/kɾuˈθaɾ los ˈdedos/ lit. ‘cross the fingers’
Spanish idiom, everyday. To hope that things turn out well.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Cruzar los dedos
?
Everyday and neutral. People say it when they’re hoping for something, often while actually doing the gesture: “cruzo los dedos” (I’m crossing my fingers), “cruzaré los dedos por ti” (I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you). “Mantener los dedos cruzados” matches English “keep your fingers crossed”.
Also said mantener los dedos cruzados
Cruzar los dedos
in real sentences
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Cruzaré los dedos por usted.
I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Tatoeba, sentence by marcelostockle, translation by Sanaseppo, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Mantengamos los dedos cruzados.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Tatoeba, sentence by hayastan, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Cruzar los dedos
come from?
The phrase just describes the gesture, which is shared across Europe. Wikipedia’s article on crossed fingers links it to the Christian sign of the cross as a way to ward off harm, citing popular books rather than historical records. Nobody we found has dated the Spanish phrase.
Mistakes learners make with Cruzar los dedos
Adding a possessive: “cruzar mis dedos”. Spanish uses the article with body parts, so it’s “cruzar los dedos”.
Spot a mistake in Cruzar los dedos
?
Send a correction, or a sentence you’d actually say with it. Everything is read before anything on this page changes.