/en el ˈkinto ˈpino/ lit. ‘at the fifth pine’
Spanish idiom, colloquial. A very remote place, far from towns and people.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use En el quinto pino
?
Colloquial and mostly used in Spain. People say it about anywhere that’s a pain to get to: “vive en el quinto pino” (she lives miles away). It often comes with a complaint about the trip, as in “está en el quinto pino” (it’s at the back of beyond).
En el quinto pino
in real sentences
-
Vive en el quinto pino.
She lives in the back of beyond.
Tatoeba, sentence by Ankio, translation by enteka, CC BY 2.0 FR
-
Tom está pensando en mudarse a una cabaña en el quinto pino.
Tom is thinking of moving to a cabin out in the middle of nowhere.
Tatoeba, sentence by manufrutos, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does En el quinto pino
come from?
Spanish Wiktionary tells a story about five leafy pines between Recoletos and Alcalá streets in Madrid in the early 20th century, where couples went to the fifth, most out-of-the-way tree to kiss in private. The same entry flags that story as needing a citation, so it’s a popular explanation, not an established one.
Mistakes learners make with En el quinto pino
Changing the number. It’s always the fifth pine, never “el cuarto pino” or “el sexto pino”.
Other Spanish idioms like En el quinto pino
Spot a mistake in En el quinto pino
?
Send a correction, or a sentence you’d actually say with it. Everything is read before anything on this page changes.