How do you say “Get down to brass tacks” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is ir al grano, which literally means “to go to the grain”. English speakers use get down to brass tacks to mean to focus on the practical details that matter. A familiar match for getting to the point. It is broader than discussing practical essentials, so keep those details in the sentence. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
ir al grano
/iɾ al ˈɣɾano/
- Literal meaning
- “to go to the grain”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
89 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Vamos al grano” is a direct way to move things along. It can sound friendly in a shared planning session or impatient during a long explanation.
The English phrase often starts a detailed discussion of essentials. Spanish “ir al grano” can instead ask for a short answer.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
Let's get down to brass tacks: how much can we spend on the trip?
Spanish
Vamos al grano: ¿cuánto podemos gastar en el viaje?
English
After sharing ideas, we got down to brass tacks and chose the dates.
Spanish
Después de compartir ideas, fuimos al grano y elegimos las fechas.
Related expressions
- What “Get down to brass tacks” means in English
- Cut to the chase, Get directly to the main point.
Last updated 2026-11-04