let's be serious

passer aux choses sérieuses — to move on to serious matters

cela ne fait pas très sérieux — that doesn't make a very good impression

dire quelque chose avec beaucoup de sérieux — to say something very seriously

garder son sérieux — to keep a straight face

faire quelque chose avec sérieux — to do something carefully

il a fait preuve de beaucoup de sérieux dans ses études — he's really worked hard (at his studies)

se prendre au sérieux — to take oneself seriously

"Il plaisantait?" — "Non, il était sérieux." — "Was he joking?" — "No, he was serious.", "Was he joking?" — "No, he meant it."

ce n'est pas sérieux — that's not on

Il s'efforçait de prendre un air sérieux. — He tried to look serious.

C'est un employé très sérieux. — He's a very conscientious employee.

garder son sérieux — to keep a straight face

J'ai eu du mal à garder mon sérieux. — I had trouble keeping a straight face.

manquer de sérieux — not to be very responsible, not to be very reliable

Il manque un peu de sérieux. — He's not very responsible.

prendre qch/qn au sérieux — to take sth/sb seriously

Ne sous-estimons pas le sérieux de la situation. — Let's not underestimate the seriousness of the situation., Let's not underestimate the gravity of the situation.

è una ditta seria — it's a reliable firm

è una faccenda seria — it's a serious matter

restare serio — to keep a straight face

sii serio! — be serious!

aveva una faccia seria — he looked serious

sul serio — seriously, in earnest

sul serio ti ha invitato? — did he really invite you?

sul serio vuoi andarci? — do you really want to go?

non facevo sul serio; non dicevo sul serio — I wasn't being serious

faccio sul serio — I mean it

prendere qn/qc sul serio — to take sb/sth seriously

prende lo studio molto sul serio — he takes his schoolwork very seriously

questo ragazzo non è molto serio — this boy is not very responsible

puoi fidarti di lui, è una persona -a — you can trust him, he's reliable

siamo -i, quest'idea è veramente stupida — let's be serious, this idea is totally stupid

si fece serio in viso — his face grew serious

è una questione molto -a — this is a very serious matter

tra il serio e il faceto — half-jokingly

prendere qcn., qcs. sul serio — to take sb., sth. seriously

vuole sul serio andare in America? — is he serious about going to America?

fa sul serio! — he means business!

fa sul serio con lei? — is he serious about her?

non dirai sul serio! — you must be joking!

sul serio, non è un problema — honestly, there's no problem

"ci sono riuscito" - "sul serio?" — "I've done it" - "really?"

falta de seriedad — lack of responsibility, irresponsibility

un poco de seriedad! — come on, let's be serious now!

es una falta de seriedad que nos tengan esperando así — it's no way to treat people keeping us waiting like this

un poco de seriedad! — come on, let's be serious now!

es una falta de seriedad que nos tengan esperando así — it's no way to treat people keeping us waiting like this

son las formalidades de costumbre — these are the usual formalities

alabó la formalidad de nuestra empresa — he praised our company for its reliability

se quedó sin clientes por falta de formalidad — he lost all his customers because of his unreliability

esta empresa no tiene formalidad ninguna — this company is totally unreliable

¡señores, un poco de formalidad! — gentlemen, let's be serious!

¡niños, formalidad! — kids, behave yourselves!

no tiene formalidad — he's so unreliable

tengamos formalidad — let's be serious

no tiene formalidad — he's so unreliable

tengamos formalidad — let's be serious

¡qué tontería acabas de decir! — that was a silly thing to say!

lo que has dicho no es ninguna tontería — what you've just said isn't such a bad idea

¡déjate de tonterías! — don't be silly!, don't talk nonsense!

dejémonos de tonterías — let's be serious

ha sido una tontería el negarte a verle — it was silly of you to refuse to see him

deja de hacer tonterías — stop being silly

lo vendió por una tontería — he sold it for next to nothing

Juanito tiene mucha tontería a la hora de comer — Juanito is so picky about his food

déjate de tonterías! — stop fooling around

tonterías! — nonsense!

se enoja por cualquier tontería — she gets angry over the slightest little thing

oye, que cien mil pesos no son ninguna tontería — come on, a hundred thousand pesos is no small sum

déjate de tonterías! — stop fooling around

tonterías! — nonsense!

se enoja por cualquier tontería — she gets angry over the slightest little thing

oye, que cien mil pesos no son ninguna tontería — come on, a hundred thousand pesos is no small sum

no andemos con chicoleos — let's be serious

ale pogoda! — what weather!

ale głupiec ze mnie! — what a fool I am!

ale piękna! — what a beauty!

estar de vacile — to tease

принимать что-л. в шутку — to take smth. as a joke

не обижаться на шутку — not take offence at a joke, not take it seriously

в шутку — in jest, as a joke

злая шутка — spiteful/malicious/mean joke

превращать в шутку — to turn into a joke

сыграть шутку с кем-л. — to play a trick on smb.

гадкие шутки — dirty/shabby tricks

в каждой шутке есть доля правды — many a true word is spoken in jest

ему не до шуток — he is in no laughing mood

кроме шуток, шутки шутками, без шуток — joking aside/apart

он не на шутку рассердился — he is downright angry

отделываться шутками от чего-л. — to laugh smth. away/off

с ним шутки плохи — he is not one to be trifled with; he is a tough customer

ты шуток не шути — keep your jokes to youself

шутка ли это сделать — that is not so easily done

шутка сказать — it's not so easy, it's no joke

шутки в сторону, шутки прочь — joking apart/aside, let's get serious

шутки шутить — to make jokes, to kid/fool around

ya sabe decir varias palabras — she can already say several words, she already knows several words

- tengo prisa -dijo — "I'm in a hurry," she said

olvídalo, no he dicho nada — forget I said anything

¿decía usted? — you were saying?

como decía mi abuela — as my grandmother used to say

como iba diciendo... — as I was saying...

¿cómo ha dicho usted? — pardon?, what did you say?

mi amigo dice que eres muy guapa — my friend says (that) you're very pretty

dicen que... — they say (that)..., people say (that)...

el cartel dice claramente que... — the sign says clearly {o} clearly states that...

decir que sí/no — to say yes/no

-¿viene? -dice que sí — "is she coming?" - "she says she is {o} she says so"

la miré y me dijo que sí/no con la cabeza — I looked at her and she nodded/shook her head

¿quién te lo dijo? — who told you?

se lo dije bien claro, pero no me hizo caso — I told her quite clearly, but she didn't take any notice of me

tengo algo que decirte — there's something I want to tell you, I've got something to tell you

hoy nos dicen las notas — they're telling {o} giving us our results today

me dijo que no vendría — he told me (that) he wouldn't come

ya te dije que no tiene ni idea — I told you he hasn't got a clue

¿no te digo que no puedo ir? — I've already told you I can't go

la profesora me dijo que esperara fuera — the teacher told me to wait outside

le dije que fuera más tarde — I told her to go later

dile que venga a cenar mañana con nosotros — ask him to come and have supper with us tomorrow

te digo que te calles — I said shut up

decir tonterías — to talk nonsense

¿cómo le dicen a esto en Perú? — what do they call this in Peru?

se llama Francisco, pero le dicen Paco — his name is Francisco, but he's known as Paco

le dicen "el torero" — he's known as "el torero"

en México se le dice "recámara" al dormitorio — in Mexico they say "recámara" instead of "dormitorio"

podemos ir a Portugal, ¿tú qué dices? — we could go to Portugal, what do you say?

¿tu familia qué dice de la boda? — what does your family say about the wedding?

había 8, digo 9 — there were 8, I mean 9

dirá usted aquel otro — you must mean that other one

¡qué digo! — what am I saying?

no puedo leer lo que dice — I can't read what it says

no me dice nada este libro — this book leaves me cold

mis súbditos se presentarán ante mí ¡he dicho! — my subjects shall appear before me: I have spoken!

aunque no es el director es, como quien dice, el que manda en la empresa — although he isn't the manager, he's the person in charge, so to speak, of the company

está, como quien dice, aquí al lado — it's just round the corner, as they say

como quien no dice nada — quite casually, as though it wasn't important

- gracias por todo -lo mismo digo — "thank you for everything" - "likewise!" {o} "thanks to you too!"

deberías buscar trabajo, vamos, digo yo — you ought to look for a job, that's what I say, if you ask me, you ought to look for a job

¡si te lo digo yo! — of course it's true!

¡lo digo yo y basta! — you will do it because I say so!

mi prima, es decir, la hija de Ana — my cousin, that is (to say) Ana's daughter

¿qué quiere decir "spatha"? — what does "spatha" mean?

¿qué quiere usted decir con eso? — what do you mean by that?

¿querrás decir un millón, no un billón? — do you mean a million rather than a billion?

les ha costado más cara que mi casa, y eso ya es decir — it cost them more than my house did, and that's saying something

no es que yo lo diga, pero... — it's not because I say so, but...

es, digamos, un comerciante — he's a dealer, for want of a better word, he's a sort of dealer

¡haberlo dicho!, ¡me lo hubieras dicho! — you could have told me {o} said!

y su madre, no digamos — not to mention his mother

no estuvo muy cortés, que digamos — he wasn't what you'd call polite, he wasn't exactly polite

¿cómo (lo) diría yo? — how shall I put it?

¿cómo diríamos? — how shall I put it?

¡quién lo diría! — would you believe it!, who would have thought it!

pero no quiso por el qué dirán — but she didn't want to because of what people might say

se preocupa mucho por el qué dirán — she's always worried about what people will say {o} think

-¿te puedo pedir un favor? -dime — "can I ask you a favour?" - "go ahead"

-¿te gustaría cambiar de coche? -¡hombre, ya me dirás! — "would you like a new car?" - "you bet I would!"

su nombre no me dice nada — her name doesn't mean anything to me

su mirada lo dice todo — her expression says it all {o} speaks volumes

una situación que tan mal dice de nuestro gobierno — a situation which shows our government in such a bad light

¿cientos de personas? - bueno, es un decir — hundreds of people? - well, figuratively speaking

ya dice `mamá' — he says `mama' now

no digas esas cosas, por favor — please don't say things like that

no digas estupideces — don't talk nonsense!

¿cómo pudiste decir eso? — how could you say that?

¿eso lo dices por mí? — are you referring to me?

no lo dirás en serio! — you can't be serious!

dijo que sí con la cabeza — he nodded

no se dice `andé', se dice `anduve' — it isn't `andé', it's `anduve'

eso no se dice! — you mustn't say that!

¿cómo se dice `amor' en ruso? — how do you say `love' in Russian?

bonita, lo que se dice bonita, no es — she's not what you would call pretty

es el sábado; ni que decir tiene que estás invitado — it's on Saturday; you're invited, but that goes without saying

haberlo dicho antes — why didn't you say so before?

¿tendrá tiempo de hacerlo? - dice que sí — will he have time to do it? - he says he will

¿no lo encontró? - dice que no — didn't he find it? - no, he says he didn't

digan lo que digan — whatever people say

decirle algo a alguien — to tell somebody something

eso no es lo que me dijo a mí — that's not what he told me

¿sabes qué me dijo? — do you know what he told me?; (expresando sorpresa, indignación, etc) do you know what he said to me?

se lo voy a decir a papá — I'm going to tell Dad

hoy nos dicen el resultado — they're going to give us the result today

Andrés me dijo lo de tu hermano — Andrés told me about your brother

a mí me lo vas a decir! — you're telling me!

ya te lo decía yo! — I told you so!

fue algo espantoso, todo lo que te diga es poco — it was terrible, I can't begin to tell you how terrible

no me digas que no es precioso! — isn't it beautiful?

dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres — you can judge a man by the company he keeps

porque lo digo yo! — because I say so!

harás lo que yo diga — you'll do as I say

papá dice que vayas — Dad wants you

dice que llames cuando llegues — she says (you are) to phone when you get there

dijo que tuviéramos cuidado — she said to be careful

decirle a alguien que + subj — to tell somebody to + inf

diles que empiecen — tell them to start

le dije que no lo hiciera — I told him not to do it

decir adiós — to say goodbye

decirle adiós a alguien — to say goodbye to somebody

di adiós a tu vida de estudiante — you'd better say goodbye to your student days

¿qué dice aquí? — what does it say here?

el diario no dice nada sobre el asunto — there's nothing in the paper about it

se llama Rosario pero le dicen Charo — her name is Rosario but people call her Charo

la forma de vestir dice mucho de una persona — the way someone dresses says a lot/tells you a lot about them

el tiempo lo dirá — time will tell

algo me decía que no iba a ser fácil — something told me it wasn't going to be easy

¿te dice algo ese nombre? — does that name mean anything to you?

decir misa — to say mass

querer decir — to mean

¿qué quiere decir esta palabra? — what does this word mean?

¿qué quieres decir con eso? — what do you mean by that?

¿quieres decir que ya no te interesa? — do you mean (to say) that you're no longer interested?

¿y los padres qué dicen? — what do her parents think of it?, how do her parents feel about it?

habría que regalarle algo, no sé, digo yo — we ought to buy her a present, well, I think so anyway

es muy fácil - si tú lo dices... — it's very easy - if you say so...

a decir verdad — to tell you the truth, to be honest

como quien dice — so to speak

papá - dime, hijo — dad - yes, son?

quería pedirle un favor - usted dirá — I wanted to ask you a favor - certainly, go ahead

se decían secretos al oído — they were whispering secrets to each other

se dijeron de todo — they called each other every name under the sun

yo sé lo que me digo — I know what I'm talking about

tú te lo dices todo — you seem to have all the answers

¿cientos de personas? - bueno, es un decir — hundreds of people? - well, figuratively speaking

ya dice `mamá' — he says `mama' now

no digas esas cosas, por favor — please don't say things like that

no digas estupideces — don't talk nonsense!

¿cómo pudiste decir eso? — how could you say that?

¿eso lo dices por mí? — are you referring to me?

no lo dirás en serio! — you can't be serious!

dijo que sí con la cabeza — he nodded

no se dice `andé', se dice `anduve' — it isn't `andé', it's `anduve'

eso no se dice! — you mustn't say that!

¿cómo se dice `amor' en ruso? — how do you say `love' in Russian?

bonita, lo que se dice bonita, no es — she's not what you would call pretty

es el sábado; ni que decir tiene que estás invitado — it's on Saturday; you're invited, but that goes without saying

haberlo dicho antes — why didn't you say so before?

¿tendrá tiempo de hacerlo? - dice que sí — will he have time to do it? - he says he will

¿no lo encontró? - dice que no — didn't he find it? - no, he says he didn't

digan lo que digan — whatever people say

decirle algo a alguien — to tell somebody something

eso no es lo que me dijo a mí — that's not what he told me

¿sabes qué me dijo? — do you know what he told me?; (expresando sorpresa, indignación, etc) do you know what he said to me?

se lo voy a decir a papá — I'm going to tell Dad

hoy nos dicen el resultado — they're going to give us the result today

Andrés me dijo lo de tu hermano — Andrés told me about your brother

a mí me lo vas a decir! — you're telling me!

ya te lo decía yo! — I told you so!

fue algo espantoso, todo lo que te diga es poco — it was terrible, I can't begin to tell you how terrible

no me digas que no es precioso! — isn't it beautiful?

dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres — you can judge a man by the company he keeps

porque lo digo yo! — because I say so!

harás lo que yo diga — you'll do as I say

papá dice que vayas — Dad wants you

dice que llames cuando llegues — she says (you are) to phone when you get there

dijo que tuviéramos cuidado — she said to be careful

decirle a alguien que + subj — to tell somebody to + inf

diles que empiecen — tell them to start

le dije que no lo hiciera — I told him not to do it

decir adiós — to say goodbye

decirle adiós a alguien — to say goodbye to somebody

di adiós a tu vida de estudiante — you'd better say goodbye to your student days

¿qué dice aquí? — what does it say here?

el diario no dice nada sobre el asunto — there's nothing in the paper about it

se llama Rosario pero le dicen Charo — her name is Rosario but people call her Charo

la forma de vestir dice mucho de una persona — the way someone dresses says a lot/tells you a lot about them

el tiempo lo dirá — time will tell

algo me decía que no iba a ser fácil — something told me it wasn't going to be easy

¿te dice algo ese nombre? — does that name mean anything to you?

decir misa — to say mass

querer decir — to mean

¿qué quiere decir esta palabra? — what does this word mean?

¿qué quieres decir con eso? — what do you mean by that?

¿quieres decir que ya no te interesa? — do you mean (to say) that you're no longer interested?

¿y los padres qué dicen? — what do her parents think of it?, how do her parents feel about it?

habría que regalarle algo, no sé, digo yo — we ought to buy her a present, well, I think so anyway

es muy fácil - si tú lo dices... — it's very easy - if you say so...

a decir verdad — to tell you the truth, to be honest

como quien dice — so to speak

papá - dime, hijo — dad - yes, son?

quería pedirle un favor - usted dirá — I wanted to ask you a favor - certainly, go ahead

se decían secretos al oído — they were whispering secrets to each other

se dijeron de todo — they called each other every name under the sun

yo sé lo que me digo — I know what I'm talking about

tú te lo dices todo — you seem to have all the answers