Dar Idioms: The Spanish Verb That Gives You Scares, Disgust, and Zero Cares

You were walking around Madrid and a friend grabbed your arm before you stepped into traffic — ¡Eso me da un miedo horrible! — and you froze, because dar means to give, but this was clearly not about giving anything.

Dar is one of the most overworked verbs in spoken Spanish. Yes, it means to give — dar un regalo, dar dinero, dar información. But in real conversation, dar shows up constantly in idioms where giving has nothing to do with the meaning. Me da miedo (it scares me). Me da igual (I do not care). Me da asco (it disgusts me). Me da pena (it makes me feel sorry, or it is pathetic). Each of these pairs dar with a noun to create an emotional or physical reaction in the person it hits.

This guide covers 20 essential dar idioms in five groups: emotional reactions, indifference and irritation, physical and social gestures, information and communication, and vivid colloquial expressions. The body-sensation tener idioms (tener miedo, tener vergüenza) are covered in the companion guide at /blog/tener-idioms-spanish-guide/ — worth comparing because Spanish speakers use both: tengo miedo (I am scared, internal state) and me da miedo (it scares me, external trigger).

How Dar Creates States Instead of Actions

In English, many emotions are verbs: to scare, to disgust, to annoy. Spanish expresses the same idea structurally: the triggering thing gives you the emotion as a noun. Compare: 'That movie scares me' (English verb) = 'Esa película me da miedo' (Spanish: that film gives me fear). The trigger is the subject; the person is the indirect object; the noun names the emotion. This is the same principle behind me gusta (literally: it pleases me) and me apetece (it appeals to me).

The pronoun always matches the person experiencing the reaction. Me da miedo (it scares me). Te da miedo (it scares you). Le da miedo (it scares him, her, or formal you). Nos da miedo (it scares us). Os da miedo (it scares you all, Spain). Les da miedo (it scares them or you all). The noun — miedo, asco, vergüenza — stays the same. Only the pronoun shifts. Dar itself conjugates as an irregular verb in the normal way.

Group 1: Emotional Reactions — Dar miedo, Dar asco, Dar vergüenza, Dar pena

Dar miedo — to scare, to be frightening

Dar miedo is one of the most frequent expressions in spoken Spanish. It describes anything that causes fear, unease, or dread — not necessarily physical danger. Las alturas me dan mucho miedo. (Heights scare me a lot.) No me da miedo hablar en público. (I am not afraid of speaking in public.) It also works impersonally: da miedo pensar en ello (it is frightening to think about it). Children use it constantly: ¡me da miedo la oscuridad! Dar miedo is warmer and more colloquial than the formal producir temor.

• Las arañas le dan miedo. = Spiders scare him.
• ¿No te da miedo volar? = Aren't you afraid of flying?
• A ella le daba miedo quedarse sola. = She was afraid of being alone.
• Ese crujido me da miedo. = That creaking noise scares me.
• No me da ningún miedo. = It does not scare me at all.

Dar asco — to disgust, to be revolting

Asco is disgust or revulsion. Dar asco means something is gross, revolting, or deeply off-putting. The strength varies by context — me da asco can range from mild (that is gross) to strong (that repulses me). It applies to food, behaviour, places, or people. Me da asco ese olor. (That smell is revolting.) Dar asco also frequently expresses moral disgust: me da asco su comportamiento (his behaviour disgusts me) is common in commentary on politics, rudeness, or dishonesty. It is informal but not vulgar.

• Me da asco el hígado. = I find liver revolting.
• Le da asco el ruido que hace al comer. = The noise he makes while eating disgusts her.
• Ese olor me da un asco horrible. = That smell is absolutely revolting to me.
• A muchos les da asco la corrupción. = Corruption disgusts many people.

Dar vergüenza — to feel embarrassed, to make one ashamed

Vergüenza is shame or embarrassment. Dar vergüenza describes the external trigger that produces the feeling — in contrast to tener vergüenza, which is the resulting state you carry. Me da vergüenza hablar en público means public speaking makes me feel embarrassed (it is the triggering activity). Me da vergüenza verle así means seeing him like that makes me feel ashamed for him. The expression is softer and more relatable than pasar vergüenza (to go through embarrassment) and works at all registers.

• Me da vergüenza pedir ayuda. = Asking for help embarrasses me.
• Le da vergüenza que la vean llorar. = She is embarrassed to be seen crying.
• A los niños no suele darles vergüenza cantar. = Children are usually not embarrassed to sing.
• ¿No te da vergüenza hablar así? = Aren't you ashamed to talk like that?

Dar pena — to feel sorry for, to be pitiful or sad

Dar pena has two distinct uses. The first is compassionate: me da pena means I feel sorry for them or it makes me sad. Ese perro me da mucha pena (that dog makes me feel so sorry for it). The second, very common in Spain, is dismissive: ¡qué pena das! or me das pena means you are pitiful or you are embarrassing yourself — a cutting remark. Context makes the difference clear: compassionate pena has a sad tone; dismissive pena has a contemptuous or exasperated tone. Know both, because mixing them up completely changes the register.

• Me da pena verle tan solo. = I feel sorry seeing him so lonely.
• ¡Qué pena da ese equipo! = What a pathetic team!
• Le dio mucha pena no poder ir. = She was very sad that she could not go.
• Me das un poco de pena, la verdad. = Honestly, I feel a bit sorry for you.

Group 2: Indifference and Irritation — Dar igual, Dar lo mismo, Dar rabia, Dar envidia

Dar igual / dar lo mismo — not to care, it is all the same

Dar igual is one of the highest-frequency dar expressions in everyday Spanish. It signals indifference or that a choice does not matter to the speaker. Me da igual el color can mean either I genuinely do not mind the colour or I do not care — tone and context decide. In questions: ¿Te da igual si vengo más tarde? (Do you mind if I come later?). When the subject is plural, the verb must match: me dan igual las dos opciones (both options are the same to me). Dar lo mismo is a near-synonym: me da lo mismo can replace me da igual in almost any situation. Both are casual, high-frequency, and natural in all age groups.

• Me da igual. = I do not care. / It does not matter to me.
• ¿Te da igual si nos quedamos aquí? = Do you mind if we stay here?
• A ella le da lo mismo llegar tarde. = She does not care about arriving late.
• Me dan igual las dos opciones. = Both options are the same to me.
• Da igual lo que digan. = It does not matter what they say.

Dar rabia — to infuriate, to be maddening

Rabia is rage, fury, or seething frustration. Dar rabia describes the slow-burning anger when something goes predictably wrong or somebody does something infuriating. It is stronger than dar vergüenza but less extreme than dar asco in emotional register. Me da rabia que siempre llegue tarde means it drives me mad that he always arrives late. The expression is vivid, emotional, and very common in complaint and venting contexts. Me da una rabia (with the indefinite article) adds strong emphasis: it really infuriates me.

• Me da rabia que siempre llegue tarde. = It infuriates me that he always arrives late.
• ¿No te da rabia perder así? = Does it not drive you mad to lose like that?
• A mí me da una rabia enorme cuando no me escuchan. = It makes me furious when people do not listen to me.
• Le dio rabia que cancelaran el concierto. = She was furious that the concert was cancelled.

Dar envidia — to make jealous, to be enviable

Envidia is envy or jealousy. Dar envidia means something makes you jealous — but in Spanish it often has a lighter, more admiring tone than the word jealousy suggests. Me da envidia su casa is closer to I wish I had a house like that than to a dark, resentful feeling. ¡Me da envidia tu vacaciones! is almost a compliment in casual speech: your holiday sounds amazing, I wish I were there. For the heavier, more loaded sense, Spanish uses dar mucha envidia or dar una envidia tremenda. Tener envidia and dar envidia describe the same emotion from different angles: one is the state you carry, the other is what triggered it.

• Me da envidia lo tranquilo que estás. = I am jealous of how calm you are.
• Le da envidia la suerte que tiene su hermano. = He is jealous of his brother's luck.
• ¡Me da una envidia tu horario! = I am so jealous of your schedule!

Group 3: Physical and Social Gestures — Dar la mano, Dar un beso, Dar una vuelta

Not all dar idioms describe inner states. Some describe physical actions — social rituals and everyday movement. These are among the first dar expressions learners encounter because they appear immediately in real social situations: meeting people, saying goodbye, going out for a stroll.

Dar la mano, dar un beso, dar un abrazo — handshakes, kisses, hugs

Dar la mano is the standard expression for shaking hands — me dio la mano means she shook my hand when we met. Dar un beso (or dos besos in Spain, where the two-cheek kiss greeting is the norm) is used for greeting kisses. Dar un abrazo means to give a hug. All three follow the basic dar structure: the giver is the subject, the recipient is marked with a or an indirect object pronoun. Dale un abrazo de mi parte means give him or her a hug from me — one of the most common farewell messages in Spanish texts and phone calls.

• Me dio la mano al presentarse. = She shook my hand when she introduced herself.
• En España suelen darse dos besos. = In Spain people usually give each other two kisses.
• Dale un abrazo a tu madre de mi parte. = Give your mother a hug from me.
• Me dio un abrazo enorme. = He gave me a huge hug.

Dar una vuelta — to go for a walk, to take a spin

Dar una vuelta means to go for a walk, a stroll, or a quick drive. It is one of the most casual and frequent phrases in spoken Spanish — vamos a dar una vuelta al parque (let us go for a walk in the park), dimos una vuelta en coche por la ciudad (we drove around the city for a bit). Vuelta literally means turn or round, so the image is of a casual loop rather than a purposeful journey. Dar la vuelta is a related expression: to turn around or to flip something over — date la vuelta (turn around), dale la vuelta a la tortilla (flip the omelette).

• ¿Vamos a dar una vuelta? = Shall we go for a walk?
• Después de cenar dimos una vuelta por el centro. = After dinner we walked around the city centre.
• Me apetece dar una vuelta en bici. = I feel like going for a bike ride.
• Date la vuelta, que quiero verte la cara. = Turn around, I want to see your face.

Group 4: Information and Communication — Dar las gracias, Dar una explicación, Dar la noticia

Several dar idioms deal with giving information, thanks, or news. These appear constantly in conversational and professional Spanish. Dar las gracias is the standard way to express thanking someone as an action — quiero darle las gracias means I want to thank him, treating gratitude as something given. Dar una explicación means to give an explanation — particularly in formal or confrontational contexts: me debes una explicación (you owe me an explanation). Dar la noticia is the idiomatic phrase for breaking important news: me dio la noticia de que se casaba (she told me the news that she was getting married). Dar parte is used formally to mean to report or notify — dar parte a la policía (to report to the police).

• Quiero darles las gracias a todos. = I want to thank everyone.
• Tendrás que dar una explicación. = You will have to give an explanation.
• ¿Quién le va a dar la noticia? = Who is going to break the news to him?
• Me dio las gracias por mi ayuda. = She thanked me for my help.
• Dieron parte del accidente a la policía. = They reported the accident to the police.

Group 5: Vivid Colloquial Expressions — Dar a entender, Dar en el clavo, Dar la lata

Dar a entender — to imply, to give to understand

Dar a entender is the elegant Spanish phrase for implying something without stating it directly. Me dio a entender que no estaba contento means he implied he was not happy — not that he said it outright, but that he made it understood. Used reflexively, darse a entender means to make oneself understood, to communicate clearly. ¿Te das a entender? asks whether you are making yourself clear. The expression appears in formal writing, journalism, and careful conversation equally well.

Dar en el clavo — to hit the nail on the head

Clavo is a nail. Dar en el clavo — literally to hit on the nail — means to get something exactly right: the right diagnosis, the right answer, the right observation. Has dado en el clavo means you have hit the nail on the head — you got it exactly right. It is used as a compliment for precision, insight, or a perfectly placed comment. With negation: no dio en el clavo means he missed the mark entirely. The image of accurate hammering makes this one of the most vivid and widely understood idioms in the language.

Dar la lata — to pester, to be a nuisance

Lata literally means tin can — and dar la lata means to rattle on or make an annoying noise, like someone banging a tin. In practice, it means to pester, to be annoying, to keep insisting on something in a tiresome way. ¡Deja de dar la lata! (stop being a pest or stop going on about it). El niño lleva toda la tarde dando la lata (the child has been pestering all afternoon). It is very colloquial and mainly used in Spain. The person bothering is the subject: ella me da la lata todos los días con lo mismo (she pesters me every day about the same thing).

• ¡Deja de dar la lata con eso! = Stop going on about that!
• El vendedor nos estuvo dando la lata durante una hora. = The salesman pestered us for an hour.
• ¿Por qué me das siempre la lata con lo mismo? = Why do you always pester me with the same thing?

All 20 Dar Idioms at a Glance

Practice: Choose the Right Dar Expression

To see dar conjugated across all 18 tenses, visit the dar conjugation page at /spanish-verbs/dar-conjugation/. For the related tener idioms that work the same way — tener miedo, tener vergüenza, tener envidia — the companion guide at /blog/tener-idioms-spanish-guide/ shows how the two verbs overlap and where they differ.

These 20 dar idioms are among the most frequently heard expressions in spoken Spanish. If you are working toward B1 or B2, having them at the ready will immediately make your Spanish sound more natural. MuyVerbs covers dar and over 3,000 Spanish verbs with adaptive quizzes and a personalised learning path that targets the forms and expressions you miss most.