Words in Spanish that don’t exist in English

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Have you ever come across a word in English and struggled to find its equivalent in Spanish (or vice versa)? You’re not alone- there are plenty of words that don’t translate easily from one language to another. These words that English is missing often capture concepts that don’t exist in the other language.

In this post, we’ll take a look at some examples of words that don’t translate bidirectionally. So, if you’re curious about the quirks of language, read on for a fun and informative journey into the world of untranslatable words.

As you’ll see in the examples, there´s usually a workaround to express the same in English, but it takes more than one single word.

Hope you enjoy it!

Spanish words that don’t exist in English

DESVIVIRSE – to put a lot of effort into something
“Graciela se desvivió por hacernos sentir cómodos en su casa.”
Graciela went out of her way to make us feel comfortable in her home.

MADRUGADA – the earlt morning, before dawn.
“Me levanté a la madrugada con mucha sed.”
I got up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty.

ESTRENAR – to wear or use something for the first time.
“Acabo de estrenar mi nuevo departamento.”
I’ve just moved in to my new apartment.

SOBREMESA – the time spent lingering at the table after a meal, chatting and enjoying each other’s company.
“Los argentinos podemos pasar horas charlando en la sobremesa”
We Argentines can spend hours chatting after a meal.

GANAS – eagerness, strong desire or motivation.
“Tengo muchas ganas de comer algo.”
I really want to eat something.

SUEGRO/SUEGRA/SUEGROS – in-laws, parents of one’s spouse
“Mis suegros viven en Portugal.”
My parents in law live in Portugal

DESCALZO – bare feet
“Me encanta estar descalzo en mi casa.”
I love to be bare feet in my home.

DIVERTIRSE – to have fun, enjoy oneself
“No sé qué hacer para divertirme.”
I don’t know what to do for fun.

APROVECHAR – to take advantage of, make the most of
“Aprovechemos la mañana para terminar esto.”
Let’s take advantage of the morning hours to finish this.

SALPIMENTAR – to add salt and pepper to food
“No te olvides de salpimentar la comida.”
Don’t forget to add salt and pepper to the meal.

COLMO – the peak or the greatest amount of something
“¡Es el colmo! No ayudás a limpiar y encima ensuciás todo”
That’s the last straw! You don’t help clean up and you make a mess.

PASEAR – to go for a walk, a leisurely stroll
“¿Tenés ganas de salir a pasear?
Do you feel like going out?

RECORRER – to travel through, visit, or go over
“Recorrimos todo Buenos Aires en 3 días.”
We went all around Buenos Aires in 3 days.

TRASNOCHAR – to stay up late, to be up late into the night
“No me gusta trasnochar, me gusta irme a dormir temprano.”
I don’t like to stay up late, I like to go to bed early.

CONVIVIR – to live together, to coexist or socialize
“Convivo con mi pareja hace 5 años.”
I have been living with my partner for 5 years.

AJENO – not one’s own
“En esta ciudad parece haber muchos amigos de lo ajeno.”
In this city, it seems there are many people who are fond of other people’s belongings.

ACOSTUMBRARSE – to get used to, to become accustomed to
“Me estoy acostumbrando a mi nuevo trabajo. Hay muchas cosas nuevas.”
I’m getting used to my new job. There are a lot of new things.

TARDAR – to take a long time, to delay
“¿Por qué tardaste tanto en llegar?”
Why did it take you so long to get here?

ANTEAYER – the day before yesterday.
“Eli llegó de viaje anteayer.”
Eli arrived from her trip the day before yesterday.

Here you go! Do you know other words to add to the list? Please leave you comment below!

Happy Spanish learning!

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