Five Spanish idioms every beginner should know

Summary

Coffee Break Spanish: Five Spanish Idioms Every Beginner Should Know

Host: Coffee Break Languages (Nabel)
Date: August 3, 2026
Episode Focus: Five accessible, everyday Spanish idioms for beginners (and tips for usage by more advanced learners)

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Episode Overview

In this episode, host Nabel introduces five essential Spanish idioms suitable for beginners. With clear explanations and example sentences, Nabel ensures that learners of all levels can understand and start using these phrases in daily conversation. While the idioms are chosen for accessibility (A1-level grammar), intermediate learners are encouraged to adapt and use them naturally as well. The teaching style is friendly, supportive, and focused on practical communication.

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Key Discussion Points & Idioms

1. Trabajar codo con codo (Work elbow to elbow)

Meaning: To work side by side with someone—closely collaborating or cooperating.

• Explanation (02:02): “The first one is trabajar codo con codo which literally means to work elbow to elbow and it's used to mean to work side by side.”
• Usage Example:
  • “Mi amigo y yo trabajamos codo con codo.”
    (My friend and I work side by side.)
• Tip: Just conjugate trabajar and add codo con codo. “Super fácil.” (Super easy.)

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2. Echar una mano (To throw a hand)

Meaning: To lend a hand/to help someone.

• Explanation (03:00): “It literally means to throw a hand, but it actually means to lend a hand or simply to help.”
• Usage Example:
  • “Si quieres le echo una mano a tu hermano.”
    (If you want, I can lend a hand to your brother.)
• Grammatical note:
  • “Just like in English, we can use an indirect object pronoun…”
  • “Si quieres le echo una mano. If you want, I can lend him a hand.”

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3. Tener algo en la punta de la lengua (To have something on the tip of one’s tongue)

Meaning: When you almost remember something, usually a word or a name.

• Explanation (04:10): “Just like in English, we could use that idiom in Spanish when we want to express that type of frustration.”
• Usage Example:
  • “Ay, lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.”
    (I have it on the tip of my tongue.)
• Learning tip:
  • Learn it as a set phrase, even if you’re not confident with direct object pronouns yet.
  • “It will buy you time to think in a speaking exam, for example, and you will sound more natural and fluent.”

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4. Costar un ojo de la cara (To cost an eye from the face)

Meaning: To be very expensive—similar to “to cost an arm and a leg” in English.

• Explanation (05:14): “Can you guess what it means? Once again, it's very similar to an English idiom, although not exactly the same. It means to cost an arm and a leg.”
• Usage Example:
  • “No voy a comprar los pantalones porque cuestan un ojo de la cara.”
    (I’m not going to buy the trousers because they cost an arm and a leg.)
• Variations & Tips:
  • “Be careful. We say un ojo de la cara, not simply un ojo.”
  • Other fun alternatives: costar un riñón (to cost a kidney), or substituting costar with valer—“valer un ojo de la cara”.

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5. Comerse la cabeza (To eat your head)

Meaning: To overthink or obsess about something.

• Explanation (06:06): “The tricky part here is that we use comer in its reflexive form because what we are actually saying is that you are eating your own head. And do you know what that means? It means to overthink.”
• Usage Example:
  • “No te preocupes, no te comas más la cabeza.”
    (Don’t worry. Stop overthinking it.)
• Grammatical emphasis:
  • “Notice te comas, the reflexive form of the verb comer used in this idiom. I know the reflexive pronoun is easy to forget, but here it’s essential, so please don’t forget it.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On usefulness for all learners (01:32):

  “These five idioms are beginner friendly because they can be used using A1 level grammar and also the vocabulary is covered in the beginner levels... if you are an intermediate level learner, no te preocupes porque you can still use them.” (Nabel)

• On having idioms for fluency (04:49):

  “‘Lo tengo en la punta de la lengua.’ It will buy you time to think in a speaking exam, for example, and at the same time you will sound more natural and fluent.”

• On “comerse la cabeza” (06:30):

  “I know the reflexive pronoun is easy to forget, but here it's essential, so please don't forget it. Also, I'm aware that of the five idioms, this is probably the trickiest one, but I think your Spanish speaking friends will love it. Así que mucho ánimo usando lo.”

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Episode Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:04] — Episode start, overview & why these idioms were chosen
• [02:02] — Trabajar codo con codo explained with example
• [03:00] — Echar una mano in context, structure tips
• [04:10] — Tener algo en la punta de la lengua and advice on set phrases
• [05:14] — Costar un ojo de la cara and idiomatic alternatives
• [06:06] — Comerse la cabeza: reflexive usage, practical advice
• [07:40] — Encouragement to sign up for free mini lessons

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Closing and Learning Resources

Nabel invites listeners to receive free mini lessons by signing up at coffeebreaklanguages.com/spanish. The episode closes with encouragement to try these idioms out and a friendly Spanish farewell:

“Muchas gracias como siempre y nos vemos pronto. Adiós.” (07:50)

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Summary Takeaway

This episode gives beginners practical, memorable idioms to use right away for sounding more natural and fluent in Spanish. Nabel’s explanations are clear, encouraging, and filled with real-world context, making the journey to Spanish fluency fun and attainable.

Transcript

[A]

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[C]

welcome to Coffee Break Spanish yo soy nabel y estoy de vuelta en otro episodio. This time I want to bring you five beginner friendly idioms to start using in your daily conversations. These five idioms are beginner friendly because they can be used using A1 level grammar and also the vocabulary is covered in the beginner levels. Also I made sure they are useful so you can use them every day or as much as possible. However, if you are an intermediate level learner, no te preocupes because you can still use them. Before we start, I would like to say that this is the podcast version of a video episode that you can watch for free on YouTube. The link is in the description or you can simply go to our YouTube channel and you will find it there. General Pues di Choeso, vamos aver el primero. The first one is trabajar codo con codo which literally means to work elbow to elbow and it's used to mean to work side by side. Vamos averunejemplo mi amigo. Yo trabajamos codo con codo. My friend and I work side by side. As you can see we simply conjugate the verb treavajar and then add codo con codo super facil the next idiom is, and it literally means to throw a hand, but it actually means to lend a hand or simply to help. A continuation. Lo vemos en contexto. Si quieres hecho una mano a tu hermano. If you want, I can lend a hand to your brother. Here we can see to lend someone a hand. And just like in English, we can use an indirect object pronoun and si quieres lecho una mano. If you want, I can lend him a hand. Perfecto. Beamos el sigente modismo. For the next idiom, I want you to think about the last time you couldn't remember someone's name. You know exactly who the person is, and you definitely know their name, but you just can't recall it. What do we say in this situation? In English? That's right. We could say something like, ah, I have it on the tip of my tongue. And just like in English, we could use that idiom in Spanish when we want to express that type of frustration. Hai, lo tingo el apunta de la lengua. Here we are using tener algo el apunta de la lengua. The thing is that we are normally going to use tener in the present tense, so tengo I have. Something more important, though, is that we are going to use the pronoun lo instead of algo, which means that instead of saying tengo algo en la punta de la lengua, normally we are going to say lo tengo ella punta de la lengua. I have it on the tip of my tongue. This means that if you are not familiar yet with lo and the rest of direct object pronouns, you can still use it if you learn it as a set phrase. Hi lo tengo ella punta de la lengua. It will buy you time to think in a speaking exam, for example, and at the same time you will sound more natural and fluent. Es perfecto fantastico. Pues aura vemos el sigente modismo que es costar unojo de la cara. Can you guess what it means? Once again, it's very similar to an English idiom, although not exactly the same. It means to cost an arm and a leg. Let's see it in context. No boy a comprar los pantalones por que cuestan unojo de la cara. I'm not going to buy the trousers because they cost an arm and a leg. Notice that we say un hojo de la cara and not simply unojo. The whole phrase is unojo de la carazo. Be careful. Now, if your vocabulary range is a little higher. I have other versions of this idiom for you. The first one is costar un rignono. Un rignon is a kidney, so it literally means to cost a kidney. The other alternative, which is also very useful if you want to avoid the regular conjugation of the verb costar, is changing costar to valer, valer unojo de la cara, or valer un rignon. All of these options are interchangeable, so choose your favorite one. And our fifth one is one of my personal favorites, and it has many, many, many variations. But the most common one is comerce la cabeza. The tricky part here is that we use comer in its reflexive form because what we are actually saying is that you are eating your own head. And do you know what that means? It means to overthink. Vemos un e genplo. Ah, no te preocupes. No te comas mas la cabeza. Don't worry. Stop overthinking it. We could say this to a friend or family member who is overthinking a situation and we want them to stop worrying so much. Notice te comas, the reflexive form of the verb comer used in this idiom. I know the reflexive pronoun is easy to forget, but here it's essential, so please don't forget it. Also, I'm aware that of the five idioms, this is probably the trickiest one, but I think your Spanish speaking friends will love it. Asique mucho animo usando lo. Pues eso esto do puro. If you would like to receive free mini lessons every week straight to your inbox, go to coffeebreaklanguages.com Spanish and sign up for our newsletter. Much gracias como siempre y nos vemos pronto. Adios.

[B]

You have been listening to a Coffee Break Languages Production for the Radiolingua Network. Copyright 2026 Radiolingua Ltd. Recording Copyright 2026 Radiolingua Limited all rights reserved.

[D]

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[B]

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