Viento en popa

[Josh]

viento en popa - what does it mean?

[poli]

Popa means stern, as in the nautical term for the back of the boat.
So wind at your back is probably what it means. Moving along will is another way of saying it.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

It means "very well", "fantastically", "without any trouble"...

It comes from maritime expressions: the most favourable wind for sailboats blows from the back ("popa") of the ship into the sails. :)


Oh, Poli beat me to answer, but one more reply won't harm. ;)

[Josh]

Is it a commonly used phrase? It came from Fox sports, i.e. "Mark Sánchez, viento en popa"

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

The expression is well understood and it can be used in daily speech.

Btw, sports commentators tend to have an artificial Spanish by mixing very colloquial expressions with educated formulas. It's not always easy to understand them. :)

[Elaina]

Is it a commonly used phrase? It came from Fox sports, i.e. "Mark Sánchez, viento en popa"


I guess you can compare it to "smooth sailing from now on"

[Josh]

Btw, sports commentators tend to have an artificial Spanish by mixing very colloquial expressions with educated formulas. It's not always easy to understand them. :)

Hmmm.... then perhaps using ESPN Desportes and Fox Sports en Español to learn spanish may not be my best strategy.