Binomials or word pairs are idioms in Spanish with the peculiar characteristic of having two words from the same grammatical class like nouns, adjectives, pronouns, etc. There are different types of binomials, some of which are based on sound, synonyms and antonyms, repetition, etc. and though they aren’t always binomials in both languages, it is still very interesting to see how many of them are almost literal translations.

As you can imagine, binomials are a very important part of a language and, therefore, of its culture. Learning Spanish binomials will make you sound more native, so here are a few of the most used ones in English and their Spanish translations:

1. Back and forth: De aquí para allá

2. First and foremost: Antes que nada

3. Give and take: Toma y daca

4. Hit and/or miss: Fortuito

5. Ins and outs: Pormenores

6. Like it or lump it: Ajo y agua

7. Live and learn: Vivir para ver

8. Loud and clear: Alto y claro

9. More or less: Más o menos

10. Now and then: De vez en cuando

11. Peace and quiet: Tranquilidad

12. Prim and propper: Correcto y formal

13. Safe and sound: Sano y salvo

14. Take it or leave it: Tómalo o déjalo

15. Wait and see: Espera y verás

Autor: Tatiana Pérez Ruiz

Traductora DE-EN/ES