First of all: If you want to push yourself, try reading the Spanish version of this blog post and video first. You can always click on “English” in the menu above to come back here and check the meaning of a word or phrase.
Hi everyone! I’m Elizabeth from Real Spanish, a dedicated Spanish student.
I’ve been living in Spain for over a decade and I’m still learning new words and expressions. In fact I have a document where I record at least one a day, gathered from a newspaper, a Netflix show or a normal everyday conversation. Today’s Spanish idiom, "Como Pedro por su casa", is one of them.
Sometimes a new phrase is so intriguing that I end up making a video, one of our "Trocitos de Real Spanish", about its origin and meaning. Un trocito is a little bit of something, like a little piece of cheese. This trocito is also a preview of our course "Español con noticias y documentales 2: La historia de tres regiones bilingües de España".
So what does “Como Pedro por su casa” mean? It’s an idiomatic expression that means acting as if you own the place (making yourself very much at home somewhere, or taking liberties you probably shouldn’t). But the really fun part is where the expression comes from. The origin is medieval and surprisingly dramatic — watch the video to find out the full story!
Would you like to see a related Trocito? It's longer, and explains the expression No hay moros en la costa, another popular Spanish saying that comes from the history of the country.
Wishing you all the best for your adventures in Spanish,
Elizabeth from Real Spanish
| Transcript translated from Spanish. It has been lightly updated to reflect our current courses and resources. The video may vary slightly.
King Pedro I of Aragon is famous for his conquests. In the year 1096 he conquered Huesca in the famous battle of Alcoraz against the Muslims. This battle gave rise to the well-known phrase entróse como Pedro en Huesca, since he won easily and unexpectedly thanks to his qualities as a strategist. Over time, this saying entróse como Pedro en Huesca gave way to a more current one: como Pedro por su casa which means feeling very comfortable in a place that is new or unknown. It is also often used to say that a person takes a lot of liberties in a place or environment. You might also be interested in our complete course Español con noticias y documentales 2: Tres regiones bilingües de España. Sign up today to learn more and try some free sample lessons. |
If you enjoyed this video, you'll like a related video featuring the expression «No hay moros en la costa» It's another preview of our course Español con noticias y documentales 2: La historia de tres regiones bilingües de España — have a look if you’re curious!
* The full video, vocabulary notes, grammar sheet, and interactive practice and test activities are all part of the complete lesson.
If you liked this Trocito, you can see another one based on historical events:
"No hay moros en la costa": where does this expression come from?
If you like learning expressions like this, check out our YouTube playlists.
On our website you can find lots of other free video lessons: some with transcripts, vocabulary and grammar notes, and activities to practice and test what you’ve learned. Hope to see you there!
Ready for something more demanding? Take a look at our online Spanish courses.
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