5 Ways To Say It Is What It Is In Spanish | Discover Discomfort

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When we say “it is what it is”, it means that nothing can really be done in a frustrating situation: we simply have to make do with what we have! No doubt you’ve had to use this expression in many situations. These types of challenging moments happen just as often for Spanish speakers, so we have an equivalent expression we use in Spanish. The expression we use to mean “It is what it is” in Spanish is Es lo que es.

However there are many other variations of this expression and certain expressions may be more appropriate than others, depending on the context. Let’s take a look at all the ways to say it is what it is in Spanish.

It is What it is in Spanish at a Glance

Spanish	English
Es lo que es	It is what it is
Es lo que hay	It is what it is (more natural)
Es así	That’s the way it is.
Las cosas son así	That’s the way it is.
¡Qué remedio!	What else can you do?

All the Ways to Say It is what it is in Spanish

Es lo que es

Es lo que es is the literal translation of “it is what it is”. The meaning of Es lo que es is identical to that of English. It can be used in the same contexts as “it is what it is” is used in English.

Spanish

1. El departamento es un poco pequeño, pero es lo que es.
2. Me encantaría que mi televisor fuera más moderno, pero es lo que es.

English

1. The apartment is a bit small, but it is what it is.
2. I would love my TV to be more modern, but it is what it is.

Read next: 3 Ways to Say What in Spanish

Es lo que hay

Es lo que hay is a bit more conversational and sounds more natural than es lo que es. In this case, the verb used is hay is taken from the verb haber (“to have”).

Spanish

1. Quisiera demorar menos tiempo en el tráfico de camino al trabajo, pero es lo que hay.
2. He reprobado el examen, pero es lo que hay.

English

1. I wish I could spend less time in traffic on the way to work, but it is what it is.
2. I failed the exam, but it is what it is.

Es así and las cosas son así

A shorter, simpler way to say “It is what it is” in Spanish is es así . There’s no more decisive expression than es así in Spanish. It sounds like you really have been analyzed all the alternatives of a problem, and the conclusion is “this is the way it is!” Es así is the literal translation of “it is like this” or “it is so”. Next, let’s see an example:

Spanish

La sequía es producto de la deforestación. ¡Es así!

English

Drought is a product of deforestation. It is so!

There is two more variants for es así that you can also use: las cosas son así and así son las cosas:

Spanish

A mí tampoco me gusta viajar en avión, pero así son las cosas.

English

I don’t like traveling by plane either, but that’s the way it is.

¡Qué remedio!

Finally, we bring you a very typical expression of several Spanish-speaking countries, especially Spain: ¡Qué remedio! It means something like “What else can/could I do?”, and it’s used when you’re resigned about a situation:

Spanish

Me tengo que levantar muy temprano mañana. ¡Qué remedio!

English

I have to get up very early tomorrow, but what else can I do?

Conclusion

Es así, las cosas son así, así son las cosas and even ¡Qué remedio! There certainly are a lot of ways to say “it is what it is” in Spanish. We encourage you to gradually incorporate them into your conversations in Spanish, and you’ll soon see how super fluent you sound. After all, qué remedio: Spanish is a great language!

Share this: Sofía Poggi

Sofía is a writer and copy editor from Argentina. She studied Art History in college, has a master's degree in Journalism and is currently working on her PhD on Literature and Cultural Critique.

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Our goal is to bring you closer to places and people that would otherwise seem foreign by providing guides to studying languages, understanding culture, and living in unfamiliar places.

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