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I'm looking for a suitable English translation of the Spanish expression "por la cara".

In Spanish, unless you go very deep into the details, for various context that are very specific, generally, "por la cara" can have two relevant meanings (I think); those are the following:

  1. There is no specific reason for something to happen, it just happens - e.g. You get out of your home and see an elephant in the street. In Spanish, you would say that the elephant is in the street "por la cara", meaning "out of the blue".

  2. There is no reason for you to get something, but you still get it - e.g. Your brother came back home from shopping and got you an ice-cream without you asking for it. In Spanish, you would say he got you the ice-cream "por la cara", meaning "just because".

I'm very interested in this second meaning and what would be the best translation to English.

Even though I used "just because" which I think can be a very good option for the translation of "por la cara", I've seen other options such as "because reasons" or "for the hell of it". However, I'm not completely sure that this latter has the right meaning.

Therefore, for meaning number 2, I was wondering what translation would be best:

  • just because
  • because reasons
  • for the hell of it.

Thanks.

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  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – tchrist ♦
    May 9, 2021 at 3:40
  • I’m not sure translation is on topic here. Your question in my opinion contains an on-topic question in describing a situation and asking for a suitable word, although you should make it clear that you are offering suggestions, not choices. None of them work for me in this context.
    – David
    May 16, 2021 at 13:10
  • expressions are used on contexts. Your provide none. So, it's really a fool's errand.
    – Lambie
    May 16, 2021 at 14:30
  • 1
    '[Well,] why not?' is a general response to such an open-ended question. For your other question, the well-known English expression 'Que sera, sera' is often used. Or the hyper-literal (and hence now considered faintly amusing) 'Now there's something you don't see very often'.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    May 16, 2021 at 15:55

1 Answer 1

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In the specific context of an explanation for an unanticipated small treat of the type described, the following might work in English.

“I bought it on impulse”

or using simpler language;

“I bought it just because I felt like it”

Don’t try to translate by word or phrase replacement.

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