How do you say “Hit the books” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is empollar, which literally means “to brood over eggs; here, to study hard”. English speakers use hit the books to mean to begin studying seriously. An informal study word, especially useful in Spain. “Estudiar” is a safer neutral choice across regions. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
empollar
/empoˈʝaɾ/
- Literal meaning
- “to brood over eggs; here, to study hard”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Tengo que empollar” suggests time spent working through study material. It can sound closer to cramming than the English phrase does.
For a wider audience, “tengo que estudiar” gives the essential meaning. The examples use the informal verb for an exam-focused situation.
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
I can't come to the cinema; I need to hit the books tonight.
Spanish
No puedo ir al cine; tengo que empollar esta noche.
English
She hit the books every evening before her final exam.
Spanish
Empollaba todas las noches antes de su examen final.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04