botar unha man
Literally to throw a hand
Means to help someone out
English idiom lend a hand
Example Podes botarme unha man con estas caixas?
Can you give me a hand with these boxes?
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 24 most common Galician idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Galician idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, botar unha man literally means "to throw a hand" but is used to mean to help someone out. This free page ranks the 24 most common Galician idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 24 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
botar unha man
Literally to throw a hand
Means to help someone out
English idiom lend a hand
Example Podes botarme unha man con estas caixas?
Can you give me a hand with these boxes?
malo será
Literally bad it will be
Means things will probably work out, we will manage somehow
Example Perdemos o tren, pero malo será que non atopemos outro xeito de chegar.
We missed the train, but we are bound to find another way to get there.
Note A hallmark of Galician speech: calm, stubborn optimism after a setback, said with a shrug.
tomar o pelo
Literally to take the hair
Means to mock or tease someone
English idiom pull someone's leg
Example Non me tomes o pelo, sei que non foi así.
Don't pull my leg, I know that is not how it happened.
estar nas nubes
Literally to be in the clouds
Means to be distracted or daydreaming, not paying attention
English idiom have your head in the clouds
Example Non me escoitaches nada, estabas nas nubes.
You did not hear a word I said, you had your head in the clouds.
meter a pata
Literally to put the paw in
Means to make a blunder, to say or do the wrong thing
English idiom put your foot in it
Example Metín a pata cando lle preguntei pola súa ex.
I put my foot in it when I asked him about his ex.
custar un ollo da cara
Literally to cost an eye from the face
Means to be extremely expensive
English idiom cost an arm and a leg
Example Ese piso en Vigo cústalle un ollo da cara ao meu curmán.
That flat in Vigo costs my cousin an arm and a leg.
non ter pelos na lingua
Literally to not have hairs on the tongue
Means to speak bluntly and frankly, without holding back
English idiom not mince your words
Example A miña avoa non ten pelos na lingua e dille todo á cara.
My grandmother does not mince her words and says everything to your face.
falar polos cóbados
Literally to talk through the elbows
Means to talk a great deal, to be very talkative
English idiom talk the hind legs off a donkey
Example O meu curmán fala polos cóbados, non hai quen o pare.
My cousin talks non-stop, there is no stopping him.
facer a vista gorda
Literally to make the sight fat
Means to pretend not to notice something wrong
English idiom turn a blind eye
Example O profesor fixo a vista gorda cando chegamos tarde.
The teacher turned a blind eye when we arrived late.
matar dous paxaros dun tiro
Literally to kill two birds with one shot
Means to achieve two things with a single action
English idiom kill two birds with one stone
Example Se imos á tenda de camiño ao traballo, matamos dous paxaros dun tiro.
If we stop at the shop on the way to work, we kill two birds with one stone.
estar coa auga ao pescozo
Literally to be with the water at the neck
Means to be in serious difficulty, often with money
English idiom be up to your neck in it
Example Con tantas facturas, estamos coa auga ao pescozo este mes.
With so many bills, we are up to our necks in it this month.
botar leña ao lume
Literally to throw firewood on the fire
Means to make a tense situation or conflict worse
English idiom add fuel to the fire
Example Non lle botes máis leña ao lume, xa está bastante enfadada.
Do not add any more fuel to the fire, she is angry enough already.
ter morriña
Literally to have morriña
Means to ache with longing for home, for your land and the people in it
Example Leva dous anos en Suíza e ten morriña da súa aldea.
He has been in Switzerland for two years and he misses his village badly.
Note Morriña is a cultural keyword tied to Galicia's long history of emigration, heavier and more physical than plain homesickness.
coller o touro polos cornos
Literally to grab the bull by the horns
Means to confront a difficult situation directly and decisively
English idiom take the bull by the horns
Example Xa vai sendo hora de coller o touro polos cornos e falar co xefe.
It is about time to take the bull by the horns and talk to the boss.
estar coma peixe na auga
Literally to be like a fish in the water
Means to feel completely comfortable and at ease
English idiom be in your element
Example Desde que chegou a Galicia, está coma peixe na auga.
Since he arrived in Galicia, he has been completely in his element.
poñerse as botas
Literally to put on the boots
Means to eat a huge amount, or to do very well out of something
English idiom pig out
Example No aniversario puxémonos as botas coa empanada.
At the birthday party we stuffed ourselves with empanada.
a fume de carozo
Literally at smoke of corn cob
Means in a great hurry, at top speed
English idiom like greased lightning
Example Saíu da casa a fume de carozo porque chegaba tarde.
He left the house at top speed because he was running late.
Note Distinctly Galician, from the smoke of a maize cob, which flares up and vanishes at once.
ir de troula
Literally to go of revelry
Means to go out partying with no plan to come home early
English idiom paint the town red
Example O sábado imos de troula ata as tantas.
On Saturday we are going out partying until the small hours.
Note Informal and cheerful, used among friends rather than in formal writing.
caer da burra
Literally to fall off the donkey
Means to finally realise you were wrong about something you had insisted on
English idiom the penny drops
Example Tardou meses en caer da burra e recoñecer que se equivocara.
It took him months for the penny to drop and admit he had been wrong.
ser coma un allo
Literally to be like a garlic
Means to be very quick-witted and sharp
English idiom be as sharp as a tack
Example Esa nena é coma un allo, aprende todo á primeira.
That girl is as sharp as a tack, she learns everything the first time.
tarde piaches
Literally late you chirped
Means you made up your mind too late, the chance is gone
English idiom you snooze, you lose
Example Agora queres vir? Tarde piaches, xa vendemos as entradas.
Now you want to come? You snooze, you lose, we have already sold the tickets.
Note Said with the dry teasing Galicians call retranca, so it stings a little.
non ter onde caer morto
Literally to not have where to fall dead
Means to be completely broke, to own nothing at all
English idiom not have a penny to your name
Example Presume moito de coche, pero non ten onde caer morto.
He brags about his car, but he does not have a penny to his name.
facer as beiras
Literally to make the edges
Means to court someone, to try to win their affection
English idiom make a play for someone
Example Leva semanas facéndolle as beiras a esa rapaza da oficina.
He has spent weeks making a play for that girl at the office.
poñer o carro diante dos bois
Literally to put the cart in front of the oxen
Means to do things in the wrong order, to rush ahead of the right moment
English idiom put the cart before the horse
Example Non poñas o carro diante dos bois, primeiro busca traballo e despois muda de piso.
Do not put the cart before the horse, first find a job and then move flat.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: Botar unha man comes out as "to throw a hand", which makes no sense until you know it means to help someone out.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Galician sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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The most common Galician idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with botar unha man, malo será, tomar o pelo, estar nas nubes, meter a pata. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This page lists 24 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Galician, "botar unha man" translates literally as "to throw a hand", but it actually means to help someone out. The closest English idiom is "lend a hand". Example: Podes botarme unha man con estas caixas? ("Can you give me a hand with these boxes?")
The Galician equivalent is "botar unha man", literally "to throw a hand". Example: Podes botarme unha man con estas caixas? ("Can you give me a hand with these boxes?")
In Galician, an idiom is called frase feita, and a proverb is refrán. A frase feita is an everyday fixed expression that slots into a sentence, while a refrán is a complete traditional proverb, often rhymed and usually about weather, farming or country wisdom.
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. Botar unha man translates literally as "to throw a hand", yet it means to help someone out. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Galician with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.