cuídate mucho de escuchar sus palabras

Question

OK. What am I missing here?

How does

cuídate mucho de escuchar sus palabras

translate to

don't listen to what he says

Could somebody please break this down for me

Is this literally saying "be very careful (when) listening to what he says (his words)

Is the implication that "what he says" is likely to be false/worthless/to be taken with a grain of salt?

Answer 1

I agree with Heidita. Depending on the context, it can be understood either as: "listen carefully to his words", or: "be careful about listening to his words", in the way that listening to him would be dangerous.

Thank you for your input Guillermo - Izanoni1, SEP 27, 2009

Answer 2

Well, in my opinion this could also be interpreted as "you do well to listen to his words".

This is the way I would have interpreted it as well, but the dictionary on this site had it listed as don't listen to what he says, so I was a bit confused. Thank you for clarifying this form me

always a pleasure, Izan:) - 00494d19, SEP 24, 2009

Answer 3

cuídate mucho de escuchar sus palabras

Well, in my opinion this could also be interpreted as "you do well to listen to his words".

However, it can also be interpreted as you have said, Izan.

This structure is unusual in Spain.

Don't listen to what he says: No hagas caso a lo que dice.

Answer 4

It probably means be careful what you say.

That would not be correct notice "cuidate" is referring to the "tú" form; whereas "sus palabras" refers to the "Uds./Ellos/ellas" form so it would be "their" words and not your own that you would need to be careful of. - Izanoni1, OCT 2, 2009

Answer 5

With idioms, you must be careful because they don't alway translate exactly.