I thought he was joking

va de coña — it's a joke

va de coña — it's a joke

il devrait arriver d'un moment à l'autre — he should arrive any minute now

à aucun moment il n'a abordé le sujet — at no time did he touch on the subject

sur le moment j'ai cru qu'il plaisantait — at first I thought he was joking

au moment de l'accident — at the time of the accident

au moment où il quittait son domicile — as he was leaving his home

jusqu'au moment où — until

du moment que tu le dis! — if you say so!

j'ai eu un moment d'incertitude — I hesitated for a moment

pour le moment — for the time being

tu en as pour un moment à avoir mal — you'll feel uncomfortable for quite some time

ça va prendre un moment — it will take a while

au bout d'un moment, après un moment — after a while

en ce moment — at the moment

par moments — at times

c'est le moment de la journée où — it's the time of day when

les moments forts du film — the film's highlights

dans ses meilleurs moments, il fait penser à Orson Welles — at his best, he reminds one of Orson Welles

à mes moments perdus — in my spare time

Pendant un moment, on n'a rien entendu. — For a moment, we didn't hear anything., For a while, we didn't hear anything.

au bout d'un moment — after a moment, after a while

Il lui faudra un petit moment pour terminer. — It'll take him a while to finish.

Un moment et je suis à vous. — I'll be with you in a moment.

par moments — at times, now and then

Elle se sent seule par moments. — She feels lonely at times.

n'avoir pas un moment à soi — not to have a moment to oneself

pour un bon moment — for a good while

à un certain moment — at some point, at one moment

à un moment donné — at a certain point

à quel moment? — when exactly?

au moment de — at the time of

sur le moment — at the time

Sur le moment je n'ai rien dit. — At the time I didn't say anything.

Il a quitté la région au moment où l'économie s'effondrait. — He left the area at a time when the economy was collapsing.

au même moment — at the same time, at the same moment

À ce moment-là, je devrai partir plus tôt. — In that case I'll have to leave earlier.

du moment où; du moment que — seeing that, since

ce n'est pas le moment — this is not the right time

d'un moment à l'autre — any time, any time now

Il nous dérange à tout moment pour des riens. — He's constantly bothering us about silly little things.

pour le moment — for the moment, for the time being

Nous ne pensons pas déménager pour le moment. — We're not thinking of moving for the moment.

en ce moment — at the moment

Nous avons beaucoup de travail en ce moment. — We have a lot of work at the moment.

hai un momento (di tempo)? — have you got a moment?

è successo tutto in un momento — it happened all at once

non c'è un momento da perdere — there's no time to lose

ho avuto un momento di incertezza — I hesitated for a moment

non ha (mai) un momento per sé — she hasn't (ever) got a moment to herself

un momento, ho quasi finito! — just a moment, I've nearly finished!

smetti (per) un momento di parlare — please stop talking for a minute

un momento di disattenzione — a moment's distraction

dovrebbe arrivare a -i — he'll come any minute

prima non lo sapevo — I didn't know that before

ne so quanto prima — I know as much as I did before, I'm none the wiser

prima non si faceva così — people used not to do that

usanze di prima — former customs

non è più la stessa di prima — she's not the same as she was

prima o poi — sooner or later

prima possibile — as soon as possible

domani devo alzarmi un po' prima — tomorrow I have to get up a bit earlier

è arrivato prima del previsto — he arrived earlier than expected

prima lo farai prima sarai libero di uscire — the sooner you do it the sooner you can go out

chi arriva prima compra i biglietti — whoever arrives first gets the tickets

prima la famiglia — family first

prima di tutto — first of all

prima il dovere e poi il piacere — duty before pleasure

prima di prep — (tempo, spazio) before

prima del suo arrivo — before his arrival

sono andati via prima di noi — they left before us

mi sono alzato prima delle sette — I got up before seven

prima d'ora — before now

c'è un cinema prima del semaforo — there's a cinema before the lights

prima di, prima che cong — before

prima di fare/che tu faccia — before doing/you do

pensaci prima che sia troppo tardi — give it some thought before it is too late

dobbiamo decidere prima che Luca parta — we must decide before Luca leaves

viaggiare in prima — to travel first class

ingranare la prima — to engage first gear

molto, poco prima — long, shortly before

due mesi prima — two months before

non ci sono mai stato prima — I had never been there before

lo sapevano già da prima — they knew beforehand

prima andavo a scuola in bici — once I used to cycle to school

non è più quello di prima — he's a shadow of his former self

prima dobbiamo decidere — first we must decide

prima le signore — ladies before gentlemen

prima le donne e i bambini — women and children first

prima possibile, quanto prima — as soon as possible

prima è meglio è — the sooner the better

prima o poi — sooner or later

non puoi arrivare a casa prima? — can't you get home earlier?

due pagine prima — two pages back

prima tu! — you go first!

com'è il tuo lavoro rispetto a quello di prima? — how does this job compare with your last one?

prima della mia partenza — before my leaving, before I left

non mi era mai successo prima d'ora — it had never happened before

poco prima di mezzanotte — shortly before midnight

non saprò niente prima di martedì — I won't know until Tuesday

è arrivata mezz'ora prima degli altri — she arrived half an hour in advance of the others

prima di tutto — first (of all)

prima di abitare qui, lui... — previous to living here, he...

per lui il lavoro viene prima di tutto — for him, work comes before everything

ci volle del tempo prima che tornasse a camminare — it was some time before he was able to walk again

ah, prima che mi dimentichi,... — oh, before I forget

il giorno, il mese prima — the day, the month before, the previous day, month

la mattina prima — the previous morning

questa pagina e quella prima — this page and the one before

prendere il treno prima — to catch the earlier train

viaggiare in prima — to travel first class

creía que bromeaba — I thought he was joking

no es momento para bromear — this is no time for jokes

no es momento para bromear — this is no time for jokes

fin dall'inizio — from the beginning

all'inizio — at the beginning, at the start

all'inizio pensavo che scherzasse — at first I thought he was joking

all'inizio di — at the beginning of

il pareggio è arrivato all'inizio del secondo tempo — the equalizer came at the beginning of the second half

dare inizio a qc — to start sth, get sth going

avere inizio — to begin

il film ha inizio con una scena d'azione — the film begins with an action scene

ho riletto l'inizio della lettera dieci volte — I read the beginning of the letter ten times

l'inizio dei lavori è previsto per la fine del mese — work will begin at the end of the month

fin dall'inizio — from the beginning

all'inizio — at the beginning, at the start

all'inizio pensavo che scherzasse — at first I thought he was joking

all'inizio di — at the beginning of

il pareggio è arrivato all'inizio del secondo tempo — the equalizer came at the beginning of the second half

dare inizio a qc — to start sth, get sth going

avere inizio — to begin

il film ha inizio con una scena d'azione — the film begins with an action scene

ho riletto l'inizio della lettera dieci volte — I read the beginning of the letter ten times

l'inizio dei lavori è previsto per la fine del mese — work will begin at the end of the month

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