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I just recently heard this phrase for the first time in a song. I understand that it’s basically saying “the things of life” when translated literally, but I was wondering what the actual intent of this phrase is.
From the direct translation, I assume that it’s similar to English phrases like “Such is life”, or “That’s the way she goes.”
Is this assumption correct?
It is commonly used as an expression for the things you can't change in life or moments in life that you go through, either good or bad. "Así es la vida" is another option which translates to "That's how life is".
Your assumption is correct, is a way of saying “Such is life” and it is used when something bad has happened to say that someone must accept things the way they are.
You can hear some other "siblings" of this expression, like
Son cosas que pasan
Así es la vida
Es lo que hay
or even
Son gajes del oficio (occupational hazards, like, there are certain bad things that you'll have to deal with)
All these are similar to "shit happens" or "dealt with it", not in the sense that they try to be harsh or mean, but just to convey that that's the way the cookie crumbles.
