it's difficult to understand what he's saying

er ist schwer zu verstehen — it's difficult to understand what he's saying

etw schwer nehmen — to take sth hard

el gusto por lo bello — a taste for beautiful things

no me gusta lo picante — I don't like spicy things

subimos a lo más alto del edificio — we went right to the top of the building

lo difícil fue convencerla — the difficult part was convincing her

lo difícil es que... — the difficult thing is that...

yo defiendo lo mío — I defend what is mine

la física no es lo mío — physics isn't my thing

en vista de lo ocurrido — in view of what has happened

sufre lo indecible — she suffers terribly

lo insospechado del caso — what was unsuspected about the matter

lo totalmente inesperado del descubrimiento — the completely unexpected nature of the discovery

ven lo más pronto posible — come as soon as you possibly can

es de lo mejor que hay en el mercado — it's among the best you can get

lo mejor/peor de la película — the best/worst thing about the film

lo peor fue que no pudimos entrar — the worst thing was we couldn't get in

construido a lo campesino — built in the peasant style

viste a lo americano — he dresses in the American style, he dresses like an American

un peinado a lo afro — an afro hairstyle

un peinado a lo mohicano — a mohican

no saben lo aburrido que es — they don't know how boring it is

me doy cuenta de lo amables que son — I realize how kind they are

sabes lo mucho que me gusta — you know (just) how much I like it

• lo de, lo de ayer — what happened yesterday

olvida lo de ayer — forget what happened yesterday, forget about yesterday

lo de siempre — the usual

lo de la boda — the business about the wedding

lo de Rumasa — the Rumasa affair

lo de no traer dinero ya no es una excusa — saying you don't have any money on you is no excuse

lo que más me gusta es nadar — what I like most is swimming

lo que digo es... — what I say is...

repito lo que he dicho antes — I repeat what I said earlier

¡sí hombre, lo que (yo) he dicho! — yes, just like I said!

empezó a tocar, lo que le fastidió — she began to play, which annoyed him, to his annoyance, she began to play

lo que es eso... — as for that...

en lo que a mi concierne — as far as I'm concerned

¡lo que has tardado! — how long you've taken!, you've taken so long!

¡lo que cuesta vivir! — the cost of living is so high!

es lo que se dice feo — he's undeniably ugly

es lo que se dice un hombre — he's a real man

• a lo que — LAm [en cuanto] as soon as

a lo que me vio me saludó — as soon as he saw me he said hello

• en lo que... — whilst...

¿lo habéis invitado? — have you invited him?

no lo conozco — I don't know him

lo han despedido — he's been sacked

yo a usted lo conozco — I know you

no lo veo — I can't see it

lo tengo aquí — I have it here

voy a pensarlo — I'll think about it

¿el té lo tomas con leche? — do you take milk in your tea?

no lo sabía — I didn't know

lo sé — I know

ya lo creo — I should think so

no lo hay — there isn't any

¿te acuerdas de lo bien que lo pasamos? — do you remember what a good time we had?

¡con lo mal que lo pasamos! — we had such an awful time!

no parece lista pero lo es — she doesn't seem clever but she is

guapa sí que lo es — she's certainly pretty

-¿estás cansado? -sí, lo estoy — "are you tired?" - "yes, I am"

prefiero lo dulce — I prefer sweet things

dejemos lo difícil para mañana — let's leave the difficult part until tomorrow

lo interesante del caso es que... — the interesting thing about the case is that...

¿estoy en lo cierto? — am I right?

en lo alto de la sierra — high up in the mountains

ser lo más objetivo posible — to be as objective as possible

me dijo lo de siempre — he came out with the same old story

que cada cual se ocupe de lo suyo — everyone should take care of their own things

se ha enterado de lo nuestro — she's found out about us

lo de Juan fue trágico — what happened to Juan was tragic

¿sabes lo de Pablo? — have you heard about Pablo?

voy a lo de Eva — (RPl) I'm going to Eva's house

no entiendo lo que dices — I don't understand what you're saying

pide lo que quieras — ask for whatever you want

lo que oyes! — you heard right!

lo que debe haber sufrido! — how she must have suffered!

no te imaginas lo que fue aquello! — you can't imagine what it was like!

¿ves lo mal que habla? — you see how badly he speaks?

¿lo conoces? — do you know him?

lo encuentro muy bien, señor Lara — you're looking very well, Mr Lara

lo compré hoy — I bought it today

ya lo sé — I know

duele que a uno lo traten así — it hurts when people treat you like that

ser, estar, haber): ¿que si estoy harta? pues sí, lo estoy am I fed up? well, yes, I am; si ella es capaz, yo también lo soy — if she can, so can I

prefiero lo dulce — I prefer sweet things

dejemos lo difícil para mañana — let's leave the difficult part until tomorrow

lo interesante del caso es que... — the interesting thing about the case is that...

¿estoy en lo cierto? — am I right?

en lo alto de la sierra — high up in the mountains

ser lo más objetivo posible — to be as objective as possible

me dijo lo de siempre — he came out with the same old story

que cada cual se ocupe de lo suyo — everyone should take care of their own things

se ha enterado de lo nuestro — she's found out about us

lo de Juan fue trágico — what happened to Juan was tragic

¿sabes lo de Pablo? — have you heard about Pablo?

voy a lo de Eva — (RPl) I'm going to Eva's house

no entiendo lo que dices — I don't understand what you're saying

pide lo que quieras — ask for whatever you want

lo que oyes! — you heard right!

lo que debe haber sufrido! — how she must have suffered!

no te imaginas lo que fue aquello! — you can't imagine what it was like!

¿ves lo mal que habla? — you see how badly he speaks?

¿lo conoces? — do you know him?

lo encuentro muy bien, señor Lara — you're looking very well, Mr Lara

lo compré hoy — I bought it today

ya lo sé — I know

duele que a uno lo traten así — it hurts when people treat you like that

ser, estar, haber): ¿que si estoy harta? pues sí, lo estoy am I fed up? well, yes, I am; si ella es capaz, yo también lo soy — if she can, so can I

ein 10 kg schwérer Sack — a sack weighing 10 kgs, a sack 10 kgs in weight

die Beine wurden mir schwér — my legs grew heavy

schwére Verluste — heavy losses

Schweres erlebt or durchgemacht haben — to have been through (some) hard times, to have had a hard time (of it)

das war ein schwérer Schlag für ihn — it was a hard blow for him

es schwér haben — to have a hard time (of it)

schwér auf jdm/etw liegen/lasten — to lie/weigh heavily on sb/sth

an den 50 Sack hast du viel zu schwér zu tragen — these 50 sacks are too much for you to carry

das Bewusstsein, ihr unrecht getan zu haben, lastet schwér auf ihm — knowing that he did her an injustice is hard for him to bear

schwér geprüft sein — to be sorely tried

schwér verdientes Geld — hard-earned money

es schwér haben — to have a hard time of it

es mit jdm schwér haben — to have a hard time with sb

schwér erkältet sein — to have a bad cold

schwér stürzen — to have a bad fall

schwér verunglücken — to have a serious accident

(= nicht einfach) schwér zu sehen/sagen — hard or difficult to see/say

es lässt sich schwér abschätzen/voraussagen — it's hard to estimate/to predict

(= mit Mühe) sich schwér entschließen können — to find it hard or difficult to decide

er lernt schwér — he's a slow learner

schwér hören — to be hard of hearing

etw ist schwér löslich — sth is not easy to dissolve

ein schwér erziehbares Kind — a maladjusted child

etw ist schwér verdaulich — sth is hard to digest

schwér verständlich — difficult or hard to understand, incomprehensible

ein schwér verträgliches Medikament — medicine which has side effects

da musste ich schwér aufpassen — I really had to watch out

schwér im Irrtum sein — to be badly or seriously mistaken

2 Kilo schwer sein — weigh two kilos

wie schwer bist du? — how much do you weigh?

es schwer/nicht schwer haben — have it hard/easy

Schweres durchmachen — go through hard times

jemandem/sich etwas schwer machen — make something difficult for somebody/oneself

jemandem fällt etwas schwer — somebody finds something difficult

auch wenns schwer fällt — whether you like it or not

etwas schwer nehmen — take something seriously

schwer wiegen — be heavy

schwer tragen — be carrying something heavy [with difficulty]

schwer heben — lift heavy weights

schwer erziehbare Kindere — difficult children

schwer verdaulich — hard to digest

schwer erkämpft sein — be hard won

schwer hören — be hard of hearing

schwer verunglücken — have a serious accident

2 Kilo schwer sein — weigh two kilos

wie schwer bist du? — how much do you weigh?

es schwer/nicht schwer haben — have it hard/easy

Schweres durchmachen — go through hard times

jemandem/sich etwas schwer machen — make something difficult for somebody/oneself

jemandem fällt etwas schwer — somebody finds something difficult

auch wenns schwer fällt — whether you like it or not

etwas schwer nehmen — take something seriously

schwer wiegen — be heavy

schwer tragen — be carrying something heavy [with difficulty]

schwer heben — lift heavy weights

schwer erziehbare Kindere — difficult children

schwer verdaulich — hard to digest

schwer erkämpft sein — be hard won

schwer hören — be hard of hearing

schwer verunglücken — have a serious accident

jdn/etw falsch or nicht recht verstéhen — to misunderstand sb/sth

versteh mich recht — don't misunderstand me, don't get me wrong

wenn ich recht verstehe... — if I understand correctly...

jdm zu verstéhen geben, dass... — to give sb to understand that...

ich gab ihm meinen Standpunkt zu verstéhen — I intimated my point of view to him

ein verstéhender Blick — a knowing look

(ist das) verstanden? — (is that) understood?

es verstéhen, etw zu tun — to know how to do sth

es mit Kindern verstéhen — to be good with children, to have a way with children

etwas/nichts von etw verstéhen — to know something/nothing about sth

etw machen, so gut man es versteht — to do sth to the best of one's ability, to do sth as well as one can

verstéhen — to understand sth by sth

wie soll ich das verstéhen? — how am I supposed to take that?

das ist bildlich or nicht wörtlich zu verstéhen — that isn't to be taken literally

das versteht sich von selbst — that goes without saying

(= auffassen) sich als etw verstéhen (Mensch) — to think of or see oneself as sth

(= können) verstéhen — to be (an) expert at sth, to be a dab hand at sth (Brit inf), to be very good at sth

(= einverstanden sein) sich zu etw verstéhen (form) — to agree to sth

die Preise verstéhen sich einschließlich Lieferung — prices are inclusive of delivery

ich verstehe — I understand; I see

wir verstehen uns schon — we understand each other; we see eye to eye

du bleibst hier, verstehst du! — you stay here, understand!

jemandem etwas zu verstehen geben — give somebody to understand something

wie soll ich das verstehen? — how am I to interpret that?; what am I supposed to make of that?

jemanden/etwas falsch verstehen — misunderstand somebody/something

es verstehen, etwas zu tun — know how to do something

er versteht eine Menge von Autos — he knows a lot about cars

sich mit jemandem verstehen — get on with somebody

sie verstehen sich — they get on well together

das versteht sich [von selbst] — that goes without saying

der Preis versteht sich einschließlich Mehrwertsteuer — the price is inclusive of VAT

sich auf Pferde/Autos usw. (Akk.) verstehen — know what one is doing with horses/cars; know all about horses/cars

ich verstehe — I understand; I see

wir verstehen uns schon — we understand each other; we see eye to eye

du bleibst hier, verstehst du! — you stay here, understand!

jemandem etwas zu verstehen geben — give somebody to understand something

wie soll ich das verstehen? — how am I to interpret that?; what am I supposed to make of that?

jemanden/etwas falsch verstehen — misunderstand somebody/something

es verstehen, etwas zu tun — know how to do something

er versteht eine Menge von Autos — he knows a lot about cars

sich mit jemandem verstehen — get on with somebody

sie verstehen sich — they get on well together

das versteht sich [von selbst] — that goes without saying

der Preis versteht sich einschließlich Mehrwertsteuer — the price is inclusive of VAT

sich auf Pferde/Autos usw. (Akk.) verstehen — know what one is doing with horses/cars; know all about horses/cars

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