estar como un alambre

alambre cargado — live wire

alambre de espino, alambre de púas — barbed wire

alambre espinoso — barbed wire

alambre forrado — covered wire

cerca eléctrica — electrified fence, electric fence

cerca viva — hedge

las casas están tan cerca que se pueden oír las conversaciones de los vecinos — the houses are so close (to each other) that you can hear what the neighbours are saying

las vacaciones están ya cerca — the holidays are nearly here, the holidays are not far off now

estaba sentada cerca de mí — she was sitting near me

se sentía muy cerca de su familia — she felt very close to her family

no veo bien de cerca — I can't see things close up, I'm long-sighted

el coche iba a gran velocidad, seguido de cerca por su escolta — the car was travelling at a high speed, followed closely by its escort

seguí de cerca la guerra a través de los periódicos — I followed the war closely in the newspapers

para todos aquellos que no puedan ver la exposición de cerca — for all those unable to see the exhibition in person

los que lo conocen de cerca hablan muy bien de él — those who know him well speak very highly of him

la crisis me ha afectado muy de cerca — the crisis has affected me personally

• cerca de — (=casi) nearly

hay cerca de ocho toneladas — there are nearly eight tons of it

cerca de 2.500 personas — nearly 2,500 people

son cerca de las seis — it's nearly six o'clock

he estado cerca de tirar el libro por la ventana — I've come close to throwing that book out of the window

estuvimos tan cerca de conseguir la victoria... — we were so close to obtaining victory...

cerca nuestro/mío — near us/me

tiene buen cerca — it looks all right close up

queda aquí cerquita — it's very near (here)

está por aquí cerca — it's near here (somewhere)

cerca de algo/alguien — near something/somebody

viven cerca de Tampico/de casa — they live near Tampico/near us

de cerca — close up, close to

ver algo de cerca — to see something close up o close to

no veo bien de cerca — I'm longsighted

seguir algo de cerca — to follow something closely

los exámenes ya están cerca — the exams aren't far away now

cerca de algo/+ inf — close to something/-ing

cerca de — almost, nearly

queda aquí cerquita — it's very near (here)

está por aquí cerca — it's near here (somewhere)

cerca de algo/alguien — near something/somebody

viven cerca de Tampico/de casa — they live near Tampico/near us

de cerca — close up, close to

ver algo de cerca — to see something close up o close to

no veo bien de cerca — I'm longsighted

seguir algo de cerca — to follow something closely

los exámenes ya están cerca — the exams aren't far away now

cerca de algo/+ inf — close to something/-ing

cerca de — almost, nearly

¿qué pasó? — what happened?

¿pasa algo? — is anything up?, is anything wrong?, is anything the matter?

como si no hubiese pasado nada — as if nothing had happened

aquí pasa algo misterioso — there's something odd going on here

siempre pasa igual {o} lo mismo — it's always the same

¿qué pasa que no entra? — why doesn't she come in?

¿qué ha pasado con ella? — what's become of her?

pase lo que pase — whatever happens, come what may

pasarle a algn: nunca me pasa nada — nothing ever happens to me

no me ha pasado otra (igual) en la vida — nothing like this has ever happened to me before

siempre me pasa lo mismo, lo pierdo todo — it's always the same, I keep losing things

tuvo un accidente, pero por suerte no le pasó nada — he had an accident, but fortunately he wasn't hurt

esto te pasa por no hacerme caso — this is what comes of not listening to me, this wouldn't have happened (to you) if you'd listened to me

¿qué te pasa? — what's the matter?

¿qué le pasa a ese? — what's the matter with him?

la cuerda pasa de un lado a otro de la calle — the rope goes from one side of the street to the other

cuando muera la empresa pasará al hijo — when he dies the company will go to his son

pasó de mis manos a las suyas — it passed from my hands into his

pasar a un cuarto contiguo — to go into an adjoining room

pasar de Inglaterra al Canadá — to go from England to Canada

no se puede pasar — you can't go through, you can't go in

pasamos directamente a ver al jefe — we went straight in to see the boss

los moros pasaron a España — the Moors crossed over into Spain

pasó una bicicleta — a bicycle went past

¿a qué hora pasa el cartero? — what time does the postman come?

¿ha pasado ya el camión de la basura? — have the dustmen been?

ese autobús no pasa por aquí — that bus doesn't come this way

pasaré por la tienda mañana — I'll go {o} pop into the shop tomorrow

tendrá que pasar por mi despacho — he'll have to come to my office

pase por caja — please pay at the cash desk

pasaré por tu casa — I'll drop in

te pasaré a buscar a las ocho — I'll pick you up at eight

pasa a verme cuando quieras — come round whenever you like

el equipo ha pasado a primera división — the team has gone up to the first division

y luego pasaron a otra cosa — and then they went on to something else

ha pasado de ser tímida a no tenerle miedo a nada — she has gone from being shy to fearing nothing

pasar de teniente a general — to go from lieutenant to general

en muy poco tiempo ha pasado a ser un gran profesional — he has become a real professional in a very short space of time

han pasado cuatro años — four years have passed {o} gone by

el tiempo pasa deprisa — time passes {o} goes so quickly

¡cómo pasa el tiempo! — how time flies!

ya ha pasado una hora — it's been an hour already

ha pasado la crisis — the crisis is over

ya pasó aquello — that's all over (and done with) now

puede pasar — it's passable, it's OK

por esta vez pase — I'll let it go this time

que me llames carroza, pase, pero fascista, no — you can call me an old fuddy-duddy if you like, but not a fascist

el hilo pasa por el agujero — the thread goes through the hole

pasamos por un túnel muy largo — we went through a very long tunnel

no pasamos por el pueblo — we didn't go through the village

el río pasa por la ciudad — the river flows {o} goes through the city

pasar por la aduana — to go through customs

está pasando por un mal momento — he's going through a bad patch

no creo que el sofá pase por esa puerta — I don't think the settee will go through the door

el futuro de la empresa pasa por este acuerdo — the company's future depends on {o} hangs on this agreement

podrían perfectamente pasar por gemelos — they could easily pass as twins

Juan pasa por francés — most people think Juan is French

se hace pasar por médico — he passes himself off as a doctor

paso ahora a explicar mi postura — I will now go on to explain my position

pasar a decir algo — to go on to say sth

ya va siendo hora de pasar a la acción — it is time for action

pasa ya de los 70 — he's over 70

esto pasa de ser una broma — this is beyond a joke

no pasa de ser un jugador mediocre — he's no more than an average player

no pasan de 60 los que lo tienen — those who have it do not number more than 60, fewer than 60 people have it

tendrá que pasar sin coche — he'll have to get by {o} manage without a car

no puede pasar sin ella — he can't manage without her

yo paso — pass

yo paso — count me out

paso de todo — I couldn't care less

pasa olímpicamente de todo lo que le dicen — he doesn't take the blindest bit of notice of anything they say to him

paso de ti, chaval — I couldn't care less about you, pal

¿me pasas la sal, por favor? — could you pass (me) the salt, please?

le pasó el sobre — he handed {o} passed her the envelope

pásale una nota con disimulo — slip him a note

cuando termines pásasela a Isabel — when you've finished pass it on to Isabel

el túnel pasa la montaña — the tunnel goes right through the mountain

esto pasa los límites de lo razonable — this goes beyond the realm of what is reasonable

nos pasaron a ver al director — they took us to see the manager

nos pasaron a otra habitación — they moved us into another room

he pasado mi despacho al dormitorio — I've moved my office into the bedroom

pasa el alambre por este agujero — put the wire through this hole

pasó el hilo por el ojo de la aguja — she threaded the thread through the eye of the needle

pasar el café por el colador — to strain the coffee

han pasado billetes falsos — they've passed (off) forged notes

han pasado un alijo de cocaína por la frontera — a consignment of cocaine has been smuggled across the border

voy a pasarle un trapo — I'm going to wipe it down

pasar la mano por algo — to run one's hand over sth

pasar el cepillo por el pelo — to run a brush through one's hair

pasar la aspiradora por la alfombra — to vacuum the carpet, run the vacuum cleaner over the carpet

pasar la aspiradora — to do the vacuuming

le pasó el brazo por los hombros/la cintura — she slipped {o} put her arm around his shoulders/waist

me has pasado tu catarro — you've given me your cold

no puedo pasar esta pastilla — I can't swallow this pill, I can't get this pill down

no puedo pasar a ese hombre — I can't bear {o} stand that man

se lo pasan todo — they let him get away with anything

no te voy a pasar más — I'm not going to indulge you any more

los pasa a todos en inteligencia — she's more intelligent than any of them

para ganar debes pasar a muchos contrincantes — to win you have to beat a lot of opponents

me pasa ya 3cm — he's already 3cm taller than I am

pasar por alto un detalle — to overlook a detail

pasar las vacaciones — to spend one's holidays

voy a pasar el fin de semana con ella — I'm going to spend the weekend with her

fuimos a pasar el día en la playa — we went to the seaside for the day

lo pasaremos tan ricamente — we'll have such a good time

pasarlo bien — to have a good time

¡que lo pases bien! — have a good time!, enjoy yourself!

pasarlo mal — to have a bad time

lo pasamos muy mal — we had an awful time

hemos pasado el aniversario — the anniversary has passed, the anniversary is behind us

ya hemos pasado lo peor — we're over the worst now, the worst is behind us now

ha pasado una mala racha — she's been through a bad patch

ha pasado muchas enfermedades — he's had a lot of illnesses

pasar frío — to be cold

pasar hambre — to be hungry

no ha pasado ni un taxi — not one taxi has come/gone past

¿a qué hora pasa el lechero? — what time does the milkman come?

los otros coches no podían pasar — the other cars weren't able to get past

no dejan pasar a nadie — they're not letting anyone through

no dejes pasar esta oportunidad — don't miss this opportunity

pasar POR algo — to go through something

al pasar por la aduana — when you go through customs

el Tajo pasa por Aranjuez — the Tagus flows through Aranjuez

es un vuelo directo, no pasa por Miami — it's a direct flight, it doesn't go via Miami

¿este autobús pasa por el museo? — does this bus go past the museum?

¿el 45 pasa por aquí? — does the number 45 come this way?

pasamos por delante de su casa — we went past her house

ni me pasó por la imaginación — it didn't even occur to me, it didn't even cross my mind

pasaron de Chile a Argentina a pie — they crossed over from Chile to Argentina on foot

la humedad pasó a la otra habitación — the damp went through to the other room

no pasará por la puerta — it won't go through the door

esta camiseta no me pasa por la cabeza — I can't get this T-shirt over my head

pasó de mano en mano — it was passed around (to everyone)

pase, por favor — please, do come in

que pase el siguiente! — next, please!

haga pasar al Sr Díaz — show Mr Díaz in please

pasaron al comedor — they went through into the dining room

¿puedo pasar al baño? — may I use the bathroom please?

pasar (DE algo) A algo — to go (from something) to something

pasando a otra cosa... — anyway, to change the subject...

pasan a ocupar el primer puesto — they move into first place

pasó a tratar el problema — he went on to deal with the problem

pasamos a informar de otras noticias — now, the rest of the news

¿pasaste? — did you pass?

no está perfecto, pero puede pasar — it's not perfect, but it'll do

pasar DE algo: no pases de 100 don't go over 100; no pasó de un desacuerdo it was nothing more than a disagreement; está muy grave, no creo que pase de hoy he's very ill, I don't think he'll last another day; no pasa de los 30 he's not more than 30; no pasamos de nueve empleados — they're only nine of us working there/here

pasa por tonto, pero no lo es — he might look stupid, but he isn't

podrían pasar por hermanas — they could pass for sisters

se hacía pasar por médico — he passed himself off as a doctor

se hizo pasar por mi padre — he pretended to be my father

la solución pasa por una reforma política — the solution lies in a political reform

ya han pasado dos horas — it's been two hours now

cómo pasa el tiempo! — doesn't time fly!

por ti no pasan los años — you look as young as ever

menos mal que el invierno ya ha pasado — thank goodness winter's over

cuéntame lo que pasó — tell me what happened

pase lo que pase — whatever happens, come what may

¿qué pasó con lo del reloj? — what happened about the watch?

...y aquí no ha pasado nada —...and let's just forget the whole thing

en este pueblo nunca pasa nada — nothing ever happens in this town

¿pasa algo? — is something the matter?

son cosas que pasan — these things happen; (+ me/te/le etc)

¿qué te pasa? — what's the matter with you?

¿qué te pasó en el ojo? — what happened to your eye?

¿qué le pasa a la tele? — what's wrong with the TV?

eso le pasa a cualquiera — that can happen to anybody

por suerte a él no le pasó nada — fortunately, nothing happened to him

¿vas a tomar postre? - no, yo paso — are you going to have a dessert? - no, I think I'll give it a miss

que se las arreglen, yo paso — they can sort it out themselves, it's not my problem

pasar algo POR algo — to put something through something

pasar la salsa por un tamiz — to put the sauce through a sieve

pasa el cordón por este agujero — thread the string through this hole

pásale un trapo al piso — give the floor a quick wipe

pasarlo primero por harina — first dip it in flour

pasaron el río a nado — they swam across the river

todavía no hemos pasado lo peor — the worst is yet to come

pasar A algo — to overtake something, to get past something

está altísimo, ya pasa a su padre — he's really tall, he's already overtaken his father

esto no te lo paso — I'm not letting you get away with this

no te deja pasar ni una — he doesn't let you get away with anything

¿me pasas esto a máquina? — could you type this for me?

pásaselo a Miguel — pass it on to Miguel

¿me pasas el martillo? — can you pass me the hammer?

le pasó el balón a Gómez — he passed the ball to Gómez

el padre le pasa una mensualidad — she gets a monthly allowance from her father

me lo pasó a mí — he gave it to me, he passed it on to me

pasamos las Navidades en casa — we spent Christmas at home

fuimos a Toledo a pasar el día — we went to Toledo for the day

pasé toda la noche en vela — I was awake all night

puede pasar días sin comer — he can go for days without eating

no sabes las que pasé — you've no idea what I went through

pasé mucho miedo/frío — I was very frightened/cold

pasarlo or pasarla bien — to have a good time

¿qué tal lo pasaste en la fiesta? — did you have a good time at the party?, did you enjoy the party?

lo pasé mal — I didn't enjoy myself

lo pasa muy mal con los exámenes — he gets very nervous about exams

pasarse al enemigo — to go over to the enemy

queremos pasarnos a la otra oficina — we want to move to the other office

nos pasamos, el banco está más arriba — we've gone too far, the bank isn't as far down as this

nos pasamos de estación — we went past our station

esta vez te has pasado — you've gone too far this time

te pasaste con el regalo — that was a really nice present you gave me

te pasas de bueno — you're too kind for your own good

no le dejes pasarse de punto — don't let it overcook

hasta que se le pase la fiebre — until her temperature goes down

el año se ha pasado muy rápido — this year has gone very quickly; (+ me/te/le etc)

sus clases se me pasan volando — her classes seem to go so quickly

se me pasó totalmente — I completely forgot

se me pasó su cumpleaños — I forgot his birthday

se le pasaron varios errores — he overlooked several mistakes

no se le pasó ese detalle — this detail didn't escape his attention

se me pasó la oportunidad — I missed the opportunity

se pasa el día al teléfono — she spends all day on the phone

me pasé toda la noche estudiando — I was up all night studying

pásate por casa — come round

¿podrías pasarte por el mercado? — could you go down to the market?

se pasó la mano por el pelo — he ran his fingers through his hair

pasarse un peine — to run a comb through one's hair