice saying them out loud until you have them memorized.
You can also use FluentU’s video lessons for learning Spanish with movies. Here’s one from a classic, quote-worthy movie, Clueless:
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In addition to video lessons on YouTube, FluentU offers an extensive library of video clips (including movie trailers and excerpts) with dual-language, annotated subtitles. This means you can quickly identify what quotes you want to learn and the nuances behind them.
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If you have a Netflix account, you can download the FluentU Chrome extension. This will allow you to watch any Spanish show or movie on Netflix with interactive subtitles to learn new words and famous quotes as you watch.
Now you can recite some of the most famous Spanish movie quotes. For more Spanish movies, check out these great options with subtitles or some of the best Spanish movies on Netflix.
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing…
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