How do you say “Long story short” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is En pocas palabras, which literally means “In few words”. English speakers use long story short to mean this expression is used to skip extra details and explain only the main point or final result. A familiar way to introduce a short summary. It works in conversation and writing, without needing a literal long story. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
En pocas palabras
/en ˈpokas paˈlabɾas/
- Literal meaning
- “In few words”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English pictures shortening a story. Spanish promises to use only a few words.
The Spanish is a little more neutral and works outside storytelling too. Both let you skip details and move to the main point.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Para resumir
Literally: “To summarise”
Neutral and direct; useful when closing a longer explanation.
Total, que…
Literally: “Total, that…”
Conversational, especially in Spain; leads into the outcome of a story.
Common translation traps
Historia larga corta
This word-for-word sequence is not a Spanish way to introduce a summary.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
Long story short, we missed the train.
Spanish
En pocas palabras, perdimos el tren.
English
Long story short, she got the job.
Spanish
En pocas palabras, consiguió el trabajo.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13