Why Gastar Is More Than "To Spend Money"
Gastar is the everyday verb for spending money, and it is regular. It also means to use up: fuel, energy, shoes, batteries. And it gives you two chunks that surprise learners: playing a joke and wasting your breath.
Learn the six chunks below and you will talk about money, costs and consumption naturally.
Pattern 1: Gastar dinero en… — "To spend money on…"
Use en for what you spend on. Spanish uses gastar for money and pasar for time; see [Pasar] Chunks.
- Gasto mucho en comida. — I spend a lot on food.
- No quiero gastar más. — I don't want to spend any more.
- Gastamos doscientos euros en el hotel. — We spent two hundred euros on the hotel.
Chunk to learn:
Gastar + [dinero] + en + [algo]
Pattern 2: Gastar una broma — "To play a joke / prank"
A fixed chunk: you "spend" a joke on someone. The person who gets the joke is le, me, te. In Latin America you will also hear hacer una broma or jugar una broma. For more on playing, see [Jugar] Chunks.
- Le gastamos una broma a mi hermano. — We played a prank on my brother.
- Me gastó una broma pesada. — He played a cruel joke on me.
- No me gastes bromas. — Don't kid around with me.
Chunk to learn:
Gastar una broma (a alguien) / Gastar bromas
Pattern 3: No gastes saliva — "Don't waste your breath"
Spanish says you waste your saliva, not your breath. It is what you say when someone will not listen. For talking, see [Hablar] Chunks.
- No gastes saliva, no te va a escuchar. — Don't waste your breath, he won't listen.
- Gasté saliva en vano. — I wasted my breath.
- No vale la pena gastar saliva. — It's not worth wasting your breath.
Chunk to learn:
(No) gastar saliva
Pattern 4: Gastarse — "To spend it all / to wear out"
With se, gastar means you spent all of something, or it wore out by itself. For things that break rather than wear out, see [Romper] Chunks.
- Me gasté todo el sueldo en un día. — I spent my whole paycheck in a day.
- Se gastó la batería. — The battery ran out.
- Se me gastaron las suelas. — The soles of my shoes wore out.
Chunk to learn:
Gastarse + [el sueldo] / Se gastó + [la batería / las pilas]
Pattern 5: Gastar gasolina / luz / agua — "To use up fuel / power / water"
Here gastar means to consume. It is the verb for appliances, cars and habits. For usar, see [Usar] Chunks.
- Este coche gasta mucha gasolina. — This car uses a lot of gas.
- La nevera gasta mucha luz. — The fridge uses a lot of electricity.
- Esta lavadora gasta poca agua. — This washing machine uses little water.
Chunk to learn:
Gastar + [gasolina / luz / agua] / Gastar mucho / poco
Pattern 6: Gastar de más — "To overspend"
Use de más for spending too much, and sin pensar for spending without thinking. For paying, see [Pagar] Chunks.
- Gasté de más este mes. — I overspent this month.
- No gastes de más en regalos. — Don't overspend on gifts.
- Ella gasta sin pensar. — She spends without thinking.
Chunk to learn:
Gastar de más / Gastar sin pensar
Gastar vs. Pagar vs. Ahorrar
Gastar is to spend, pagar is to pay for something specific, and ahorrar is to save. Gasté cien euros says how much left your wallet; pagué la cena says what you paid for; ahorro cien euros al mes says what you put aside.
Start with gasto mucho en… and no gastes saliva. You will use both within a week of talking about money with Spanish speakers.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.