Wake up your Spanish in winter! Discover the coldest expressions

Winter is approaching and so are new Spanish expressions that we are going to learn this week. Although it may be hard to believe, winter seems to be finally arriving in Valencia under a beautiful sun that, no matter how cold it is, always gives us some warmth. With this winter comes new expressions which are interesting to know and which might seem to be odd to people who are not Spanish native speakers. Let’s see what expressions we can use this winter to complain a bit about the cold, even if only for a short time. 🌨️❤️

Llevar más capas que una cebolla. (Lit. “Wearing more layers than an onion”) This phrase is used when we see someone wearing many layers of clothing. It has no other meaning beyond the commentary on the person and the situation she/he is in.

Hace un frío que pela. This is one of the expressions you will hear in winter for sure. When it’s cold anywhere in Spain, it is the most commonly used expression. In English we would say “it’s bloody cold”.

Hace biruji. A colloquial phrase accepted by the RAE where the noun “biruji” is synonymous with cold. It is a funny expression used in some parts of Spain and indicating cool weather, independent of the time of the year. In general, it is used more when the temperature drops, but the air is still mild.

Cae chirimiri. The Basque word “sirimiri” indicates that fine rain that is so soft that it seems that it is not even raining. In Valencia we sometimes have this, but it is not very frequent since when it rains in Valencia, it does heavily.

Tener el frío metido en los huesos. (Lit. “Getting cold in your bones”). This expression makes sense especially in those areas with a high percentage of humidity, where we can’t get rid of the cold, no matter how much we wrap up warm. In Valencia, this phrase is used a lot because here the humidity is high and in winter you have to wear close-fitting clothes to keep warm.

Se me han congelado hasta las ideas/pestañas. (Lit. “My thoughts/eyelashes have frozen”). Both expressions indicate that the person who speaks is extremely cold. In an ironic tone, it is often used to indicate that it is so cold that the person’s eyelashes or ideas have frozen.

Tener la piel de gallina. (“Having goosebumps”). Although it is not always related to winter, having goosebumps indicate that we are feeling cold. It is an expression in which we are referring to the way our skin looks like when we are cold.
Ande yo caliente ríase la gente. (meaning that “as long as I am warm, I don’t care of people laughing at me”).

Finally, we refer to the Spanish proverb with this phrase by Góngora, whose meaning, far from cold, refers to those people who prefer to be comfortable and warm, rather than not being because of social conventions or the opinion of others.

Now you are ready to enjoy the winter in Spain and practice all the expressions above. Don’t freeze and keep learning Spanish with us!