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"Pinch" is a noun which is often translated as "el pellizco", and "slap" is a noun which is often translated as "la bofetada". Learn more about the difference between "pinch" and "slap" below.
pinch(
pihnch
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
a. el pellizco (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
My brother gave me a pinch on the arm.Mi hermano me dio un pellizco en el brazo.
b. el pellizco (M)
(m) means that a noun is masculine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
I only added a pinch of salt to the potatoes.Solo le puse un pellizco de sal a las papas.
3. (fix)
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
I know I can always count on my parents in a pinch.Yo sé que, en caso de apuro, siempre puedo contar con mis padres.
If the new bar is too crowded, we could always go to the usual spot in a pinch.Si el bar nuevo está demasiado lleno, siempre nos queda ir al sitio de siempre.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
4. (to nip)
a. pellizcar
Sally pinched Armando's arm when he walked by.Sally le pellizcó el brazo de Armando cuando pasó.
5. (to hurt)
6. (to catch)
a. pillarse (colloquial) (one's fingers)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
My daughter pinched her fingers in the closet door today.Hoy mi hija se pilló los dedos con la puerta del armario.
b. agarrarse (one's fingers) (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
Watch out—don't pinch your fingers when you shut the drawer.Ten cuidado, no te vayas a agarrar los dedos al cerrar el cajón.
7. (colloquial) (to steal)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. robar
When I got off the train, I realized someone had pinched my wallet.Cuando me bajé del tren, me di cuenta de que alguien me había robado la cartera.
b. quitar
My old boss pinched all my ideas and claimed them as his own.Mi antiguo jefe me quitaba todas las ideas y decía que eran suyas.
c. birlar (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
I popped into the shop, and when I came out my bike had been pinched.Entré un momento en la tienda y, cuando salí, me habían robado la bici.
8. (colloquial) (to arrest)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. atrapar
The police pinched the robbers as they were trying to slip out the bank's back door.La policía atrapó a los atracadores cuando intentaban escabullirse por la puerta de atrás del banco.
b. agarrar
The murderer was at the airport's security check when the FBI pinched him.El asesino estaba en el control de seguridad del aeropuerto cuando lo agarró el FBI.
c. pescar (colloquial)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
He was pinched when he tried to sell the painting to the Uffizi gallery in Florence.Lo pescaron cuando intentó vender el cuadro a la galería Uffizi de Florencia.
An intransitive verb is one that does not require a direct object (e.g., The man sneezed.).
a. no direct translation
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
We had to pinch and scrape to be able to put a down payment on the house.Tuvimos que privarnos de muchas cosas para poder pagar la cuota inicial de la casa.
With my salary, I'm going to have to pinch and save.Con el sueldo que tengo, voy a tener que hacer muchas economías.
slap(
slahp
)A noun is a word referring to a person, animal, place, thing, feeling, or idea (e.g., man, dog, house).
1. (smack)
a. la bofetada (F) (on the face)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
If you keep talking to her like that, she's going to give you a slap.Si sigues hablándole así, te va a dar una bofetada.
b. la cachetada (F) (on the face)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
The man's aggressive advances got him a slap.Las insinuaciones agresivas del hombre hicieron que se ganara una cachetada.
c. la palmada (F)
(f) means that a noun is feminine. Spanish nouns have a gender, which is either feminine (like la mujer or la luna) or masculine (like el hombre or el sol).
My coach gave me a slap on the back and told me I had played well.Mi entrenador me dio una palmada en la espalda y me dijo que había jugado bien.
A transitive verb is a verb that requires a direct object (e.g., I bought a book.).
2. (to hit)
a. abofetear
Your face must hurt where Eric slapped you.Te ha de doler la cara donde Eric te abofeteó.
b. dar una bofetada
I don't know why Julia slapped me. I only said I liked her shirt.No sé por qué Julia me dio una bofetada. Solo le dije que me gustaba su camisa.
c. dar una cachetada
I really wanted to slap that idiot!Me quedé con las ganas de darle una cachetada a ese imbécil.
d. dar una palmadita
My boss slapped me on the back, and I felt motivated again.Mi jefa me dio una palmadita en la espalda y me sentí motivado de nuevo.
e. cachetear (Latin America)
Regionalism used in Latin America: all the countries in South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Does not include Spain.
Jane's mother slapped her after she said a naughty word.La madre de jane la cacheteó por haberle dicho una palabrota.
a. tirar
The student slapped his last exam onto his desk and began to dance.El alumno tiró su último examen sobre el escritorio y se puso a bailar.
a. tirar
The lunch lady gave me a nasty look and slapped a blob of mashed potatoes onto my tray.La señora de la cafetería me vio feo y tiró una cucharada de puré de papas en mi charola.
An adverb is a word that describes a verb, an adjective, or other adverbs (e.g., to run quickly, very tired).
5. (colloquial) (directly)
A word or phrase that is commonly used in conversational speech (e.g., skinny, grandma).
a. justo
What a disaster it would have been if your drink had fallen slap in the middle of the cake.Qué desastre hubiera sido si tu bebida hubiera caído justo en medio del pastel.
b. de lleno
The guys were so drunk that they walked slap into a store window.Los muchachos estaban tan borrachos que se estrellaron de lleno contra la ventana de una tienda.
