When a Comment Feels Out of Place
Pampubliko
•
Oktubre 26, 2026
Gumagawa ng audio ng pagbigkas...
Maaaring magtagal ito nang kaunti. Maaari kayong mag-explore ng iba pang bahagi ng set habang naghihintay.
0
Makinig at magbalik-aral
Magdagdag ng hindi bababa sa 2 Kard ng Voca para magamit ang Makinig at magbalik-aral at makapagsanay gamit ang audio.
Spanish collocations and idioms describe comments that feel out of place. You talk privately with a coworker using tú about a tense meal with colleagues. The cards move from judging timing and tone to discussing sensitive topics and the tension a remark can create.
Mga kard ng Voca
1.
el comentario fuera de lugar
inappropriate comment, out-of-place remark
Ana, el comentario fuera de lugar de Luis nos dejó callados durante la comida.
Ana, Luis's inappropriate comment left us all silent during lunch.
Here, 'fuera de lugar' concerns social appropriateness, not physical location.
2.
no venir al caso
be beside the point, be irrelevant
Lo del divorcio de Marta no venía al caso mientras hablábamos de comida.
Marta's divorce had nothing to do with our conversation about food.
'Venir' refers to relevance here, not movement. Most often used in negative statements.
3.
no ser el momento
not be the right time
Con Marta llorando, no era el momento de hacer bromas, ¿no te parece?
With Marta crying, it wasn't the right time to make jokes, don't you think?
Often followed by 'de' plus an infinitive. This judges timing rather than the topic itself.
4.
estar de más
be uncalled for
Hasta entonces estábamos bien; la pregunta de Luis sobre el divorcio estuvo de más.
Everything was fine until then; Luis's question about the divorce was uncalled for.
Use 'estar', not 'ser'. The remark may be unnecessary even if it is not offensive.
5.
el silencio incómodo
awkward silence
¿Notaste el silencio incómodo cuando Luis empezó a hablar del divorcio de Marta?
Did you notice the awkward silence when Luis started talking about Marta's divorce?
6.
la broma de mal gusto
tasteless joke, joke in poor taste
¿También te pareció una broma de mal gusto lo que dijo Luis sobre Marta?
Did you also think what Luis said about Marta was a joke in poor taste?
'De mal gusto' can describe cruel or offensive humor, not only sexual jokes.
7.
tener poco tacto
lack tact, be tactless
Luis tuvo poco tacto al preguntar por el divorcio delante de todos, ¿no crees?
Luis was tactless to ask about the divorce in front of everyone, don't you think?
'Tener poco tacto' criticizes how a sensitive subject is handled, not necessarily the speaker's intention.
8.
no medir las palabras
speak without thinking, not choose your words carefully
Luis no midió las palabras cuando dijo que Marta nunca había querido a su esposo.
Luis didn't choose his words carefully when he said Marta had never loved her husband.
'Medir las palabras' concerns their possible effect on others, not the speed of speech.
9.
el comentario desafortunado
ill-judged comment, unfortunate remark
A mí me pareció un comentario desafortunado, aunque Luis quizá quería hacerla reír.
I thought it was an ill-judged comment, though Luis may have been trying to make her laugh.
A restrained way to criticize a remark; it can leave room for an innocent intention.
10.
no sentar bien
not sit well with someone
La broma de Luis no le sentó bien a Marta; dejó de comer.
Luis's joke didn't sit well with Marta; she stopped eating.
For a person's reaction, use 'le' or 'les'; 'a' introduces the person affected.
11.
meter la pata
put your foot in your mouth
Creo que Luis metió la pata con esa pregunta sobre el divorcio de Marta.
I think Luis put his foot in his mouth with that question about Marta's divorce.
Informal. Often implies an unintended social mistake, not deliberate cruelty.
12.
desentonar con el ambiente
clash with the mood, be out of keeping with the mood
La broma de Luis desentonó con el ambiente; todos estábamos preocupados por Marta.
Luis's joke clashed with the mood; we were all worried about Marta.
Use 'con' before the setting or mood. The remark need not be offensive.
13.
rozar un tema delicado
touch on a sensitive subject
Luis rozó un tema delicado al mencionar quién se quedaría con la casa.
Luis touched on a sensitive subject when he mentioned who would get the house.
'Rozar' suggests only approaching or briefly mentioning the subject, not discussing it fully.
14.
tocar una fibra sensible
touch a nerve
Luis tocó una fibra sensible al hablar de los hijos de Marta, ¿lo notaste?
Luis touched a nerve when he talked about Marta's kids, did you notice?
The reaction can come from a personal experience the speaker did not know about.
15.
dar pie a malentendidos
lead to misunderstandings, leave room for misunderstanding
La pregunta de Luis dio pie a malentendidos; Marta creyó que la culpaba.
Luis's question led to a misunderstanding; Marta thought he was blaming her.
'Dar pie a' takes a noun; before a clause, use 'dar pie a que'.
16.
herir susceptibilidades
hurt people's feelings, cause offense
Ana, hablar del divorcio delante de todos podía herir susceptibilidades, aunque Luis estuviera brome
Ana, talking about the divorce in front of everyone could have hurt people's feelings, even if Luis
Formal. Often used in the plural without naming exactly who might be affected.
17.
poner el dedo en la llaga
hit a sore spot
Luis puso el dedo en la llaga al decir que Marta extrañaba a sus hijos.
Luis hit a sore spot when he said Marta missed her kids.
Can describe a hurtful remark or an accurate observation about a painful problem.
18.
echar leña al fuego
add fuel to the fire
Luis echó leña al fuego al decirle a Marta que exageraba su enojo.
Luis added fuel to the fire when he told Marta she was overreacting.
Implies that tension or conflict already exists; the comment makes it worse.
19.
hacer leña del árbol caído
kick someone when they're down
Burlarse de Marta, recién separada, era hacer leña del árbol caído, ¿no te parece?
Making fun of Marta right after her separation was kicking her when she was down, don't you think?
A strong criticism of someone who targets a person already in a difficult position.
20.
andar con pies de plomo
tread carefully, tread lightly
Con lo del divorcio, conviene andar con pies de plomo si hablas con Marta.
With the divorce going on, it's best to tread carefully when you talk to Marta.
Conversational. Suggests extra caution because a subject is especially sensitive.