tomar a pecho: meaning & examples

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Language: Spanish

Meanings:

  • 1.

    SpainLatin Americaneutral
    • To hold or place something close to the chest; to take against the chest (literal physical meaning).

    Examples

    Beta

    • María tomó el libro a pecho para protegerlo de la lluvia durante el paseo.

      María held the book close to her chest to protect it from the rain during the walk.

    • Por favor, toma la caja a pecho para que no se caiga mientras la llevamos al coche.

      Please carry the box close to your chest so it doesn't fall while we take it to the car.

    • El bebé tomó el peluche a pecho y se quedó dormido en seguida.

      The baby held the stuffed animal close to his chest and fell asleep immediately.

    • Cuando Juan estaba resfriado, tomó el pañuelo a pecho para no contagiar a nadie más.

      When Juan had a cold, he held the handkerchief close to his chest to avoid infecting anyone else.

  • 2.

    SpainLatin Americaneutralinformal
    • To take something to heart; to be deeply affected, hurt, or offended by something and to treat it personally.

    Examples

    Beta

    • No deberías tomar a pecho los comentarios negativos; no reflejan quién eres realmente.

      You shouldn't take negative comments to heart; they don't reflect who you really are.

    • Cuando escuchó las críticas sobre su trabajo, Isabel las tomó a pecho y se esforzó aún más.

      When she heard the criticisms about her work, Isabel took them to heart and worked even harder.

    • No tomes a pecho lo que dijo Carlos, él suele exagerar para llamar la atención.

      Don't take to heart what Carlos said, he usually exaggerates to get attention.

  • 3.

    SpainLatin Americaneutralformal
    • To take a matter seriously or to assume personal responsibility for addressing an issue.

    Examples

    Beta

    • Después de la reunión, Pedro tomó a pecho la responsabilidad de mejorar la comunicación en el equipo.

      After the meeting, Pedro took the responsibility to heart to improve communication in the team.

    • Si todos tomamos a pecho los problemas de la comunidad, podremos encontrar soluciones efectivas.

      If we all take the community's problems seriously, we can find effective solutions.

    • La directora tomó a pecho las quejas de los padres y empezó a organizar talleres para resolverlas.

      The principal took the parents' complaints seriously and began organizing workshops to address them.

Examples:

  • ES: No debe tomar a pecho nada de lo que dije.
    EN: You mustn't take anything I said to heart.
  • ES: Tú te Io vas a tomar a pecho si gana ella.
    EN: You're gonna take it personally if she wins.
  • ES: No necesitas tomar a pecho los insultos y comentarios hirientes de otros.
    EN: You do not need to take other's insults and hurtful comments to heart.
  • ES: No me lo voy a tomar a pecho. Quiero ir a la final contigo y quiero ir con Trish.
    EN: WANT TO GO WITH TRISH.

Related Idioms

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Sourced from Wiktionary

Source: Wiktionary

tomar a pecho: Meaning, Examples & Usage (Spanish) | Idiomator