Have you ever felt out of place? If you want to express that feeling in Spanish you can use the phrase “fuera de lugar.” But that phrase sound a bit formal and serious. Here are two ways you can translate “like a fish out of water” maintaining the English phrase in Spanish.
1. Como sapo de otro pozo
This phrase literally translates to “like a toad from another well.” Here is an example from the book Speaking Argento which this illustration was created for:
Estaba mal vestida y no conocía a nadie, me sentía como sapo de otro pozo.
2. Como cucaracha en baile de gallinas
This is another common idiom in Latin America and literally translates to “like a cockroach in a chicken dance.” You can also use this saying to express that you or someone else is lost and doesn’t know what to do. Here is an example from Twitter:
Alvaro Martin : " Zach Randolph en el perimetro estaba como cucaracha en baile de gallinas , no sabia que hacer" ….. #SosUnGroso
— Lauti Gutierrez#9 (@Lautigutierrez9) May 28, 2013
Do you know other equivalents in Spanish for the idiom “like a fish out of water”? How about even submitting a drawing for us to publish that represents your phrase?
Check out these other English Spanish articles.