Do you know what a phrasal verb is? According to the Oxford Language Dictionary, it is "an idiomatic phrase consisting of a verb and another element, typically either an adverb... a preposition... or a combination..." Some common examples of the countless English phrasal verbs are "break down," "break up, "put in," "put on," and so forth, and while there are far less phrasal verbs in Spanish, there are many common ones it would behoove you to know. For this purpose, we have comprised a list of 35 with examples from Yabla's Spanish video library.
While some Spanish phrasal verbs can be translated literally into English, others employ a different preposition than their English counterparts or have totally different literal translations. With this in mind, let's look at the list.
The verb acabar (to finish) plus the preposition de (from/of) plus an infinitive Spanish verb (the "to" or -ing form) means that one "has just" completed some action. Let's take a look:
Acabamos de disfrutar de Jarabe de Palo.
We just enjoyed Jarabe de Palo.
Caption 25, Tu Música Rock en español
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The reflexive verb acordarse de is a synonym for recordar (to remember) in Spanish. Both are used to talk about what one "remembers" or "remembers to" do:
Me acuerdo de estar aquí con mi perro,
I remember being here with my dog
Caption 53, Amaya Recordando - Part 1
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The reflexive verb acostumbrarse plus the preposition a means "to get used to" or "accustomed to" something:
y nos acostumbramos a ir a playas,
and we got used to going to beaches,
Caption 40, El coronavirus La cuarentena en Coro, Venezuela - Part 1
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Yet another reflexive verb, alegrarse de, is used to talk about one being happy or pleased about something. You will often see it alongside the conjunction que plus a verb in the subjunctive mood, as we see below:
Me alegro de que le guste.
I'm glad you like it.
Caption 15, Los casos de Yabla Problemas de convivencia - Part 2
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Although caer bien literally means "to fall well," like the verb gustar, it is used to describe the idea of "liking." Like gustar and other verbs like gustar, it is usually employed with an indirect object pronoun in sentences where, grammatically speaking, it is the object of the sentence (what is liked) that performs the action. Let's see an example:
Creo que a Lola no le cae bien.
I think Lola doesn't like her.
Caption 60, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 8: La prima de la dueña - Part 6
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You might have guessed that caer mal (literally "to fall badly") means the opposite of caer bien and functions similarly to convey the idea that one does not like someone or something:
Creo que le caigo mal a mi jefe.
I think that my boss doesn't like me.
Caption 21, El Aula Azul La Doctora Consejos: Subjuntivo y condicional
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Interestingly, while we get married "to" someone in English, the Spanish verb for "to marry" contains the preposition con, making its translation "'to marry with":
El príncipe se casó con ella
The prince married her
Caption 61, Cleer La princesa y el guisante
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Whereas the Spanish verb contar by itself can have such diverse meanings as "to tell" and "to count," with the preposition con, it means "to count on" (not with!).
Sabes que puedes contar con todas en cualquier momento, en cualquier necesidad que tengamos.
You know that you can count on all of them at any time, for any need that we might have.
Captions 28-29, Mari Carmen La amistad
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As you can see, the phrasal verb dar con does not mean "to give with"! Let's see its correct translation in an example sentence:
Ayer di con mis zapatos.
Yesterday I found my shoes.
Caption 26, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar
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As our friend Carolina explains in her video on the verb dar, which means "to give" on its own, the phrasal verb dar por can mean different things when used with an adjective vs. a participle. Let's see an example of each:
A su marido lo dieron por muerto en la guerra.
Her husband was presumed dead in the war.
Caption 32, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar
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Doy la fiesta por terminada.
I consider the party finished.
Caption 30, Lecciones con Carolina Verbo - dar
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In this case, the reflexive form of the verb dar is employed along with the noun prisa (hurry/rush) to mean "to hurry" or "hurry up":
Pues, dese prisa, se lo está llevando la grúa.
Well, hurry up, the tow truck is taking it.
Caption 38, Los casos de Yabla El perrito malcriado - Part 2
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The Spanish verb dejar plus de plus an infinitive verb means "to stop" or "quit" doing something:
"Mi marido dejó de fumar hace ya cuatro años".
"My husband quit smoking four years ago now."
Caption 26, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados del verbo dejar - Part 2
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We should mention that the negative version of this phrasal verb, no dejar de, can be utilized to express the idea of "always," as we see here:
no deja de haber muchísima gente.
there are always a ton of people.
Caption 18, Con Marta por Madrid La Plaza del Sol - Part 1
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The Spanish version of "to depend on" would be "to depend of" if translated literally:
depende de la porción que vayan a hacer;
it depends on the portion you're going to make;
Caption 27, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Karla y el pozole - Part 2
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Similarly, one falls in love "of" someone instead of "with" them in Spanish:
Me enamoré de un chico, que es el padre de mis hijos,
I fell in love with a guy, who is the father of my children,
Caption 11, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 1
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While encontrarse con sounds like it would mean "to find oneself with," its actual meaning is "to get together" or "meet up with" (which is not too far off!):
Y "anteayer" me encontré con unas amigas,
And "the day before yesterday," I met up with some friends,
Caption 12, Aprendiendo con Silvia Horas, fechas y períodos de tiempo - Part 3
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The Spanish verb echar can have different meanings from "to throw" to "to fire." In conjunction with the preposition a and a verb in the infinitive, however, it means "to start to" do something, usually in a sudden fashion. Let's see two examples:
Se asustó, echó a correr y no hubo manera de cogerlo.
It got scared, it took off running, and there was no way to get it.
Caption 62, Soledad Positivo y negativo
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El marido se echó a reír al ver la cara de sorpresa de su esposa.
The husband burst out laughing when he saw his wife's surprised face.
Caption 32, Cleer El espejo de Matsuyama
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We bet you wouldn't guess that something that seems to mean "to throw of less" is a synonym for extrañar (to miss) in Spanish:
Ay, yo os he echado de menos.
Oh, I've missed you.
Caption 4, Con Marta por Madrid El Palacio Real y Doña Manolita - Part 1
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Estar para literally means "to be for," which is pretty close to its English equivalents "to be up for" or "in the mood" for something:
Es que ya no estoy para tantas vueltas y me siento cansado.
It's just that I am not up for so many rounds and I feel tired.
Caption 44, Guillermina y Candelario El parque de diversiones - Part 1
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Estar por, in contrast, typically means "to be in" or "around" some area or, when accompanied by an infinitive, becomes a phrasal verb that means "to be about to" do something. Let's see an example of each of these uses:
Yo estaba por ahí, todavía estaba caminando, ¿no?
I was around there, still walking, right?
Caption 21, Federico Kauffman Doig Arqueólogo - Part 3
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que todo está por... por... por empezar,
when everything is about to... to... to start,
Caption 65, Amaya Recordando - Part 3
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While hablar alone means "to speak" or "to talk," if you want to express the idea of "talking about" something, use the Spanish phrasal verb hablar de:
Mi amiga Amaya os habló de este lugar maravilloso
My friend Amaya talked to you about this wonderful place,
Caption 7, Montserrat El burrito Luz
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Since the Spanish phrasal verb llevar a cabo can be literally translated as "to take to the ending," it makes sense that its various English equivalents include "to carry out," "do," "perform" and "accomplish":
Para llevar a cabo estas funciones se necesitan tres figuras claves en el proceso terapéutico:
To carry out these roles, three key figures are needed in the therapeutic process:
Captions 35-36, Isabel Lavesa Terapia asistida con animales
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Although the idea of "forgetting" in Spanish is often expressed as a no fault construction (something more like "it slipped my mind"), the more straightforward way to say that one forgot something in Spanish is with the Spanish phrasal verb olvidarse de:
¡Ah! Me olvidé de estos dos elementos.
Oh! I forgot these two items.
Caption 63, Dayana Rutina de belleza y aseo
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Like the English "think of" or "about," the Spanish phrasal verb pensar de is used to talk about the belief or opinion one has of something or someone.
¿Qué piensas de tu nuevo jefe?
What do you think of your new boss?
Caption 77, Carlos explica Tuteo, ustedeo y voseo: Conjugación
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Pensar en, on the other hand (literally "to think on") is used to talk about one's process of thinking "about" something:
pensamos en un país, en una época, en un pueblo.
we think about a country, an era, a people.
Caption 3, Silvina Una entrevista con la artista
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Similar to echar a, ponerse a plus an infinitive verb refers to "starting" an action.
y al verlas como antes se puso a bailar."
and when she saw them like before, she started to dance."
Caption 60, Cleer Rafael Pombo y "Pastorcita"
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If you wish to talk about what you "worry about," use the Spanish phrasal verb preocuparse por:
que sepan que hay personas que se preocupan por ellas.
so that they know that there are people who are concerned about them.
Caption 8, Transformación Estética
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In her video series on the verb quedar, Silvia mentions the phrasal verb quedarse con, which can have several different meanings including "to keep," "end up with" or "be left." Let's take a look at two captions that include it:
"Tras el divorcio, ella se quedó con el chalé
"After the divorce, she kept the chalet,
Caption 56, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 3
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Toda la familia "se quedó con la boca abierta".
The whole family "was left open-mouthed."
Caption 8, Aprendiendo con Silvia Significados, usos y expresiones con "quedar" - Part 7
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As you might imagine, quedarse sin often means the opposite of quedarse con ("to be left" or "end up without"), but it can also mean "to run out of" something:
Nos quedamos sin guitarrista, sin banda y sin concurso; ¡no!
We are left without a guitarist, without a band and without a contest; no!
Caption 16, X6 1 - La banda - Part 6
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No, se quedó sin nafta. -¿Qué?
No, it ran out of gas. -What?
Caption 4, Yago 7 Encuentros - Part 11
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To talk about something or someone you "laughed at," use the Spanish phrasal verb reírse de:
Nos reímos de la muerte.
We laugh at death.
Caption 28, Hispanoamericanos en Berlín Adriana y la fiesta de los muertos - Part 3
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As you probably know, salir by itself means "to leave." That said, when referring to leaving a particular place, salir de is the correct Spanish phrasal verb to choose.
Y cuando salimos de la iglesia me dice mi padre:
And when we left the church my father says to me:
Caption 52, María Marí Su pasión por su arte - Part 1
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While it might seem strange to English speakers, the literal translation for this Spanish phrasal verb is "to dream with" (rather than "about"):
y muchas veces incluso sueño con aquellos tiempos.
and very often I even dream about those times.
Caption 49, Clara y Cristina Saludar
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Rather than meaning "to have that," the Spanish phrasal verb tener que plus an infinitive means "to have to" do something:
Todos tenemos que superarlo y tenemos que empeñarnos en ello.
We all have to overcome it, and we have to be set on doing it.
Captions 74-75, Soledad Compartir tus problemas
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When you want to describe something that you're "trying to" do, use the infinitive following the Spanish phrasal verb tratar de:
trato de alimentarme bien, de tomar agua,
I try to eat well, to drink water,
Caption 26, Otavalo Ejercicios
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When talking about "coming to" a place, use the phrasal verb venir a, which translates very literally to English.
¿qué consejos le darías a un turista que viene a Barcelona?
what advice would you give to a tourist who's coming to Barcelona?
Caption 51, Carlos y Xavi Part 4 Tradiciones y comida de Barcelona
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And finally, when used with an infinitive, volver a (literally "to return to") means to perform some action again. Let's see two examples:
volvimos a revalidar el título
we locked in the title again
Caption 90, Viajando con Fermín Final Copa del Rey
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y mi mamá no se volvió a casar,
and my mother didn't remarry,
Caption 55, La Sub30 Familias - Part 2
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After perusing our list of 35 Spanish Phrasal Verbs, we have compiled a list of all of them along with their English translations so that you may study or review them at your leisure:
1. Acabar de: to have just (done something)
2. Acordarse de: to remember/remember to
3. Acostumbrarse a: to get used to/accustomed to
4. Alegrarse de: to be glad/happy/pleased about
5. Caer(le) bien (a alguien): to please (equivalent of "to like")
6. Caer(le) mal (a alguien): to displease (equivalent of "to not like")
7. Casarse con: to marry/get married to
8. Contar con: to count on
9. Dar con: to find
10. Dar por: to presume/consider
11. Darse prisa: to hurry/hurry up
12. Dejar de: to quit or stop (doing something)
13. Depender de: to depend on
14. Enamorarse de: to fall in love with
15. Encontrarse con: to meet up/get together with
16. Echar a: to suddenly start to (do something)
17. Echar de menos: to miss
18. Estar para: to be up for/in the mood for
19. Estar por: to be about to (do something)
20. Hablar de: to talk about
21. Llevar a cabo: to do/carry out/perform/accomplish
22. Olvidarse de: to forget
23. Pensar de: to think of/about (hold a belief)
24. Pensar en: to think about (the thought process)
25. Ponerse a: to start to (do something)
26. Preocuparse por: to worry/be concerned about
27. Quedarse con: to keep/end up with/be left with
28. Quedarse sin: to be left without/end up without/run out of
29. Reírse de: to laugh at
30. Salir de: to leave/leave from (a place)
31. Soñar con: to dream about
32. Tener que: to have to (do something)
33. Tratar de: to try to (do something)
34. Venir a: to come to (a place)
35. Volver a: to do (something) again
That's all for today. We hope that this lesson has helped you to better navigate many of the most common phrasal verbs in Spanish, and don't forget to write us with your questions and comments.
If you want to engage in everyday conversation in Spanish, knowing how to talk about the weather is essential. Whether you're making small talk with locals, discussing your day, or planning activities, weather vocabulary will prove indispensable. In this practical guide, we'll explore the most common and useful expressions to discuss weather conditions in Spanish.
In Spanish, there are two main terms used to refer to "weather":
El tiempo and el clima both refer to weather, but with subtle differences:
El tiempo generally refers to the current atmospheric conditions
El clima typically describes the weather patterns of a region over time
incluso, cuando el tiempo es bueno, se puede ver Gibraltar y África.
including, when the weather is good, one can see Gibraltar and Africa.
Caption 9, Mijas perla dell'Andalucia
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El clima es fantástico y la comida, aún mejor.
The weather is fantastic and the food, even better.
Caption 46, Feria de Vinos Españoles en Londres Bodegas Castell D'Age
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The weather forecast is called el pronóstico del tiempo. You might say "Según el pronóstico del tiempo, mañana va a llover" (According to the weather forecast, it's going to rain tomorrow).
les informo que el pronóstico del tiempo dice que las lluvias llegarán pronto.
I inform you that the weather forecast says that the rains will come soon.
Captions 25-26, Kikirikí Agua - Part 8
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In Spanish, we use specific structures to talk about temperature. Let's explore the most common expressions you'll need for everyday conversations:
The most common structure for describing weather is "hace + [adjective]":
Hace calor. (It's hot.)
Hace frío. (It's cold.)
Hace fresco. (It's cool.)
Hace buen tiempo. (It's good weather.)
Hace mal tiempo. (It's bad weather.)
Hace viento. (It's windy.)
Los países donde hace calor.
Countries where it's hot.
Caption 81, Clase Aula Azul El verbo gustar - Part 5
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Another important structure uses "está + [condition]":
Está nublado. (It's cloudy.)
Está despejado. (It's clear.)
Está soleado. (It's sunny.)
Está lloviendo. (It's raining.)
Está nevando. (It's snowing.)
Está lloviendo muy fuerte hoy. Voy a ponerme mis botas de agua.
It's raining really hard today. I'm going to put on my rain boots.
Captions 48-49, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 1
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To express how you personally feel regarding temperature:
Tengo frío. (I'm cold.)
Tengo calor. (I'm hot.)
Estoy congelado/a. (I'm freezing.)
Estoy sudando. (I'm sweating.)
Remember, in Spanish we say "tengo frío/calor" (literally "I have cold/heat") rather than "estoy frío/calor" (literally "I am cold/hot"). This is an important distinction to make as a Spanish learner, since it's different from how we express this feeling in English.
¡Ay, tengo calor! -Vale.
Oh, I'm hot! -OK.
Caption 106, El Aula Azul Ester y Paula
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Rain vocabulary is essential in Spanish, especially for countries with rainy seasons:
Llueve - It's raining
Está lloviendo - It's raining
Llovizna - It's drizzling
Chispea - It's sprinkling
Llueve mucho - It's raining a lot
Ha dejado de llover - It has stopped raining
Va a llover - It's going to rain
"Creo que más tarde va a llover".
"I think that it's going to rain later."
Caption 34, Carlos explica Cómo expresar opiniones en español - Part 1
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Here's how to describe sunny and clear weather:
Hace sol - It's sunny
Hay sol - There's sun
Está soleado - It's sunny
Está despejado - It's clear
El cielo está despejado - The sky is clear
Hay mucho sol - There's a lot of sun
El sol está fuerte - The sun is strong
El día está precioso. El cielo está superdespejado.
The day is beautiful. The sky is totally clear.
Captions 42-43, Eduardo y Luciana de Argentina Historia del Rio
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For cloudy and foggy conditions:
Está nublado - It's cloudy
Hay nubes - There are clouds
El cielo está nublado - The sky is cloudy
Está parcialmente nublado - It's partly cloudy
Hay niebla - There's fog
Está brumoso - It's foggy
Mi amiga Amaya os habló de este lugar maravilloso que hoy está un poco nublado, pero una temperatura ideal.
My friend Amaya talked to you about this wonderful place, which today, is a bit cloudy but an ideal temperature.
Captions 7-9, Montserrat El burrito Luz
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Hace viento - It's windy
Hay viento - There's wind
El viento está fuerte - The wind is strong
No hay viento - There's no wind
Hay brisa - There's a breeze
Hoy hace tanto viento que casi me deja caer.
Today it is so windy that it almost makes me fall [over].
Caption 22, Clara explica El tiempo - Part 2
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Hay tormenta - There's a storm
Está tronando - It's thundering
Hay relámpagos - There's lightning
Hay truenos - There's thunder
Está granizando - It's hailing
Hay granizo - There's hail
Knowing how to talk about the seasons in Spanish is important for discussing weather patterns:
La primavera - Spring
El verano - Summer
El otoño - Fall/Autumn
El invierno - Winter
You might say:
En primavera, hace más calor y llueve menos. (In spring, it's warmer and it rains less.)
En verano, hace mucho calor y está muy soleado. (In summer, it's very hot and sunny.)
En otoño, hace fresco y el clima es variable. (In fall, it's cool and the weather is variable.)
En invierno, hace frío y a veces nieva. (In winter, it's cold and it sometimes snows.)
y después vamos por todos los pueblos de Málaga, en primavera y en otoño, haciendo mercado todos los sábados y domingos.
and then we go through all the towns of Málaga, in spring and in autumn, doing a market every Saturday and Sunday.
Captions 12-14, Casabermeja Gastronomía - Part 1
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Here are the most common ways to ask about weather in Spanish:
¿Qué tiempo hace? (What's the weather like?)
¿Cómo está el tiempo? (How's the weather?)
¿Qué tal hace afuera? (How is it outside?)
¿Llueve? (Is it raining?)
¿Hace frío? (Is it cold?)
¿Hace calor? (Is it hot?)
¿Y cómo es el tiempo en el sur? Pues, el tiempo en el sur es muy bueno en general.
And how is the weather in the south? Well, the weather in the south is very good in general.
Captions 27-28, Clara y Cristina Hablan de actividades
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Hace buen tiempo. (The weather is good.)
Hace mal tiempo. (The weather is bad.)
Sí, está lloviendo. (Yes, it's raining.)
No, no hace frío. (No, it's not cold.)
Está nublado pero no llueve. (It's cloudy but it's not raining.)
Hace mucho calor hoy. (It's very hot today.)
Here are some example conversations about the weather:
Conversation 1:
¡Buenos días! ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy?
Good morning! What's the weather like today?
Hace frío y está nublado. Creo que va a llover más tarde.
It's cold and cloudy. I think it's going to rain later.
¿Necesito un paraguas?
Do I need an umbrella?
Sí, llévalo por si acaso.
Yes, take it just in case.
Conversation 2:
¿Hace calor afuera?
Is it hot outside?
Sí, hace mucho calor y está muy soleado. Ponte protector solar.
Yes, it's very hot and sunny. Put on sunscreen.
Gracias por el consejo. Tengo mucho calor.
Thanks for the advice. I'm very hot.
Conversation 3:
¿Qué tiempo hace en tu ciudad?
What's the weather like in your city?
En general, en verano hace calor y en invierno hace frío, pero no nieva.
In general, in summer it's hot and in winter it's cold, but it doesn't snow.
¿Llueve mucho?
Does it rain a lot?
Sí, especialmente en primavera.
Yes, especially in spring.
Weather often determines what activities we can do. Here are some useful phrases:
Si hace buen tiempo mañana, podemos ir al parque. (If the weather is good tomorrow, we can go to the park.)
Como está lloviendo, mejor quedémonos en casa. (Since it's raining, let's better stay home.)
Hace demasiado calor para caminar. Tomemos el autobús. (It's too hot to walk. Let's take the bus.)
¿Hace frío afuera? Necesito saber si llevo un abrigo. (Is it cold outside? I need to know if I should bring a coat.)
Yo creo que después del video nos vamos a ir tú y yo a tomar algo, ¿no? -Sí, Adriana, mañana, si hace buen tiempo, tenemos que ir a la playa, que {todavía}... -¿Buen tiempo? Seguro. -Sí, aquí el tiempo está garantizado.
I think that after the video, we're going to go, you and I, to have a drink, right? -Yes, Adriana, tomorrow, if the weather is good, we have to go to the beach, as still... -Good weather? For sure. -Yes, here the weather is guaranteed.
Captions 102-105, Adriana y Laura Mijas
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That's it for our practical guide to talking about the weather in Spanish! With these expressions, you'll be able to discuss weather conditions confidently in your everyday conversations. Remember to practice these phrases regularly.
¿Qué tiempo hace donde vives? (What's the weather like where you live?) Let us know, and don't forget to send us your questions and suggestions!
¡Hasta la próxima!
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