lengua fuera
/lenɡwa fweɾa/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "tongue out" is expressed as lengua fuera.
The phrase describes the state of having one's tongue protruding from the mouth. While lengua fuera describes the state, the verbal phrase sacar la lengua is used when you want to describe the actual action of sticking one's tongue out.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the noun lengua (tongue) and the adverb fuera (out or outside).
How does it change in a sentence?
When describing an animal or person performing the action, it is most natural to use the preposition con followed by the definite article la, resulting in the construction con la lengua fuera (with the tongue out).
How do you pronounce it?
/lenɡwa fweɾa/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, the phrase sacar la lengua is commonly used to describe a playful or defiant gesture, but in some cultures, it can be seen as a serious insult.
- The word fuera shares an ancient ancestry with the English word 'foreign', stemming from the same Proto-Indo-European roots.
- The Spanish word lengua serves as both the word for the organ in the mouth and the word for a 'language' spoken by a people.
Examples in context
- Los perros controlan su temperatura jadeando con la lengua fuera.A dog controls its temperature by panting with its tongue out.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe an animal with the lengua fuera state.Tatoeba #3714741 by carlosalberto, translation #3714646 by patgfisher
Example conversation
Javier and Elena are playing with their small dog in the park.
- JavierMira al perro, tiene la lengua fuera.Look at the dog, he has his tongue out.
- ElenaSí, parece que tiene mucho calor.Yes, he looks like he is very hot.
- JavierDeberíamos darle un poco de agua.We should give him some water.
- ElenaTienes razón, Javier, vamos a buscar una fuente.You are right, Javier, let's look for a fountain.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fuera, lengua, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
