Why Tirar Means Throw, Pull and Keep Going
Tirar is a regular verb with a wide range: to throw, to throw away, to pull, and, in colloquial chunks, to keep going. It looks like three different verbs, but each use appears in a set phrase you can learn whole.
Learn the six chunks below and you will recognize tirar on door signs, in the kitchen and in everyday small talk.
Pattern 1: Tirar a la basura — "To throw away"
Use tirar for throwing something into the trash or onto the ground. Spanish adds a for where it lands. Note that sacar la basura is "to take the trash out"; see [Sacar] Chunks.
- Tira eso a la basura. — Throw that in the trash.
- Tiré la comida vieja. — I threw away the old food.
- No tires papeles al suelo. — Don't throw paper on the ground.
Chunk to learn:
Tirar + [algo] + a la basura / al suelo
Pattern 2: Tirar de… — "To pull"
With de, tirar means to pull. It is what you read on doors: Tirar (pull) and Empujar (push).
- Tira de la puerta, no empujes. — Pull the door, don't push.
- Me tiró de la manga para llamar mi atención. — He tugged my sleeve to get my attention.
- Tira de la cadena, por favor. — Flush the toilet, please.
Chunk to learn:
Tirar de + [la puerta / la cuerda / la cadena]
Pattern 3: Tirar la toalla — "To throw in the towel"
Spanish uses the same boxing image as English: you throw the towel to give up. It works for exams, diets, projects and relationships.
- No tires la toalla ahora. — Don't throw in the towel now.
- Estuve a punto de tirar la toalla. — I was about to give up.
- Ella nunca tira la toalla. — She never gives up.
Chunk to learn:
Tirar la toalla / No tires la toalla
Pattern 4: Ir tirando — "To get by"
The perfect answer to "how are you?" when things are neither great nor terrible. It pairs ir with the gerund; for more on ir, see [Ir] Chunks.
- —¿Qué tal el trabajo? —Vamos tirando. — "How's work?" "We're getting by."
- Voy tirando con mi sueldo. — I'm getting by on my salary.
- Ahí vamos tirando. — We're hanging in there.
Chunk to learn:
Ir tirando / Vamos tirando
Pattern 5: Tirarse a… — "To throw yourself into…"
With se, you throw yourself: into a pool, onto the floor, onto the couch. It is the chunk for jumping in or flopping down.
- Me tiré a la piscina. — I jumped into the pool.
- Se tiró al suelo de la risa. — He fell on the floor laughing.
- Me tiré en el sofá toda la tarde. — I flopped on the couch all afternoon.
Chunk to learn:
Tirarse a + [la piscina / el suelo] / Tirarse en + [el sofá]
Warning: never use tirarse a with a person. In Spain and much of Latin America it is vulgar slang. Keep it to places and objects.
Pattern 6: Tirar para adelante — "To keep going"
Use it for pushing through hard times without giving up. It is the natural follow-up to no tires la toalla. For more on seguir, see [Seguir] Chunks.
- Hay que tirar para adelante. — We have to keep going.
- Después del susto, tiramos para adelante con el negocio. — After the scare, we carried on with the business.
- Tira para adelante con tu proyecto. — Keep going with your project.
Chunk to learn:
Tirar para adelante / Hay que tirar para adelante
Tirar vs. Lanzar vs. Echar
Tirar is the everyday verb for throwing and throwing away. Lanzar is more formal or sporty: a javelin, a rocket, a product. Echar overlaps in some chunks; see [Echar] Chunks. When in doubt, tirar is the safe choice.
Start with no tires la toalla and vamos tirando. You will hear both the first time you ask a Spanish speaker how things are going.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.