Stumbling towards fluency sometimes requires focusing on the little things in order to sound more fluent.

Being Understood

It’s a great feeling when we can make a point and be understood in another language. Those that continue improving often realize that there’s a more natural way to say something. This has happened to me many times.

de por vida

Recently I’ve been hearing the phrase “de por vida” a lot. It often translates to “for life” or “lifetime”.

Listening

I’ve probably partially understood it in context but not realized that “de” + “por” + “vida” has a specific meaning.

Speaking

It definitely hasn’t been part of my vocabulary when speaking. I imagine I’d said something like “para siempre” or “para toda la vida”. Below I’ve added some examples from the amazing site https://www.spanishdict.com/

Mi cliente recibe un millón al año de por vida {My client receives a million a year for life}

Las personas que han tenido paperas son inmunes de por vida {People who have had the mumps are immune for life}

Esto incluye al menos una visita anual de por vida {This includes at least one visit annually for life}

Si haces un gran trabajo, ganarás fanáticos de por vida {If you do a great job, you'll gain fans for life}

Now that I’ve taken the time to focus on this phrase, lookup some examples, and write this post I’m hopeful that one day I’ll be able to use it in a conversation when the opportunity arises 🙂