Have you ever listened to a conversation between native Spanish speakers and felt like something was missing from what you learned in class? You probably caught words like o sea, pues, or bueno popping up every few sentences — words that don't quite fit the grammar rules and weren't in your textbook. Well, those are filler words in Spanish, and learning them might just be the key to taking your Spanish to the next level.
Filler words — known in Spanish as muletillas (literally "little crutches") — are words and short phrases that native speakers use constantly in everyday conversation. They help speakers pause and think, connect ideas, react to what they hear, clarify what they mean, and keep the listener engaged. In short, they're the glue that holds natural conversation together.
You won't find muletillas in most Spanish textbooks, and yet you'll hear them all the time in real speech. That's exactly why learning them is so valuable: they'll help you both understand native speakers better and sound more natural when you speak.
Let's start with the filler words you'll use when you need a second to think or when you're figuring out how to respond.
Pues is one of the most common filler words in Spanish. You can throw it at the beginning of a sentence when you're uncertain or just need a beat to think.
Pues… no sé, tengo que pensarlo. (Well… I don't know, I have to think about it.)
¿Te apetece un café? — Pues sí. (Do you fancy a coffee? — Well, yes.)
Yo, pues, la verdad ya no podría...
I, well, honestly, then I couldn't...
Caption 72, Otavalo Matrimonio
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Pues... pues no, Alguacil, usted dijo que todo el mundo tenía su precio y...
Well... well, no, Sheriff, you said that everyone had their price, and...
Caption 9, Pablo Escobar, el patrón del mal Capítulo 1 - Part 11
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Bueno works similarly to pues and is great for starting a thought, transitioning between topics, or wrapping something up. Drawn out — bueeno — it can even express doubt or mild frustration.
Bueno… lo tengo que pensar un poco más. (Well… I have to think about it a bit more.)
¿Te gustó la película? — Bueeno… la verdad es que no mucho. (Did you like the movie? — Well… honestly, not much.)
Eh... is probably the most natural and instinctive filler sound in Spanish — you'll hear it constantly in everyday speech across all Spanish-speaking countries. Just like the English "uh," it buys the speaker a split second to think without leaving an awkward silence.
Eh… no sé qué decirte. (Uh… I don't know what to tell you.)
¿Qué tienes para mí hoy? Eh... Pues,
What do you have for me today? Uh... Well,
Captions 40-41, Extr@: Extra en español Ep. 9: Trabajos para los chicos - Part 7
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Bueno, pues, eh... impresionante.
Well, then, uh... impressive.
Caption 51, El Club de los Cinéfilos Muertos Mel Gibson - Part 15
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Use a ver when you're checking something, thinking something through, or about to explain yourself.
A ver… ¿qué podemos hacer esta noche? (Let's see… what can we do tonight?)
A ver, no quiero decir que no sea una buena idea. (Look, I'm not saying it's not a good idea.)
La quiero. A ver... está fuera de sus posibilidades, pero...
I want it. Let's see... it's beyond your means, but...
Captions 3-5, Cortometraje Triunfadores - Part 3
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Este is another Spanish equivalent of "um" or "uh." The final vowel is often stretched out: esteee…
Este… creo que no era así. (Uh… I don't think that was it.)
Este... pues, estamos dispuestos a enseñar a todo mundo
Um... well, we're willing to teach everyone
Caption 49, Costa Azul Surf Shop Hablando con los Empleados Del Surf - Part 2
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These are the filler words you'll reach for when you want to explain yourself better, correct what you just said, or rephrase your point.
O sea is one of the most common filler words in Spanish. Use it to clarify or add nuance to what you just said.
O sea, no era una crítica, solo una observación. (I mean, it wasn't a criticism, just an observation.)
In real speech, filler words rarely appear alone, and native speakers often use several in the same sentence without even thinking about it. Check out this clip:
Bueno, y toda la... la... la... la... la gastronomía eh... gira en torno a lo que es pescado, marisco... o sea, que es un sitio, Barbate, que no os podéis perder.
Well, and all the... the... the... the... the cuisine, um... revolves around fish, seafood... I mean, it's a place, Barbate, that you can't miss.
Captions 47-49, Adriana y Laura Cádiz
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Digo comes from the verb decir (to say) and is used to correct yourself mid-sentence.
La fiesta empieza a las nueve — digo, a las diez. (The party starts at nine — I mean, at ten.)
Perdón, perdón... digo... no, mejor te vas,
Sorry, sorry... I mean... No, you'd better go.
Caption 43, Muñeca Brava 2 Venganza - Part 4
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A great filler word when you need to explain or justify something, especially when politely declining or disagreeing.
¿Por qué no quieres ir? — Es que estoy muy cansado. (Why don't you want to go? — It's just that I'm really tired.)
Especially common among younger speakers in Spain, en plan works similarly to the English "like."
Estábamos allí en plan descansando cuando llegó Miguel. (We were there, like, relaxing when Miguel arrived.)
Son las líneas, eh... en plan, son justo la once y la doce y la diez. O sea que hay doce líneas de metro, entonces, justo las tres... -Mm-hm. -más...
They are the lines, um... like, they're precisely the eleven and the twelve and the ten. I mean, there are twelve subway lines, so, just the three... -Mm-hmm. -[that are] most...
Captions 46-48, Isabel y Paula contigo Transporte público en Madrid - Part 1
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These are the filler words that help you move a conversation forward and link one idea to the next.
Entonces is both a formal connector and a handy everyday filler. You'll hear it constantly at the beginning of sentences.
Entonces, ¿qué hacemos ahora? (So, what do we do now?)
Similar to entonces, así que introduces a result or conclusion.
Así que al final lo dejamos para mañana. (So in the end we left it for tomorrow.)
Así que, ya sabéis eso que dice ese clásico refrán:
So, now you know what the classic saying says:
Caption 89, Luis Guitarra Somos transparentes
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Use total to cut to the chase or sum up a story.
Total, que no apareció nadie. (So, in the end nobody showed up.)
Total que las dos actrices empiezan a pelear arriba,
So, the two actresses start to fight up above,
Caption 55, El teatro. Conversación con un doble de acción.
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These filler words show you're listening, help you react, and keep the other person engaged.
Ya signals that you're following along and understanding what the other person is saying.
Ya, ahora lo entiendo mejor. (Right, now I understand it better.)
te dejo. -Ya. -Voy a seguir con mi rutina, ¿OK? -Ya.
I'll leave you. -Right. -I'm going to continue with my routine, OK? -Right.
Caption 55, Otavalo Ejercicios
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A very natural way to agree or validate what someone just said.
Claro, eso tiene mucho sentido. (Of course, that makes a lot of sense.)
¡Pues, claro!
Well, of course!
Caption 64, Confidencial: Broma pesada Capítulo 3 - Part 12
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Use mira to introduce an explanation or reaction, and oye to get someone's attention.
Mira, te lo explico en un segundo. (Look, I'll explain it in a second.)
Oye, una cosa, ¿puedes mañana? (Hey, one thing — can you make it tomorrow?)
¡Ah mira, qué maravilla!
Oh, look, how wonderful!
Caption 40, Víctor en España Mercado de la Boquería de Barcelona
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These little tags are used constantly to involve the listener and check that they're following.
Es complicado, ¿sabes? (It's complicated, you know?)
No es tan fácil, ¿me entiendes? (It's not that easy, you get me?)
Es raro, ¿no? (It's weird, right?)
Here's a handy summary of all the muletillas covered in this lesson.
• Pues — Well / So — to ease into an answer or buy time
• Bueno — Well / Okay — to start a thought or transition between topics
• Eh... — Uh... — to fill a pause while thinking
• A ver — Let's see / Look — to think something through or introduce an explanation
• Este... — Um... — to hesitate while searching for a word
• O sea — I mean / In other words — to clarify or rephrase what you just said
• Digo — I mean — to correct yourself mid-sentence
• Es que — It's just that — to explain or justify something
• En plan — Like / Kind of — to describe something in a casual, informal way
• Entonces — So / Then — to link ideas or move the conversation forward
• Así que — So / Therefore — to introduce a result or conclusion
• Total — So / Anyway — to cut to the chase or sum up
• Ya — Right / Got it — to show you're following along
• Claro — Of course / Sure — to agree or validate what someone said
• Mira — Look — to introduce an explanation or reaction
• Oye — Hey / Listen — to get someone's attention
• ¿Sabes? — You know? — to keep the listener engaged
• ¿Me entiendes? — You get me? — to check if the other person is following
• ¿No? — Right? — to invite the listener to agree
If you've ever felt like native speakers talk too fast or use too many words you can't find in a dictionary, muletillas are probably a big part of the reason. Learning the most common filler words in Spanish will help you:
• Follow real conversations more easily
• Understand unscripted content like podcasts, reality shows, and vlogs
• Sound more natural and fluent when you speak
• Buy yourself time when you need to think — without resorting to English fillers
Now that you know what to look for, you're going to start hearing muletillas everywhere. Pay attention next time you watch a Spanish show or listen to a podcast — you'll be surprised how often pues, o sea, and bueno come up. The more you hear them in context, the more naturally they'll start coming out when you speak.
We'd love to hear which filler words you've come across in your Spanish learning journey! Drop us your questions and comments. ¡Hasta la próxima!
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.
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