Vocabulary (Review)

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Lesson Transcript

Hi, everyone! I'm Jasmine from SpanishPod101.com. In this video, we'll be talking about top five phrases to make you sound like a pro! We're at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California. Let's begin!
1. pillar con las manos en la masa "to catch someone red-handed"
When you find somebody doing something she or he shouldn't be doing, you can use this expression. When people hide something, you can use the expression, pillar con las manos en la masa, to mean “to catch someone red-handed,” literally means “to catch someone with their hands in the dough.” Using this word, you can say,
Los pillé con las manos en la masa, ¡copiando en el examen!
"I caught them red-handed cheating on the exam!"
Or, nuestro padre nos pilló con las manos en la masa un día que queríamos salir de fiesta a escondidas.
“One day our father caught us red-handed when we wanted to go out to a party.”
2. tener mala leche "to be in a bad mood, very angry"
When you were really angry, you can use this expression to make you sound like a native.
Tener mala leche, it literally means “having bad milk,” and you can use it to say “be in a bad mood” or “very angry”.
For example, if you notice someone in a bad mood, you can give a warning using this expression.
Cuidado con Nuria que cuando saca la mala leche no hay quien hable con ella. It means, “be careful with Nuria because when she is in a bad mood, nobody can talk with her."
Be careful and do not use it in front of someone who is angry.
3. meter la pata "to screw up, make a mistake"
It literally means “to insert a paw”, and you can use it to mean “to screw up” or “to make a mistake.” For example, if you see someone who made a mistake and you want to talk about it to your friend you can say,
Metió la pata con su comentario. That means “she screwed up with her comment."
Or, you can say, No vayas a meter la pata en tu cita, to mean “don't mess up and be late.”
Again, this is an informal expression so do not use it with someone older.
4. costar un ojo de la cara "cost a pretty penny, to cost a lot"
When you find something very expensive and want to describe it like a pro, use this expression. Costar un ojo de la cara, it literally means “to cost an arm and a leg.” Using this word, you can say,
Ese celular me va a costar un ojo de la cara. This means ”this cell phone is going to cost me an arm and a leg."
Here's another example,
Me costó un ojo de la cara arreglar el carro. This means “it costs me an arm and a leg to fix the car."
5. ser pan comido "to be easy, piece of cake"
When you want to express the task is very easy to do, you can use the word, ser pan comido, it means “to be easy” or “a piece of cake,” or it literally means “to eat a piece of cake.”
Using this word, I can say like,
El examen fue pan comido. This means “the test was a piece of cake;” or it means “it was very easy.”
Okay, that's all about top 5 phrases to make you sound like a pro! And if you really want to become fluent and speak Spanish from the very first lesson, go to SpanishPod101.com! I'll see you next time! hasta la próxima!

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