[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
1. Est\u00e1 lleno de gente<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> It’s crowded\/full of people<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nOne of the most fundamental cultural conflicts\u00a0that I had with my first Spanish girlfriend involved this gesture.<\/p>\n
I liked to dine out in relatively calm environments, but if we were out looking for a place to eat and\u00a0she saw a restaurant that was full of people, she would grin and insist that we stop\u00a0there.<\/p>\n
There was a gesture that would accompany this reaction. She would hold a hand palm up and open and close her fingers, keeping them straight\u2014perhaps one should visualize the fingers as people being crowded into butting their heads together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To her, and to most other Spaniards, a crowded restaurant isn’t just a sign that the food must be good. It’s a necessity in and of itself for ambiance, for the sense of a good night out in an exciting place. To a much greater extent than in other cultures I’ve lived in, Spanish culture views crowdedness as a good thing.<\/p>\n
Thus, when you go out to have dinner, tapas or drinks with Spanish speakers, you’ll probably also find yourself dragged into the most crowded places. It’s perhaps not the ideal situation for a struggling newbie Spanish speaker, but with this gesture you can, at the very least, wordlessly comment on how crowded the place is.<\/p>\n
Another phrase that can be paired with the gesture is hay\u00a0mucha gente\u00a0<\/em> (there are a lot of people).<\/p>\n2. Un \/una caradura<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> A shameless person<\/p>\nGesture: <\/strong>Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf someone behaves in a way that’s just shameless, they’re known in Spanish as a un\/una<\/em>\u00a0caradura\u2014<\/em>literally a “hard face” (male\/female). The gesture that accompanies this is tapping your\u00a0open palm against your\u00a0cheek; you can imagine that you’re showing\u00a0just how hard someone’s face is.<\/p>\nAs described in the video clip above, you\u00a0might break out\u00a0this gesture when someone is shirking their responsibility to invite you to a drink (assuming you paid the previous round).<\/p>\n
Other situations where it could come up include when others are\u00a0taking more than their fair share of something or are making a spectacle of themselves.<\/p>\n
Other expressions that you can use with this gesture are \u00a1Es sinverg\u00fcenza!\u00a0<\/em>(he\/she is shameless) and \u00a1Qu\u00e9 cara\u00a0m\u00e1s dura tiene!\u00a0<\/em>(literally: what a hard face he\/she has!).<\/p>\n3. Estoy harto\/Estoy hasta aqu\u00ed<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> To be fed up\/up to here<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nThe gesture for showing exasperation relates to the phrase\u00a0estar hasta aqu\u00ed\u00a0<\/em>(to be up to here). You show just where aqu\u00ed<\/i> is on your body by tapping the side of your open hand, palm down, against your forehead.<\/p>\nAs they make the gesture, many Spanish speakers\u00a0also puff out their cheeks and\/or exhale, as if to gesture that they’re bursting at the seams with this exasperation.<\/p>\n
If you’re the person who’s fed up, you conjugate the verb\u00a0estar<\/em> for the first person singular. Others can also be fed up too, although you’ll of course still gesture at your own head as you say these!<\/p>\n\n- Estoy hasta aqu\u00ed.<\/em> \u2014 I’m up to here.<\/li>\n
- Est\u00e1 hasta aqu\u00ed.<\/em> \u2014 He\/she is up to here.<\/li>\n
- Estamos hasta aqu\u00ed.<\/em> \u2014 We are up to here.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You can also use the various conjugations of\u00a0estar<\/em> with the word harto<\/em>\u00a0(fed up) to express the same sentiment:<\/p>\n\n- \u00a1Estoy harto!<\/em> \/ \u00a1Estoy harta!<\/em> (I’m fed up!).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Keeping gender rule in mind, a woman would say the second one.\u00a0An alternate version of the gesture is to tap the side of your head with your thumb and index finger, then flip your hand outwards, opening it.<\/p>\n
4. \u00a1Dios m\u00edo!<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> My god!<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nWhen you see this gesture in conversation, you’re usually about to be treated to quite a story.<\/p>\n
If something is unbelievable, insane or absolutely amazing, this is the gesture that you’ll need. Hold your hand limp at shoulder height and waggle it back and forth. You’ll also usually shake your head in disbelief.<\/p>\n
As suggested in the video, you might say either dios m\u00edo<\/em>\u00a0(my god) or madre m\u00eda<\/em>\u00a0(literally, “my mother,” a reference to the Virgin Mary).<\/p>\nIn actual fact, the majority of Spanish speakers will accompany this gesture with\u00a0vocabulary that’s less religion-based and more defecation- or sexuality-based, but disclosing the specific language is beyond this classy blog. However, the gesture itself isn’t considered vulgar.<\/p>\n
This gesture can also simply mean mucho<\/em> (a lot). Use it to show how impressed you are by a quantity.<\/p>\n5. Counting the years for a kid’s birthday<\/h2>\n
Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nHave you wondered what you can do to tease or terrorize Spanish children on their birthdays?<\/p>\n
Here’s your answer: Grab the kid by the ear and tug down, once for each year of life that they’ve completed. The last tug should be the strongest.<\/p>\n
As you tug, count off the years: uno, dos, tres, cuatro… \u00a1y cinco!<\/em><\/p>\nMake a show of really tugging on the kid’s ear for the last one, to symbolize the increasingly tragic, painful, one-way process of aging. Chances are, the kid will giggle, because he hasn’t yet caught on to the horrors involved.<\/p>\n
6. Estoy a dos velas<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> I’m broke<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a> and here<\/a><\/p>\nWhen you’re running short on funds you can use the expression\u00a0estoy a dos velas<\/em>, which literally translates to “I’m at two candles.”<\/p>\nThe gesture that goes with it is to make the peace sign with your two fingers pointing at your eyeballs, and then to wave them up and down. If it helps you remember this, I suppose you could think of this as the smoke from\u00a0your last two candles burning in front of your eyes.<\/p>\n
There’s also an alternate version of the gesture.<\/p>\n
Have\u00a0you ever noticed how wax running down the side of a candle looks like snot running down one’s\u00a0face? I hadn’t\u00a0either, but Spanish people have, and thus\u00a0estar a dos velas<\/em>\u00a0can also be gestured with two fingers indicating snot running out of your nose.<\/p>\nIsn’t that charming?<\/p>\n
7. \u00bfLo pillas?<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:\u00a0<\/strong>Do you get it?<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nThis gesture is particular to Spain. When someone wants to check your understanding, she might hold her finger and thumb out as if grasping a small object and then twisting it about slightly.<\/p>\n
The verb pillar<\/em>\u00a0literally means to catch or nab something, so that may help you remember the gesture.<\/p>\nThe gesture might be\u00a0used if someone has just made a joke that you didn’t laugh at, and they want to inquire if\u00a0you understood. As a non-native Spanish speaker you’re likely going to see this one often, especially when a Spanish person sees that perhaps you’re out of your\u00a0element or missed something they said.<\/p>\n
8. As\u00ed as\u00ed<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> Not so great, so-so<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nYou may already use this gesture as an English speaker.<\/p>\n
When someone asks \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>and things are not-so-great, you can respond\u00a0as\u00ed as\u00ed<\/em> and tilt your raised hand side to side, palm down.<\/p>\nIt’s also quite common when speaking Spanish to further emphasize the rough seas you’re riding by tilting your head from side to side as you make the gesture.<\/p>\n
9. Te voy a dar<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> You’re gonna get it<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nDo you need to indicate to a Spanish child that some non-specific punishment is imminent?<\/p>\n
Say te voy a dar<\/em>\u00a0(you’re gonna get it), then hold your hand palm up and chop sideways at the air. Are you gesturing a spanking? A karate chop through the kid’s skull? Or just halving the kid’s allowance? It’s hard to say; like\u00a0the expression, the gesture is intentionally vague.<\/p>\nNote the tongue click at 1:04 in the video that’s used to emphasize the severity of this strike. Spaniards use this click all the time for emphasis, and in quite a variety of situations. It’s the cutest thing ever, even when used to imply violence.<\/p>\n
10. Muy delgado\/Muy delgada<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> Very skinny<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf someone has lost a lot of weight or become skinny, Spanish has a gesture to emphasize the fact.<\/p>\n
Hold up your fist, and extend only your pinky finger, me\u00f1ique<\/em>. The phrase for a man is\u00a0muy delgado<\/em> and for a woman\u00a0muy delgada<\/em>.<\/p>\nAs you might already know from the long days (months? years?) spent studying ser<\/em> vs. estar<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Spanish’s two verbs for “to be”), you’ll use the former when describing a skinny person and the latter when talking about weight loss.<\/p>\nIn both cases, you can use this same gesture, but the meaning will be different:<\/p>\n
\n- Es muy delgado.<\/em> \u2014 He’s a very skinny guy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Est\u00e1 muy delgado.<\/em> \u2014 He’s looking quite skinny now.\/He’s lost a lot of weight.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
11. No tiene ni dos dedos de frente<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:\u00a0<\/strong>To\u00a0be dumb as a post<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf someone is dumb\u2014or acting it\u2014you can indicate as much by tapping your first two fingers, closed together, to your forehead.\u00a0As usual for negative gestures, we do this one to ourselves even when\u00a0we’re talking about someone else.<\/p>\n
The corresponding expression is\u00a0no tener ni dos dedos de frente<\/em>\u00a0(to be dumb as a post, or literally “to not even have two fingers in front”). Conjugating the irregular verb, you might say:<\/p>\nNo tiene ni dos dedos de frente.<\/em> \u2014 He’s dumb as a post.<\/p>\nSpanish also has a positive version of this expression (which doesn’t have a gesture):<\/p>\n
Tiene m\u00e1s de dos dedos de frente.<\/em> \u2014 He’s a smart cookie. (Literally, “he’s got more than two fingers in front.”)<\/p>\n12. Est\u00e1 loco\/est\u00e1 loca<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> He’s\/she’s crazy<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nWhen someone is being a bit nutty in English we twirl our index finger at the side of our skulls, perhaps rolling our eyes.<\/p>\n
Spanish speakers\u00a0do likewise, but they may also just tap their index fingers against their temples\u2014like English speakers do to indicate that someone is smart or has a good idea.<\/p>\n
It might seem like the two meanings for the same gesture could cause a bit of Anglo-Hispanic cross-cultural confusion, but the accompanying exasperated expressions, sighs and eye-rolling make it pretty clear that a Spanish speaker thinks someone is losing his or her marbles.<\/p>\n
For the phrase, we conjugate our temporary-state-of-being verb\u00a0estar to est\u00e1, <\/em>then\u00a0add loco<\/em> for a man and loca<\/em> for a woman.<\/p>\n13. Ya te lo dije<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:\u00a0<\/strong>I told you so<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf you want to emphasize your previous clairvoyance, brush or flick the backside of your index finger out from under your chin at the other person.<\/p>\n
It looks a bit rude and childish\u2014and it is.<\/p>\n
You can accompany it with\u00a0the phrase\u00a0ya te lo dije<\/em> (literally, “I already told you it”) or you can just make a taunting naaaaa<\/em>\u00a0sound.<\/p>\n14. Se me ha ido la olla<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:\u00a0<\/strong>I forgot<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf you’ve forgotten something, you can gesture that something is just flying out of your skull. With your hand open and fingers together, touch your fingers to your forehead and then flick them off into the air, like the thoughts are just escaping.<\/p>\n
One phrase that you might use with this in Spain is\u00a0se me ha ido la olla<\/em>, which can mean “I forgot.” It can also mean “I went crazy\/did something stupid,” and literally it means “the pot got away from me.”<\/p>\nIn Latin America you’re more likely to hear the phrase with the preterite: Se me fue la olla.<\/em><\/p>\nI think that this phrase is useful to memorize along with this gesture, for their mutual ability to evoke the imagery of things getting away from us. However, you’re just as likely to hear the simple se me olvid\u00f3\u00a0<\/em>(I forgot) with this\u00a0gesture.<\/p>\nNotice how the\u00a0magical, lovely se me olvid\u00f3<\/em>\u00a0uses an unspecified third person subject to liberate\u00a0one from\u00a0the responsibility of forgetting? This\u00a0could be literally translated as, “It forgot itself on me.” Who wouldn’t wish to see forgetting as a misfortune that visits us, not as something that we do to ourselves?<\/p>\n15. Vamos a comer<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> Let’s eat<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nIf you’re hungry and want to suggest going for a bite, curl the fingers and thumb of one hand together in a point and gesture bringing it to your mouth.<\/p>\n
The accompanying phrase is\u00a0vamos a comer<\/em> (let’s eat).<\/p>\n16. Hacen buena pareja<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> To\u00a0be\u00a0a good match<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nTo say that two people or things seem to go well together, stick out the index finger of each hand and bump them together a couple of times.<\/p>\n
The accompanying phrase is hacer buena pareja,<\/em> which means to be a good match (literally, they make good couple).\u00a0<\/p>\nOften you’re talking about others, so you’ll use the third person plural, as in hacen buena pareja. <\/em>(they are a good match).<\/p>\n17. Mira<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> Look<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nThe gesture for telling someone\u00a0to look at something more closely is to pull down one\u00a0lower eyelid with the index finger of one hand.<\/p>\n
It’s a little bit nicer and more subtle than just saying\u00a0mira<\/em> (look).<\/p>\nThis gesture is extremely common and can have a couple\u00a0more meanings. If given with a knowing\/suspicious look, it might mean “I know what you’re up to.” And it can also mean that you’re suggesting to keep an eye one someone or to pay closer attention.<\/p>\n
18. Perezoso\/perezosa<\/em><\/h2>\nMeaning:<\/strong> Lazy<\/p>\nGesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\nThis gesture looks a little like the Anglo gesture for large breasts, but falls a bit lower, like you’re cradling in both hands a person’s large lumps of fat, or as the video suggests, enormous testicles.<\/p>\n
To do it, hold your hands open in front of you and move them up and down, like you’ve got some big, oppressive, clumsy load.<\/p>\n
The corresponding adjective is\u00a0perezoso<\/em> for a man or\u00a0perezosa<\/em> for a woman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
Ready to speak Spanish with your hands?<\/p>\n
The next time you’re in a conversation with a Spanish speaker, try leaving out a few of the words above and using the gestured equivalent instead. Can you be understood just the same? Use the FluentU program<\/a> to see the gestures in use by native Spanish speakers through bite-sized videos with learning features. FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n<\/p> \r\n
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\nP.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n ![\"FluentU](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/2\/NativeAd-Spanish.jpg\")
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Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n One of the most fundamental cultural conflicts\u00a0that I had with my first Spanish girlfriend involved this gesture.<\/p>\n I liked to dine out in relatively calm environments, but if we were out looking for a place to eat and\u00a0she saw a restaurant that was full of people, she would grin and insist that we stop\u00a0there.<\/p>\n There was a gesture that would accompany this reaction. She would hold a hand palm up and open and close her fingers, keeping them straight\u2014perhaps one should visualize the fingers as people being crowded into butting their heads together.\u00a0<\/p>\n To her, and to most other Spaniards, a crowded restaurant isn’t just a sign that the food must be good. It’s a necessity in and of itself for ambiance, for the sense of a good night out in an exciting place. To a much greater extent than in other cultures I’ve lived in, Spanish culture views crowdedness as a good thing.<\/p>\n Thus, when you go out to have dinner, tapas or drinks with Spanish speakers, you’ll probably also find yourself dragged into the most crowded places. It’s perhaps not the ideal situation for a struggling newbie Spanish speaker, but with this gesture you can, at the very least, wordlessly comment on how crowded the place is.<\/p>\n Another phrase that can be paired with the gesture is hay\u00a0mucha gente\u00a0<\/em> (there are a lot of people).<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> A shameless person<\/p>\n Gesture: <\/strong>Here<\/a><\/p>\n If someone behaves in a way that’s just shameless, they’re known in Spanish as a un\/una<\/em>\u00a0caradura\u2014<\/em>literally a “hard face” (male\/female). The gesture that accompanies this is tapping your\u00a0open palm against your\u00a0cheek; you can imagine that you’re showing\u00a0just how hard someone’s face is.<\/p>\n As described in the video clip above, you\u00a0might break out\u00a0this gesture when someone is shirking their responsibility to invite you to a drink (assuming you paid the previous round).<\/p>\n Other situations where it could come up include when others are\u00a0taking more than their fair share of something or are making a spectacle of themselves.<\/p>\n Other expressions that you can use with this gesture are \u00a1Es sinverg\u00fcenza!\u00a0<\/em>(he\/she is shameless) and \u00a1Qu\u00e9 cara\u00a0m\u00e1s dura tiene!\u00a0<\/em>(literally: what a hard face he\/she has!).<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> To be fed up\/up to here<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n The gesture for showing exasperation relates to the phrase\u00a0estar hasta aqu\u00ed\u00a0<\/em>(to be up to here). You show just where aqu\u00ed<\/i> is on your body by tapping the side of your open hand, palm down, against your forehead.<\/p>\n As they make the gesture, many Spanish speakers\u00a0also puff out their cheeks and\/or exhale, as if to gesture that they’re bursting at the seams with this exasperation.<\/p>\n If you’re the person who’s fed up, you conjugate the verb\u00a0estar<\/em> for the first person singular. Others can also be fed up too, although you’ll of course still gesture at your own head as you say these!<\/p>\n You can also use the various conjugations of\u00a0estar<\/em> with the word harto<\/em>\u00a0(fed up) to express the same sentiment:<\/p>\n Keeping gender rule in mind, a woman would say the second one.\u00a0An alternate version of the gesture is to tap the side of your head with your thumb and index finger, then flip your hand outwards, opening it.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> My god!<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n When you see this gesture in conversation, you’re usually about to be treated to quite a story.<\/p>\n If something is unbelievable, insane or absolutely amazing, this is the gesture that you’ll need. Hold your hand limp at shoulder height and waggle it back and forth. You’ll also usually shake your head in disbelief.<\/p>\n As suggested in the video, you might say either dios m\u00edo<\/em>\u00a0(my god) or madre m\u00eda<\/em>\u00a0(literally, “my mother,” a reference to the Virgin Mary).<\/p>\n In actual fact, the majority of Spanish speakers will accompany this gesture with\u00a0vocabulary that’s less religion-based and more defecation- or sexuality-based, but disclosing the specific language is beyond this classy blog. However, the gesture itself isn’t considered vulgar.<\/p>\n This gesture can also simply mean mucho<\/em> (a lot). Use it to show how impressed you are by a quantity.<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n Have you wondered what you can do to tease or terrorize Spanish children on their birthdays?<\/p>\n Here’s your answer: Grab the kid by the ear and tug down, once for each year of life that they’ve completed. The last tug should be the strongest.<\/p>\n As you tug, count off the years: uno, dos, tres, cuatro… \u00a1y cinco!<\/em><\/p>\n Make a show of really tugging on the kid’s ear for the last one, to symbolize the increasingly tragic, painful, one-way process of aging. Chances are, the kid will giggle, because he hasn’t yet caught on to the horrors involved.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> I’m broke<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a> and here<\/a><\/p>\n When you’re running short on funds you can use the expression\u00a0estoy a dos velas<\/em>, which literally translates to “I’m at two candles.”<\/p>\n The gesture that goes with it is to make the peace sign with your two fingers pointing at your eyeballs, and then to wave them up and down. If it helps you remember this, I suppose you could think of this as the smoke from\u00a0your last two candles burning in front of your eyes.<\/p>\n There’s also an alternate version of the gesture.<\/p>\n Have\u00a0you ever noticed how wax running down the side of a candle looks like snot running down one’s\u00a0face? I hadn’t\u00a0either, but Spanish people have, and thus\u00a0estar a dos velas<\/em>\u00a0can also be gestured with two fingers indicating snot running out of your nose.<\/p>\n Isn’t that charming?<\/p>\n Meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>Do you get it?<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n This gesture is particular to Spain. When someone wants to check your understanding, she might hold her finger and thumb out as if grasping a small object and then twisting it about slightly.<\/p>\n The verb pillar<\/em>\u00a0literally means to catch or nab something, so that may help you remember the gesture.<\/p>\n The gesture might be\u00a0used if someone has just made a joke that you didn’t laugh at, and they want to inquire if\u00a0you understood. As a non-native Spanish speaker you’re likely going to see this one often, especially when a Spanish person sees that perhaps you’re out of your\u00a0element or missed something they said.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> Not so great, so-so<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n You may already use this gesture as an English speaker.<\/p>\n When someone asks \u00bfC\u00f3mo est\u00e1s?<\/em>\u00a0<\/i>and things are not-so-great, you can respond\u00a0as\u00ed as\u00ed<\/em> and tilt your raised hand side to side, palm down.<\/p>\n It’s also quite common when speaking Spanish to further emphasize the rough seas you’re riding by tilting your head from side to side as you make the gesture.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> You’re gonna get it<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n Do you need to indicate to a Spanish child that some non-specific punishment is imminent?<\/p>\n Say te voy a dar<\/em>\u00a0(you’re gonna get it), then hold your hand palm up and chop sideways at the air. Are you gesturing a spanking? A karate chop through the kid’s skull? Or just halving the kid’s allowance? It’s hard to say; like\u00a0the expression, the gesture is intentionally vague.<\/p>\n Note the tongue click at 1:04 in the video that’s used to emphasize the severity of this strike. Spaniards use this click all the time for emphasis, and in quite a variety of situations. It’s the cutest thing ever, even when used to imply violence.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> Very skinny<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n If someone has lost a lot of weight or become skinny, Spanish has a gesture to emphasize the fact.<\/p>\n Hold up your fist, and extend only your pinky finger, me\u00f1ique<\/em>. The phrase for a man is\u00a0muy delgado<\/em> and for a woman\u00a0muy delgada<\/em>.<\/p>\n As you might already know from the long days (months? years?) spent studying ser<\/em> vs. estar<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Spanish’s two verbs for “to be”), you’ll use the former when describing a skinny person and the latter when talking about weight loss.<\/p>\n In both cases, you can use this same gesture, but the meaning will be different:<\/p>\n Meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>To\u00a0be dumb as a post<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n If someone is dumb\u2014or acting it\u2014you can indicate as much by tapping your first two fingers, closed together, to your forehead.\u00a0As usual for negative gestures, we do this one to ourselves even when\u00a0we’re talking about someone else.<\/p>\n The corresponding expression is\u00a0no tener ni dos dedos de frente<\/em>\u00a0(to be dumb as a post, or literally “to not even have two fingers in front”). Conjugating the irregular verb, you might say:<\/p>\n No tiene ni dos dedos de frente.<\/em> \u2014 He’s dumb as a post.<\/p>\n Spanish also has a positive version of this expression (which doesn’t have a gesture):<\/p>\n Tiene m\u00e1s de dos dedos de frente.<\/em> \u2014 He’s a smart cookie. (Literally, “he’s got more than two fingers in front.”)<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> He’s\/she’s crazy<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n When someone is being a bit nutty in English we twirl our index finger at the side of our skulls, perhaps rolling our eyes.<\/p>\n Spanish speakers\u00a0do likewise, but they may also just tap their index fingers against their temples\u2014like English speakers do to indicate that someone is smart or has a good idea.<\/p>\n It might seem like the two meanings for the same gesture could cause a bit of Anglo-Hispanic cross-cultural confusion, but the accompanying exasperated expressions, sighs and eye-rolling make it pretty clear that a Spanish speaker thinks someone is losing his or her marbles.<\/p>\n For the phrase, we conjugate our temporary-state-of-being verb\u00a0estar to est\u00e1, <\/em>then\u00a0add loco<\/em> for a man and loca<\/em> for a woman.<\/p>\n Meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>I told you so<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n If you want to emphasize your previous clairvoyance, brush or flick the backside of your index finger out from under your chin at the other person.<\/p>\n It looks a bit rude and childish\u2014and it is.<\/p>\n You can accompany it with\u00a0the phrase\u00a0ya te lo dije<\/em> (literally, “I already told you it”) or you can just make a taunting naaaaa<\/em>\u00a0sound.<\/p>\n Meaning:\u00a0<\/strong>I forgot<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n If you’ve forgotten something, you can gesture that something is just flying out of your skull. With your hand open and fingers together, touch your fingers to your forehead and then flick them off into the air, like the thoughts are just escaping.<\/p>\n One phrase that you might use with this in Spain is\u00a0se me ha ido la olla<\/em>, which can mean “I forgot.” It can also mean “I went crazy\/did something stupid,” and literally it means “the pot got away from me.”<\/p>\n In Latin America you’re more likely to hear the phrase with the preterite: Se me fue la olla.<\/em><\/p>\n I think that this phrase is useful to memorize along with this gesture, for their mutual ability to evoke the imagery of things getting away from us. However, you’re just as likely to hear the simple se me olvid\u00f3\u00a0<\/em>(I forgot) with this\u00a0gesture.<\/p>\n Notice how the\u00a0magical, lovely se me olvid\u00f3<\/em>\u00a0uses an unspecified third person subject to liberate\u00a0one from\u00a0the responsibility of forgetting? This\u00a0could be literally translated as, “It forgot itself on me.” Who wouldn’t wish to see forgetting as a misfortune that visits us, not as something that we do to ourselves?<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> Let’s eat<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n If you’re hungry and want to suggest going for a bite, curl the fingers and thumb of one hand together in a point and gesture bringing it to your mouth.<\/p>\n The accompanying phrase is\u00a0vamos a comer<\/em> (let’s eat).<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> To\u00a0be\u00a0a good match<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n To say that two people or things seem to go well together, stick out the index finger of each hand and bump them together a couple of times.<\/p>\n The accompanying phrase is hacer buena pareja,<\/em> which means to be a good match (literally, they make good couple).\u00a0<\/p>\n Often you’re talking about others, so you’ll use the third person plural, as in hacen buena pareja. <\/em>(they are a good match).<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> Look<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n The gesture for telling someone\u00a0to look at something more closely is to pull down one\u00a0lower eyelid with the index finger of one hand.<\/p>\n It’s a little bit nicer and more subtle than just saying\u00a0mira<\/em> (look).<\/p>\n This gesture is extremely common and can have a couple\u00a0more meanings. If given with a knowing\/suspicious look, it might mean “I know what you’re up to.” And it can also mean that you’re suggesting to keep an eye one someone or to pay closer attention.<\/p>\n Meaning:<\/strong> Lazy<\/p>\n Gesture:<\/strong> Here<\/a><\/p>\n This gesture looks a little like the Anglo gesture for large breasts, but falls a bit lower, like you’re cradling in both hands a person’s large lumps of fat, or as the video suggests, enormous testicles.<\/p>\n To do it, hold your hands open in front of you and move them up and down, like you’ve got some big, oppressive, clumsy load.<\/p>\n The corresponding adjective is\u00a0perezoso<\/em> for a man or\u00a0perezosa<\/em> for a woman.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ready to speak Spanish with your hands?<\/p>\n The next time you’re in a conversation with a Spanish speaker, try leaving out a few of the words above and using the gestured equivalent instead. Can you be understood just the same? Use the FluentU program<\/a> to see the gestures in use by native Spanish speakers through bite-sized videos with learning features. FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p> \r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a><\/i>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\r\n \r\n 2. Un \/una caradura<\/em><\/h2>\n
3. Estoy harto\/Estoy hasta aqu\u00ed<\/em><\/h2>\n
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4. \u00a1Dios m\u00edo!<\/em><\/h2>\n
5. Counting the years for a kid’s birthday<\/h2>\n
6. Estoy a dos velas<\/em><\/h2>\n
7. \u00bfLo pillas?<\/em><\/h2>\n
8. As\u00ed as\u00ed<\/em><\/h2>\n
9. Te voy a dar<\/em><\/h2>\n
10. Muy delgado\/Muy delgada<\/em><\/h2>\n
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11. No tiene ni dos dedos de frente<\/em><\/h2>\n
12. Est\u00e1 loco\/est\u00e1 loca<\/em><\/h2>\n
13. Ya te lo dije<\/em><\/h2>\n
14. Se me ha ido la olla<\/em><\/h2>\n
15. Vamos a comer<\/em><\/h2>\n
16. Hacen buena pareja<\/em><\/h2>\n
17. Mira<\/em><\/h2>\n
18. Perezoso\/perezosa<\/em><\/h2>\n
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