ponerse en guardia
/poneɾse en ɡwaɾdja/from spelling rules
The English phrase "square up" can be translated into Spanish as ponerse en guardia.
ponerse en guardia is used specifically when someone is taking a fighting stance in preparation for a physical fight.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because the verb is reflexive, you must change the pronoun to match the subject: me pongo en guardia (I square up), te pones en guardia (you square up) and se pone en guardia (he/she squares up).
How do you pronounce it?
/poneɾse en ɡwaɾdja/
Did you know?
- If you use the word guardia in a medical context, such as en la guardia, you are referring to the emergency room or the on-call shift, rather than a combat stance.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, rather than using the formal ponerse en guardia, a person might simply say buscar pleito to indicate they are looking for a fight.
- The word guardia shares a common ancestor with the English word 'ward', as both stem from the Gothic word for 'protection' or 'watching over'.
Examples in context
- ¡Vamos a arreglar cuentas antes de que salgamos de vacaciones!Let's settle accounts before we go on vacation!
- El boxeador se puso en guardia ante su oponente.The boxer squared up against his opponent.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, guardia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
