quemar puentes
/kemaɾ pwentes/from spelling rules
The English phrase "burning bridges" is translated into Spanish as quemar puentes.
This phrase is used to describe acting in a way that destroys a relationship so that it cannot be repaired.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is a literal translation of the English idiom, where quemar means "to burn" and puentes means "bridges".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression Quemar los barcos is predominantly used as an equivalent to "burning bridges".
Did you know?
- The phrase quemar las naves refers to the historical military strategy of destroying one's own fleet to ensure the soldiers have no choice but to fight or perish.
- In highly formal or literary Spanish, using quemar puentes may be seen as an anglicism and replaced with the more traditional quemar las naves.
- The Spanish word quemar is a distant relative of the English word 'cremate' via the Latin word cremāre.
Examples in context
- No deberías quemar puentes al renunciar a tu trabajo.You shouldn't burn bridges when resigning from your job.
- Es un error quemar puentes de forma tan agresiva.It is a mistake to burn bridges so aggressively.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries quemar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
