Spanish – Tico Expressions
¿A qué se dedica? — “To what do you dedicate yourself?” In other words, what do you do for work?
cada loco con su tema — Each crazy person with his own topic, or “To each his own.”
¿Con quién tengo el gusto? — “With whom do I have the pleasure?” A polite way of asking whom you are speaking with on the phone.
de por sí — in fact, as a matter of fact, to tell you the truth; an expression emphasizing the truthfulness of what follows. De por sí, esa persona me cae mal. “To tell you the truth, I really don’t like that person.” está muy loco para andar suelto — “He’s too crazy to be running loose.”
estoy a la orden — “I’m at your service.” Si ocupa cualquier cosa, estoy a la orden — “If you need anything, I’m at your service.”
quedo atento — “I am attentive.” Often used in the close of emails, this means I am ready to help with anything else you need. Cualquier duda, quedo atento — “Any questions, I’m ready to help.”
siempre y cuando — literally “always and when,” this is the common term for “if and when”
vieras — “You should see,” you should know, be aware that, FYI, as a matter of fact, in case you didn’t know, you wouldn’t believe. A hard-to-translate idiom, Vieras que is often used at the start of a sentence to preface a statement that may be unknown or surprising to the listener. Vieras que no puedo salir en el bote el domingo
porque tengo que trabajar — “You should be aware that I can’t go out on the boat Sunday because I have to work.” Vieras qué tormenta había aquí ayer — “You wouldn’t believe what a storm we had here yesterday.”