How do you say “On the spur of the moment” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is por impulso, which literally means “on impulse”. English speakers use on the spur of the moment to mean without planning ahead, following a sudden impulse. A natural Spanish match for a sudden decision. It emphasises the impulse rather than simply something happening unexpectedly. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
por impulso
/poɾ imˈpulso/
- Literal meaning
- “on impulse”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
94 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Lo hice por impulso” means I did it on impulse. It can introduce a happy surprise or an admission that you acted too quickly.
“De repente” means suddenly and is broader. It can describe a storm or a noise, where no one made a decision.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
We booked the last two seats on the spur of the moment.
Spanish
Reservamos las dos últimas plazas por impulso.
English
On the spur of the moment, I invited the neighbours to dinner.
Spanish
Por impulso, invité a los vecinos a cenar.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04