The Royal Spanish Academy's Dictionary of the Spanish Language lists 25 different meanings for the Spanish verb pegar, whose English translations range from "to stick" to "to hit"! Although we won't cover all of them, today's lesson will touch on many of the most common ones, backed by lots of examples from the Yabla Spanish video library. Are you ready?!
The Spanish verb pegar is often used to describe attaching one thing to another. While this could involve some substance like glue or paste, in other cases, it might simply entail "sticking" one thing onto another via another means, like sewing (as in the example pegar un bóton, or "sew on a button"). Let's take a look at a couple more examples:
Después pegamos los ojos que le hicimos a nuestro personaje.
Afterwards we glue the eyes that we made for him onto our character.
Caption 65, Manos a la obra Separadores de libros: Charmander
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Repartía volantes, pegaba carteles...
I used to give out pamphlets, put up posters...
Caption 42, Felipe Calderón Publicidad - Part 1
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Similarly, the reflexive form of pegar, pegarse, is used to talk about things that "stick to" other things and might even be translated as "to burn" or "stick to the pan" in the context of cooking.
Y queremos que la harina no esté muy seca y no muy mojada para que no se pegue a las manos
And, we want for the flour to not be very dry and not very moist so that it doesn't stick to one's hands
Captions 43-44, Dany Arepas - Part 1
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Bueno, entonces vemos que esto se está empezando a pegar al fondo.
Well, so we see that this is starting to stick to the bottom.
Caption 1, Cocinando con Miguelito Pollo sudado - Part 2
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In contrast to the former meanings, the Spanish verb pegar can also mean to "hit" someone, as in physically striking them:
Ella era muy amorosa, ella nunca... nunca me pegó, ni una palmada ni nada.
She was very loving. She never... never hit me, not a spank or anything.
Caption 2, La Sub30 Familias - Part 11
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Hermanito, ¿te pegaste?
Little brother, did you get hurt?
Caption 10, Guillermina y Candelario Una película de terror - Part 3
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The verb pegar often appears with specific nouns like tiro (shot), bofetón (slap), patada (kick), etc., to talk about specific types of "striking." For example, you might hear that a soccer player le pegó una patada fuerte a la pelota ("gave the ball a good kick") or that someone le pegó un bofetón ("slapped him" or "gave him a slap"). Let's see an example with un tiro:
Calme ese perro o le pego un tiro.
Calm down that dog or I'll shoot him.
Caption 40, Tu Voz Estéreo Laura - Part 6
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The verb pegar in Spanish might be employed to talk about sun, light, or even wind that falls upon (or is particularly frequent in) a particular surface or area:
Porque aquí esta zona, aquí pega mucho viento.
Because this area here, it's very windy here.
Caption 21, Playa Adícora Francisco - Part 3
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The Spanish verb pegar can additionally be utilized to talk about either "giving," in the sense of "transmitting" an illness or habit to someone, or "picking" it "up." Let's look at an example where pegar means "to give":
Traté de evitarlo, pero al final mi novio me ha pegado el COVID.
I tried to avoid it, but in the end, my boyfriend gave me COVID.
Now, let's see an example of the Spanish verb pegar within a no fault se construction to talk about something one "got."
Parece que se te pegó todo lo malo de ese títere de peluche, ¿no?
It seems like everything bad about that stuffed puppet rubbed off on you, right?
Caption 20, La Familia Cheveroni Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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An alternative translation for this sentence might be: "It seems like you picked up everything bad about that stuffed puppet, right?"
The verb pegar in Spanish can entail "pulling" something "up" to something else or "moving (it) closer." For example, you might say: "Pegué la cama a la pared" (I pulled up the bed up to the wall). Let's see one more example:
Puedes pegar un poco el brazo hacia ti.
You can bring your arm a bit closer to you.
Caption 21, Bienestar con Elizabeth Activar las articulaciones
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Antiguamente el mar pegaba a la muralla.
Previously, the sea touched the wall.
Caption 8, Viajando en Colombia Cartagena en coche - Part 2
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Esa camisa no pega con ese pantalón.
That shirt doesn't match those pants.
In addition to its more traditional uses, the verb pegar can be found in lots of idiomatic expressions and may be used differently in different countries and regions. In the Dominican Republic, for example, it is common to use the Spanish verb pegar to talk about actions that began suddenly, as in the case of "Pegó a correr" (He took off running). In other regions, you might hear expressions like "Me pegó la depresión" (I got depressed) to give us a sense that the speaker was "stricken" by depression, while "Me pegué una siesta" is another way to say "I took a nap."
While the less textbook meanings of the verb pegar can seem endless, here are a smattering of examples whose meanings feel like logical extensions of some of the more traditional definitions we covered:
Era lo que yo había aprendido y entonces, eh, me pegué con ellos
It was what I had learned and so, um, I hooked up with them
Captions 28-29, Willy Entrevista - Part 2
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hoy le pego a ese duraznito de Amalia Durango, ¿oyó?
today I'll hit it with that peach Amalia Durango, you hear?
Caption 11, Confidencial: El rey de la estafa Capítulo 4 - Part 9
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Esto te pega a ti. ¿A ti te gusta?
This one gets your attention. You like it?
Caption 87, 75 minutos Gangas para ricos - Part 14
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Yo sólo quiero pegar en la radio
I just want to catch on on the radio
Caption 1, Bacilos Mi Primer Millón
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Although these examples of the many meanings of the Spanish verb pegar are by no means exhaustive, we hope that this lesson has given you insight into many of them and their uses in different contexts. Let us know with your suggestions and comments if you can think of any more!
Today's lesson will highlight clips from our Yabla Spanish library to teach you some pertinent terms to talk about many people's favorite holiday... Halloween!!! So get ready, and enjoy this lesson about Halloween in Spanish!
Although Halloween is primarily thought of as a North American holiday, its fun festivities have been adopted by many countries throughout the world. When we speak about Halloween in Spanish, we typically keep its English name:
Esta noche es Halloween y seguro que muchas veces habéis pensado disfrazaros con vuestra mascota
Tonight is Halloween and surely you've thought many times of dressing up with your pet
Captions 137-138, Animales en familia Un día en Bioparc: Coatís
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This caption describes the common Halloween costumbre (custom) of disfrazarse (dressing up). You'll note from the previous sentence that costumbre means "custom" or "tradition" rather than "costume" as you might think, making it somewhat of a false cognate. On the other hand, the correct way to say "the costume" in Spanish is el disfraz.
Ay, Aurelito, ¿me prestarías un disfraz?
Oh, Aurelito, would you lend me a costume?
Caption 32, Club 10 Capítulo 1 - Part 2
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What other vocabulary words might we associate with Halloween? We might start by reviewing some Spanish vocabulary for the autumn season since Halloween falls at that time of year. We could then move on to some of Halloween's personajes más espeluznantes (spookiest characters).
Let's look at some video clips that include the names of some of the most typical Halloween characters:
¿Quién no ha querido a una diosa licántropa?
Who hasn't loved a werewolf goddess?
Caption 5, Shakira Loba
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porque sí sé... ahí está el monstruo.
because I know... here's the monster.
Caption 29, Antonio Vargas - Artista Comic
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El fantasma y la loca se quieren casar
The ghost and the madwoman want to get married
Caption 24, Gloria Trevi Psicofonía
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En la época, eran utilizadas para espantar a las brujas
In the era, they were used to scare away witches
Caption 46, Viajando en Colombia Cartagena en coche - Part 2
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Let's look at another verb that means "to frighten" or "scare":
o cuando hay una fecha importante, ellos salen... a divertir y a asustar a la gente porque están como unos diablos.
or when there is an important date, they go out... to amuse and to frighten people because they're [dressed] like devils.
Captions 45-46, El Trip Ibiza
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And, in addition to asustar, we learn the word for another Halloween character: un diablo (a devil). Let's see another verb that means "to scare":
¡Me da miedo! -¡Ahí te tienes que quedar, ya está!
It scares me! -There you have to stay, ready!
Caption 24, 75 minutos Del campo a la mesa - Part 7
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Note that the noun el miedo means "the fear," and the verb dar miedo (literally "to give fear") can thus mean either "to scare" or "be scary." When employed in conjunction with an indirect object pronoun to indicate to whom this action is happening (le in this case, which corresponds with usted), the most common translation is "to scare," as we see in this caption.
So, what if we want to say that we "are" or "feel scared"? A common verb for this is tener miedo (literally "to have fear"), as seen in this caption with the Halloween-appropriate noun la oscuridad (the dark/darkness):
¡Porque le tiene miedo a la oscuridad!
Because he's afraid of the dark!
Caption 24, Guillermina y Candelario El parque de diversiones - Part 2
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The reflexive form of asustar, asustarse, also means "to be" or "get scared":
Aparecieron unos cazadores, y el patito se asustó mucho
Some hunters appeared, and the duckling got really scared
Caption 36, Cleer El patito feo
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Yet another way to talk about being "scared" in Spanish is with adjectives like asustado (scared) or aterrorizado (terrified):
Llegan muy asustados, muy aterrorizados,
They arrive very scared, very terrified,
Caption 25, Los Reporteros Caza con Galgo - Part 3
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For more on the ways in which verbs, adjectives, and nouns can be used to describe our feelings, be sure to check out our lesson on expressing emotions in Spanish.
Let's conclude this section with a few ways to express the concept of "scary":
¡Uy, qué miedo!
Oh, how scary!
Caption 21, Guillermina y Candelario La Peluqueria del Mar - Part 1
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Literally meaning "What fear!" the Spanish expression ¡Qué miedo! is a common way to say "how scary" something is. We can also use our previously-mentioned verb dar miedo (this time without the indirect object pronoun) to convey the idea of "being scary":
Eh... Sí. Lo desconocido siempre da miedo.
Um... Yes. The unknown is always scary.
Caption 13, Yago 13 La verdad - Part 8
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We can also say "scary" with adjectives like escalofriante, sinestro/a, or miedoso/a:
¿Y esa calavera tan miedosa?
And that very scary skull?
Caption 20, Guillermina y Candelario Un pez mágico - Part 2
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And with the word for "the skull" in Spanish (la calavera), we come to our last category: Halloween objects!
If we know how to say "skull," we had better find out how to say "skeleton" in Spanish:
con una forma parecida a la del esqueleto de un dinosaurio,
with a shape similar to that of a dinosaur's skeleton,
Caption 30, Raquel Valencia - Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias
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So, where might we find such esqueletos? Why, in their tumbas (graves) in el cementerio (the cemetery) of course!
en Ricardo, en su tumba en el cementerio,
about Ricardo in his grave in the cemetery,
Caption 28, Los Años Maravillosos Capítulo 10 - Part 8
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So, let's set the scene in that cemetery with a "full moon" in Spanish, which might inspire some hombre lobo (another word for "werewolf") to come out:
Y la luna llena Por los cielos azulosos, infinitos y profundos esparcía su luz blanca
And the full moon In the bluish skies, infinite and profound, scattered its white light
Captions 11-12, Acercándonos a la Literatura José Asunción Silva - "Nocturno III"
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Now, let's focus on some slightly less ominous symbols of Halloween such as el gato negro (the black cat), seen in its diminutive form in the following caption:
También está este gatito negro
There's also this black kitty
Caption 73, Fermín y los gatos Mis gatas vecinas
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The "pumpkin" is, perhaps, the most famed Halloween symbol of all:
Justo en el doblez del papel, trazamos la mitad de la calabaza.
Right on the fold of the paper, we draw half of the pumpkin.
Caption 67, Manos a la obra Papel picado para Día de muertos
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And finally, we associate Halloween with trick-or-treating, or going door to door to get "candy":
Y ahora cortamos pedacitos de caramelo.
And now we cut little pieces of candy.
Caption 38, Manos a la obra Postres de Minecraft
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The way to say "Trick or treat!" varies from region to region, but some popular ways are: "Dulce o truco" in Argentina, "Dulce o travesura" in Mexico, and the more literal but less accurate "Truco o trato" (from the verb "tratar," or "to treat") in Spain, where they also say "Dulce o caramelo." In Colombia, you might hear "Triqui, triqui," where kids sing the following song:
Triqui triqui Halloween/Quiero dulces para mí/Si no hay dulces para mí/se le crece la naríz,
which translates as:
Trick or treat, Halloween/I want treats for me/If there are no treats for me/Your nose will grow.
Meanwhile, Pedir dulce o truco/travesura, etc. can be used to talk about the action of "trick-or-treating."
Let’s conclude today’s lesson with a review of the Halloween vocabulary we have learned:
el Halloween: Halloween
¡Feliz Halloween! Happy Halloween!
difrazarse: to dress up
el disfraz: the costume
la costumbre: the custom, tradition
el personaje: the character
espeluznante: spooky
el/la licántropo/a: the werewolf
el hombre lobo: the werewolf
el monstruo: the monster
el fantasma: the ghost
el/la loco/a: the madman/madwoman
la bruja: the witch
el diablo: the devil
espantar: to scare away
asustar: to scare
el miedo: the fear
dar miedo: to scare/be scary
tener miedo: to be scared
asustarse: to be/get scared
asustado/a: scared/frightened
aterrorizado/a: terrified
escalofriante: scary
siniestro/a: scary
miedoso/a: scary
¡Qué miedo! How scary!
la oscuridad: the darkness/dark
la calavera: the skull
el esqueleto: the skeleton
la tumba: the graveel cementerio: the cemetery
la luna llena: the full moon
el gato negro: the black cat
la calabaza: the pumkin
el caramelo: the candy
¡Dulce o truco/travesura/caramelo! Trick or treat!
¡Truco o trato! Trick or treat!
¡Triqui triqui! Trick or treat!
Pedir dulce o truco/travesura: to go trick or treating
We hope you've enjoyed this lesson about Halloween in Spanish, and don't forget to leave us your suggestions and comments.
¡Feliz Halloween! (Happy Halloween!).
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