What does “dándole la lengua” mean in Spanish?

Recordando nuestro viaje en tren por España e Inglaterra

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A2 Spanish listening practice · Spanish from Spain · Picked for people who know a little

💡 Did you know?
dándole la lengua
Everyday Spanish idiom
“dándole la lengua” means talking non-stop, chatting the whole time.

On the train, the aunt says they spent the whole trip “dándole la lengua.” It sounds like “giving it the tongue,” but it just means they chatted non-stop the entire ride. She even adds “como se dice aquí en España” — this is how people say it here. So when you hear “dándole la lengua,” picture people who talk and talk and never run out of things to say.

Spoken line: “Estuvimos todo el tiempo dándole la lengua, como se dice aquí en España.” (We spent the whole time chatting non-stop, as we say here in Spain.) “Dar a la lengua” is a casual, friendly way to say someone is talking a lot, often with no pause. Examples: - Estuvimos toda la tarde dándole a la lengua. (We were chatting away all afternoon.) - Esos dos siempre están dándole a la lengua. (Those two are always gabbing.) - Para de darle a la lengua y ayúdame. (Stop yapping and help me.) It usually sounds warm or playful, not rude. In this clip the family is happy to be a “familia muy tertuliana” — people who love to sit and talk.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this A2 Spanish listening practice video?

92%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common Spanish words
Most of the words in this video are common Spanish words.

How common in written Spanish

88%
Top 1,000
92%
Top 2,000
96.6%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken Spanish

94.3%
Top 1,000
98.1%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in Spanish.

Harder words in this video

These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.

cuñada
3×
Not in top 5,000
sister-in-law

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-ESP 2011 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

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