First of all:
This is the English version of the transcript of one of our "Trocitos de Real Spanish". Un trocito is a little bit of something (usually something to eat). This Trocito is a preview of our online Spanish course “Español con noticias y documentales 2: La historia de tres regiones bilingües de España”. The additional learning materials referred to in the video are available in the complete course. You’ll find a link to this and all our courses below.
If you want to push yourself, try reading the Spanish version of this blogpost and video transcript first (just click on “español” in the menu above) — then come back here to check anything you're not sure about.
Hello! I’m Elizabeth, from Real Spanish, and a dedicated student of Spanish.
I love learning new expressions in Spanish. As you know, most of them can’t be translated literally because they are based on the culture and history of the Spanish-speaking world. Some are local to a particular country or region. Some are so interesting that they deserve a video all to themselves!
If you’ve spent any time with Spanish speakers, you’ve probably heard someone suddenly lower their voice and mutter ¡Moros en la costa! — maybe when the boss walks in, or when a sibling appears at an inconvenient moment. But where does this expression come from, and what do Moors have to do with it?
The story takes us back to medieval Spain, a network of coastal watchtowers (torres vigía), and a very real danger that kept entire villages on permanent alert for centuries.
The video below explains the origin of ¡Moros en la costa!, one of the most colourful idioms in everyday Spanish, which can be traced back to its historical roots: the constant raids by North African Muslims along the Mediterranean coast, and the very real danger that kept coastal villages on permanent alert. It also touches on a related expression, prometer el oro y el moro, and looks honestly at why both expressions carry some cultural baggage worth knowing about.
Wishing you all the best for your adventures in Spanish,
Elizabeth from Real Spanish
Click on the image to view the video
Download the transcript
Interesting!
That’s the magic of expressions like this one — they’re living fossils of the culture that created them. Every time a Spanish speaker whispers ¡Moros en la costa! across a dinner table, they’re unknowingly echoing the voice of a medieval lookout scanning the horizon for sails.
If you enjoyed this video, you'll like a related video featuring the expression “Como Pedro por su casa”, another popular Spanish saying based on historical events.
You might also be interested in the complete course “Español con noticias y documentales 2: Tres regiones bilingües de España”. Visit us to learn more and try some free sample lessons.
If you like learning expressions like this, check out our YouTube playlists.
Ready for something more demanding? Take a look at our online Spanish courses.
Real Spanish: online Spanish video lessons for intermediate and advanced learners who love the language and want to use it with confidence.