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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Spanish Word of the Day: ‘Siesta’

Here we find one of our favourite Spanish Words of the Day - 'siesta', which means to nap.

Published: 29 March 2019 09:01 CET

Spanish Word of the Day: 'Siesta'

Photo: nito103/Depositphotos

It's important to know the different uses of this word as at one point or another you are likely to hear Spanish people use it. Especially during the hot summers in Spain.

En verano hace tanto calor que después de comer mucha gente se echa la siesta.

It's so hot in the summer that most people take a nap right after lunch time.

Me voy a echar una siesta

I'm going to take a nap

Los médicos recomiendan que los niños pequeños se echen la siesta.

Doctors recommend that small children take naps.

READ ALSO: Top tips for taking the perfect Spanish siesta

Photo: Karolina Lubryczynska/ Flickr

Naps are usually taken after lunch during the hottest months of the year but some people may take a nap before lunch.

Los domingos en familia mi hermana duerme la siesta del borrego mientras se prepara la comida.

On Sunday's with the family, my sister takes a nap before eating.

Pronunciation:

See-es-ta

Check out our other word of the day posts

This word of the day has been contributed by LAE Madrid, the leading Spanish academy in Madrid. Accredited by the Insitituto Cervantes, it offers Spanish courses for all levels and also has Spanish classes for kids and families.

READ ALSO: Eight tips for learning Spanish successfully

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Spanish Words of the Day: En plan

En plan is used all the time in spoken Spanish when you want to express intention, mode and attitude.

For example, salimos en plan amigos, ‘we went out as friends’.

Or estamos en plan fiesta, ‘we’re in party mode’.

Va vestida en plan militar, ‘she’s wearing military-style clothing’.

In essence, it’s a fast and easier way of setting the scene, a versatile means of describing which is like saying ‘like’, or ‘as’, ‘-mode’ or ‘-style’ in English.

However, the meanings of en plan have expanded recently thanks to young people, who have adopted it a bit like their filler word or pet phrase (what Spaniards call una muletilla).

En plan is now used similarly to o sea, used to explain in another way or exemplifies what is being said.

READ MORE: What does ‘o sea’ mean in Spanish?

For example, María está desaparecida, en plan no la veo desde hace más de un año.

‘María has completely disappeared, I mean, I haven’t seen her in more than a year’.

It’s also used when you want to express something as if it were a quote.

El policía me dijo en plan te voy a multar, ‘the police officer was like ‘I’m going to fine you’’.

Therefore, en plan has become a bit like saying ‘like’ when talking in English and joining ideas together or emphasising something.

It can be a bit exasperating to hear teens use it all the time, as in:

Hablé con Julia en plan buen rollo, y me dijo en plan eres una cabrona, que ya no quiere ser mi amiga, en plan que no quiere quedar más.

‘I spoke to Julia on like good terms, and she was like ‘you’re a bitch’, she doesn’t want to be my friend anymore, like she doesn’t want to meet up anymore’.

If you don’t believe us, take Robert De Niro’s and Jack Nicholson’s word for it.

However, en plan can be a very useful tool to get to the point quickly and avoid more complicated sentence constructions in Spanish.

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