Love-Spanish.com: Diente

Today's WOTD is: 'diente' = tooth

In Spanish, the noun 'diente' is a masculine noun of Latin origin, the main meaning of which is tooth. The Spanish noun 'diente' is often used in its plural form 'dientes', which means teeth.

The Spanish noun 'muela' is normaly used instead of 'diente' in the Spanish version of the English word toothache (see expressions below).

The Spanish describing word/ adjective 'dental' is used to describe something as being related to or appertaining to the teeth.

Some commonly used expressions containing the words 'diente' or 'dental' are:

Aguzar los dientes (to get ready to eat).
A regaña dientes (grudgingly).
A regañadientes (grudgingly).
Alargársele los dientes a alguien (said when someone is very jealous of what someone else has).
Armado hasta los dientes (armed to the teeth).
Cepillarse los dientes (to brush/ clean one's teeth).
Dar diente con diente (chattering one's teeth -usually due to feeling cold)
(Diente) canino (canine tooth).
(Diente) de ajo (clove of garlic).
Diente de leche (milk tooth).
Diente de león (dandelion).
(Diente) incisivo (incisor).
(Diente) molar (molar).
Dientes de ajo (large, malformed/ ugly looking teeth- also a person who has such teeth).
Dientes de embustero (liar's teeth -teeth with gaps in between them).
Dientes postizos (false teeth).
Dolor de muelas (toothache).
Enseñar los dientes (to bare the teeth -literal or figurative, to threaten).
Hablar entre dientes (to mumble/ mutter under one's breath).
Hablar de dientes afuera (to speak insincerely).
Higiene dental (dental hygiene).
Hincarle el diente a algo (to sink one's teeth into something/ get to grips/ come to grips with something).
Lavarse los dientes (to clean/ brush one's teeth).
Mostrar los dientes (to bare the teeth -literal or figurative, to threaten).
No haber para untar un diente (a situation where there is very little food... or not enough food for a big eater).
No llegar a un diente (a situation where there is very little food... or not enough food for a big eater).
No tener para un diente (a situation where there is very little food... or not enough food for a big eater).
Pasta dental (toothpaste).
Pasta de dientes (toothpaste).
Pelar el diente (to smile).
Pelar los dientes (to smile/ bare the teeth).
Ponerle los dientes largos a alguien (to make someone green with envy).
Salirle los dientes a alguien (to grow teeth/ to cut the teeth).
Ser de buen diente (to be a good eater)
Tener buen diente (to be a good eater).

Examples of the use of the words 'diente' or 'dental' are:

Venga, vamos a aguzar los dientes (come on, let's get ready to eat).
Para hacerlo a regaña dientes es mejor no hacerlo (better not doing it at all than doing so grudgingly).
Para hacerlo a regaña dientes es mejor no hacerlo (better not doing it at all than doing so grudgingly).
Cuando Pedro ve como vive su primo se le alargan los dientes (when Pedro sees how his cousin lives, he feels very jealous).
A Pedro le pone los dientes largos su primo (Pedro's cousin makes him jealous).
Una banda de forajidos armados hasta los dientes (a band of renegades armed to the teeth).
Venga niños a cepillarse los dientes (come on children, brush/ clean your teeth).
Venga niños a lavarse los dientes (come on children, clean/ brush your teeth).
Del frío que tengo, doy diente con diente (I am so cold, my teeth are chattering).
Tengo un canino picado (one of my canine teeth is decayed/ bad).
Tengo un incisivo picado (one of my incisor teeth is decayed/ bad).
Tengo un molar picado (one of my molar teeth is decayed/ bad).
Tengo una muela picada (one of my molar teeth is decayed/ bad).
Al niño le están saliendo los dientes de leche (the child is cutting his teeth).
No hace falta más que un diente de ajo para auyenta a Drácula (all you need to keep Dracula away is a clover of garlic).
Pedro tiene dientes de ajo (Pedro has big ugly teeth).
El dientes de ajo de Antonio ha venido a vernos (that ugly toothed person, Antonio has come to visit us).
Manolo tiene dientes de embustero (Manolo has teeth with gaps in between).
Hay mucha gente que lleva dientes postizos (many people wear false teeth).
¿Tienes dolor de muelas? (do you have toothache?).
El perro no me conoció y me enseñó los dientes (the dog did not recognise me and bared its teeth at me).
El perro no me conoció y me mostró los dientes (the dog did not recognise me and bared its teeth at me).
No me hables entre dientes, dime lo que quieres (stop mumbling/ muttering under your breath, tell me what you want)
Charo habla siempre de dientes afuera (Charo never means what she says).
La higiene dental es muy importante (dental hygiene is very important).
Ya tenía ganas de hincarle el diente a ese tema (I was really looking forward to sinking my teeth into that topic).
Aquí no hay para untar un diente! (what a meagre amount of food we have here!).
Esto no llega a un diente! (what a meagre amount of food this is!).
Aquí no tenemos para un diente! (what a meagre amount of food we have here!)
Esta pasta dental es muy buena (this toothpaste is very good).
Esta pasta de dientes es muy buena (this toothpaste is very good).
Venga, pela el diente (come on, smile).
Venga, pela los dientes (come on, smile).
Veo que eres de buen diente (I can see you are a good eater).
Veo que tienes buen diente (I can see you are a good eater).

Love-Spanish.com loves the word 'diente' in the YouTube clip: 31 Minutos - Diente Blanco no te vayas

For more on the word 'diente', visit: Wordreference.com/es/en/ Diente

*NB 'Click' on the speaker icon next to the word “diente” in the link to hear the word pronounced.

This is another Free online Spanish lesson from Love-Spanish.com. We conduct Spanish lessons online on a wide range of topics using the latest video conferencing facilities. Online lessons are the ideal way to improve listening and speaking skills. For more details on our lessons online and how to book them, please visit:

Love-Spanish.com/ Lessons-Online

For more Free Spanish:

Visit: Love-Spanish.com

Google+: Google+ Love-Spanish

Twitter: @LoveSpanish_com

Facebook: Facebook.com/ Love.Spanish