Some words describe ideas so specific—and so culturally familiar—that English usually needs a whole phrase to explain them. They carry emotion, context, or a shared social moment. Below are several Spanish words that often surprise English speakers because there isn’t one perfect, single-word equivalent in English.
Sobremesa
Meaning: The time spent at the table after a meal, lingering and talking before getting up to leave.
It’s the calm, social stretch after eating—when the meal is “over,” but the conversation isn’t. You can describe it in English (“hanging around after dinner”), but English doesn’t have one standard word that captures the whole idea.
Friolero / Friolera
Meaning: A person who gets cold easily.
You know the type: the one with a jacket on and a warm drink in hand even when everyone else feels fine. English can say “someone who gets cold easily,” but Spanish has a quick, everyday label for it.
Merienda
Meaning: A light meal or snack, often in the afternoon (and often more substantial than “a snack”).
For many people, merienda is a regular routine—especially for kids after school, but also for adults as a late-afternoon bite. It’s more specific than “snack,” and it carries a cultural sense of when and how it’s eaten.
Estrenar
Meaning: To use or wear something for the first time.
You can wear new shoes or drive a new car in English, but estrenar highlights the “first time” moment—the small sense of ceremony when something becomes officially yours in use.
Antojo
Meaning: A sudden craving or strong desire—often for food, but not always.
English “craving” is close, but antojo often feels a bit more playful and personal—like a whim that pops up and won’t leave you alone until you satisfy it.
Empalagar
Meaning: To be so sweet or rich that it becomes too much.
This is what you feel when something tastes great at first, but the sweetness builds until you can’t keep eating. English usually needs a phrase like “too sweet” or “sickly sweet,” but Spanish can express the whole experience with one verb.
Tutear
Meaning: To address someone using tú instead of usted.
English doesn’t have a built-in “you” distinction like Spanish does, so we often explain tutear as “to use the informal you.” The word captures a real social shift: closeness, familiarity, or a relaxed tone.
Madrugar
Meaning: To get up very early (often at an uncomfortably early hour).
Madrugar isn’t just “wake up early.” It suggests an early start that takes effort—like you’re up before most people, usually because you have to.
Pena ajena
Meaning: Secondhand embarrassment.
English does have “secondhand embarrassment,” but pena ajena is a very common, natural everyday phrase in Spanish— and it can feel even more immediate, like the embarrassment lands on you all at once.
Recoger
Meaning: To pick up, gather, or tidy up (especially by putting things where they belong).
Depending on context, recoger can mean picking things up off the floor, collecting items, or cleaning up a space. It’s the classic verb a parent might use when telling a child to tidy their room. English often has to choose between “pick up,” “clean up,” “put away,” or “gather,” while Spanish leans on one flexible verb.
Why These Words Are So Fun to Learn
Words like these are a reminder that language is more than vocabulary—it’s a way of noticing the world. Sometimes Spanish packages an entire familiar experience into a single word, and that word reflects what a culture talks about often enough to name easily.
The more you learn these “untranslatable” terms, the more Spanish starts to feel vivid and alive—because you’re not just memorizing words, you’re learning the moments they’re made for.
