The Spanish language is full of colorful expressions, and the word mesa (table) shows up in several idioms with deeper or metaphorical meanings. In this article, we’ll explore genuine Spanish idioms with mesa, each accompanied by Spanish examples and English translations to help you understand how they’re used. These Spanish idioms with mesa are not just useful—they’re also fun to learn and perfect for making your Spanish sound more natural.

Spanish Idioms with Mesa

These genuine Spanish idioms with mesa go beyond the literal table and reflect important ideas like transparency, negotiation, inclusion, and authority. Adding them to your vocabulary makes your language more expressive and native-like.

Poner las cartas sobre la mesa (to lay your cards on the table)

Es hora de poner las cartas sobre la mesa y decir lo que realmente pensamos.

It’s time to lay our cards on the table and say what we really think.

Si queremos resolver este problema, cada uno debe poner sus cartas sobre la mesa.

If we want to solve this problem, each of us needs to lay our cards on the table.

Sobre la mesa (on the table)

Dejamos la propuesta sobre la mesa para discutirla en la próxima reunión.

We left the proposal on the table to discuss it in the next meeting.

El acuerdo se quedó sobre la mesa porque no todos estaban de acuerdo con los términos.

The deal was left on the table because not everyone agreed with the terms.

Hacerse un lugar en la mesa (to earn a seat at the table)

Con esfuerzo y talento, logró hacerse un lugar en la mesa de los líderes.

With effort and talent, she managed to earn a seat at the leaders’ table.

Muchas personas están luchando por hacerse un lugar en la mesa en sectores dominados por unos pocos.

Many people are fighting to earn a seat at the table in sectors dominated by a few.

Dar un golpe sobre la mesa (to put one’s foot down)

El jefe dio un golpe sobre la mesa para mostrar que ya no toleraría más errores.

The boss put his foot down to show he would no longer tolerate more mistakes.

A veces, es necesario dar un golpe sobre la mesa para que te escuchen.

Sometimes, you have to put your foot down to make people listen.

A mesa puesta (everything done for someone)

Se ha acostumbrado a vivir a mesa puesta, sin preocuparse por cocinar ni limpiar.

He’s gotten used to living with everything done for him—no cooking or cleaning to worry about.

Algunos llegan a casa y encuentran todo listo, como si vivieran siempre a mesa puesta.

Some people come home to find everything ready, as if they always lived with everything done for them.

Levantarse de la mesa (to walk away from the negotiating table)

Los sindicatos amenazaron con levantarse de la mesa si no se mejoraban las condiciones laborales.

The unions threatened to walk away from the negotiating table if working conditions weren’t improved.

Si alguien se levanta de la mesa de negociaciones, puede poner en riesgo todo el acuerdo.

If someone walks away from the negotiating table, it can jeopardize the entire deal.

Exercises

In this article, we have covered six Spanish idioms with mesa. Now let’s practice these popular Spanish idioms with mesa with the following exercises. Remember that in our blog you can find more Spanish idioms in our blog.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

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Idioms and Phrases