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:
Back and forth: De aquí para allá
First and foremost: Antes que nada
Give and take: Toma y daca
Hit and/or miss: Fortuito
Ins and outs: Pormenores
Like it or lump it: Ajo y agua
Live and learn: Vivir para ver
Loud and clear: Alto y claro
More or less: Más o menos
Now and then: De vez en cuando
Peace and quiet: Tranquilidad
Prim and propper: Correcto y formal
Safe and sound: Sano y salvo
Take it or leave it: Tómalo o déjalo
Wait and see: Espera y verás
Autor: Tatiana Pérez Ruiz
Traductora DE-EN/ES