Why Soltar Is More Than "To Let Go"
Soltar is the everyday verb for letting go of something you are holding. It changes its stem (suelto, sueltas, suelta, soltamos, sueltan), and it appears in chunks about laughing, confessing, relaxing, hinting and paying.
Learn the six chunks below and you will understand them in conversation and in jokes.
Pattern 1: ¡Suéltame! — "Let go of me!"
The command to let go of someone or something. Add me for "let go of me," or lo for an object. For the related dejar, see [Dejar] Chunks.
- ¡Suéltame! — Let go of me!
- Suelta eso ahora mismo. — Drop that right now.
- No lo sueltes, que se cae. — Don't let go of it, it'll fall.
Chunk to learn:
¡Suéltame! / Suelta + [algo] / No lo sueltes
Pattern 2: Soltar una carcajada — "To let out a laugh"
You "release" a laugh, a shout or a sigh. It is the natural chunk for sudden sounds. For bursting into laughter or tears, see [Romper] Chunks.
- Soltó una carcajada. — She burst out laughing.
- Soltó un grito de alegría. — He let out a cry of joy.
- Soltó un suspiro de alivio. — She let out a sigh of relief.
Chunk to learn:
Soltar + [una carcajada / un grito / un suspiro]
Pattern 3: Soltar prenda — "To spill the beans"
Use it when someone finally tells a secret or confesses. Its short command ¡suéltalo ya! means "spit it out!". For telling stories, see [Contar] Chunks.
- Venga, suelta prenda: ¿quién te gusta? — Come on, spill it: who do you like?
- Suéltalo ya, ¿qué pasó? — Spit it out, what happened?
- Al final soltó prenda y nos lo contó todo. — In the end he came clean and told us everything.
Chunk to learn:
Soltar prenda / ¡Suéltalo ya!
Pattern 4: Soltarse — "To loosen up"
With se, you let yourself go: you relax, stop being shy, start enjoying it. ¡Suéltate! is the friendly push to try. For the courage verb, see [Atreverse] Chunks.
- Suéltate, que nadie te mira. — Loosen up, nobody's watching.
- Se soltó a bailar. — She loosened up and started dancing.
- Me costó soltarme en inglés. — It took me a while to feel free speaking English.
Chunk to learn:
Soltarse (a + infinitivo) / ¡Suéltate!
Pattern 5: Soltar una indirecta — "To drop a hint"
Soltar also means to say something suddenly, a hint or a remark. Me soltó que… introduces what someone blurted out. For plain saying, see [Decir] Chunks.
- Mi jefe soltó una indirecta sobre mi horario. — My boss dropped a hint about my schedule.
- Me soltó que se mudaba. — He blurted out to me that he was moving.
- Soltó un comentario fuera de lugar. — She made an inappropriate remark.
Chunk to learn:
Soltar una indirecta / Me soltó que…
Pattern 6: Soltar la pasta — "To cough up the money"
A colloquial chunk for paying, usually when you would rather not. In Spain the money is la pasta; in Latin America it is often la plata (Argentina, Chile) or la lana (Mexico). For spending, see [Gastar] Chunks.
- Tuve que soltar la pasta para arreglar el coche. — I had to cough up the cash to fix the car. (Spain)
- Nadie quiere soltar la plata. — Nobody wants to part with their money. (Latin America)
- Suelta la lana, que te toca pagar. — Cough up, it's your turn to pay. (Mexico)
Chunk to learn:
Soltar la pasta / la plata / la lana
Soltar vs. Dejar vs. Caer
Soltar means to stop holding something on purpose: suelta el libro. Dejar means to leave or place it: deja el libro en la mesa. When it falls by accident, Spanish uses caer: se me cayó el libro; see [Caer] Chunks.
Start with ¡suéltame! and suelta prenda. You will hear both the first time a friend does not want to tell you something.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.