"I didn't see that coming"

Question

Hola!

I was having a conversation in Spanish the other day and wanted to say "I didn't see that coming" but wasn't sure how to say it.

For example, someone is telling a story and then something surprising happens and you want to say "wow, I didn't see that coming!"

What would be a common way of expressing this in Spain?

Any help much appreciated!

Rangi

Muchas gracias a todos! :-) - Rangi, May 3, 2017

Answer 1

En España habitualmente decimos "No lo vi venir". In Spain we are used to saying: "I didn't see that coming".

Anyway, you can also say:

• No me lo esperaba.

• Me cogió de sorpresa (avoid the use of the verb "coger" in México and some other countries in Latin America).

• Me tomó por sorpresa.

• (Eso) Fue algo inesperado

• (Eso) me sorprendió.

• No (me) esperé / esperaba que eso ocurriera.

• Me cogió (avoid in most of Latin America) / tomó desprevenido.

Well, there are maybe a couple of more ways of expressing that.

Good one Raff75....yes, coger can have the F word meaning in some countries. - DilKen, May 2, 2017

Some great examples, Raff :) - FELIZ77, May 3, 2017

Raff did it ok. Literally it would be "No lo vi venir" and it could be used as well. - polenta1, May 3, 2017

Thanks, guys. I love it here. I wish I had some more time to answer q's and also learn. Yes, "no lo vi venir" is my first choice in the response above - Raff75, May 3, 2017

Answer 2

Disclaimer: You asked about Spain, and this is what I've heard in Mexico.

Eso no me lo esperaba.

Literally, That's not what I expected, but I think the sense is very much what you're looking for.

jtaniel: would .... "Eso no es lo que esperaba" be OK also? - DilKen, May 2, 2017

Sounds good to my ear, but don't trust me; I suspect that your Spanish is better than mine. - jtaniel, May 2, 2017

Answer 3

"I didn't see that coming"

This English idiom seems to imply a grand surprise, so I would add a little more emphasis by saying: ¡Eso no lo esperaba, ni cuando/para nada!

Also it´s not necessary to use me with this usage of esparar (to expect) as we do with esperar (to wait)

Answer 4

I don't know how typical they would be, but I think he following would be understood:

Me sorprende eso - That surprises me

¿De dónde viene eso? - Where does that come from?

¿De dónde venía eso? - Where did that come from?

¿De dónde vino eso? - Where did that come from?

Eso (or esto) can be used to refer to an entire event previously mentioned or understood.

Here are three very common sayings which I think might fit these circumstances:

¡Qué raro!: How odd/strange!

¡Qué extraño!: How odd/strange!

¡Ni hablar!: No way!/ That’s impossible!

:) - FELIZ77, May 3, 2017