Budding linguists warned to avoid using these phrases while on holiday in Spain this summer

BEFORE setting off to a new destination, it can be helpful to learn some local phrases to use while abroad.

Spain is expecting one of the busiest, and hottest summers yet and visitors may want to express just how hot the weather is.

READ MORE: LEARN THE LINGO: A brief A to Z of the Spanish language that a text book won’t tell you

However, one simple expression should be avoided.

City Lit’s head of school for culture and communication Claudio Guasti has warned against using ‘Estoy caliente’

Its literal translation of ‘I am hot’ in English, actually means ‘I am aroused’ in Spanish.

The proper expression is ‘tengo calor.’ Although this translates to ‘I have heat’, in Spanish it’s the proper way to express you are hot!

Saying ‘soy cálida/cálido’ would also be incorrect as it refers to someone’s personality, like being a warm or kind person, not your physical temperature.

You can use the word caliente in other situations though, Gausti explained to the paper Liverpool Echo.

For example “me gustaría un té caliente”, meaning “I would like a hot tea”, is appropriate. 

Similarly saying something like “el café está muy caliente”, meaning “the coffee is very hot”, is also okay.

Gausti said another common language mistake is people saying they’re pregnant in Spanish, when they really mean they are embarrassed. 

“Lots of Spanish words sound very similar to their English translation, for example, café for coffee, tren for train, or plato for plate,” he said.

“It can be easy when following this pattern to assume the word ’embarazada’ might mean ’embarrassed’, but it actually means ‘pregnant’, which could raise a few eyebrows and cause a few smirks if used in the wrong context. To really say you are feeling embarrassed or sheepish, say ‘estoy avergonzado/a’.”

Gausti also warned against saying ‘hasta la vista’ a term meaning ‘until I see you again’ which gained popularity through Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character using the phrase in Terminator 2.

He confirmed Spanish speakers never use this term, and instead recommends using ‘hasta luego’ or ‘adios’, which mean ‘see you later’ and ‘goodbye.’

READ MORE: Spain’s national heat alert website launches English language version aimed at expats and tourists

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