A partir un piñón
To split a pine nut.
to get on like a house on fire; **to get on like a house on fire**; **to get along famously**; **to be very close**; **to be inseparable**; **to be thick as thieves**; **to see eye to eye**; **to be joined at the hip**
A partir un piñón means to get along extremely well, to be very close, or to be inseparable.
Desde que se conocieron, parten un piñón.
They've got on extremely well since they met.
Mi hermana y su compañera de trabajo parten un piñón.
My sister and her colleague get on famously.
Los dos políticos parecen partir un piñón.
The two politicians seem to be getting along extremely well.
Aunque son muy diferentes, parten un piñón.
Although they're very different, they get on like a house on fire.
Mis hijos parten un piñón cuando están juntos.
My children are inseparable when they're together.
It is usually used about two people who have a very good relationship, often because they share the same opinions, interests or way of doing things.
A common construction is:
Partir un piñón con alguien.
→ To get on extremely well with someone / to be very close to someone.
- are very close friends
- have an excellent relationship
- agree about almost everything
- work together exceptionally well
- are very affectionate towards each other
- seem inseparable
The expression is traditionally explained through the image of sharing a pine nut.
Pine nuts are small, and partir un piñón literally means breaking one apart. Figuratively, sharing such a tiny thing suggests an extremely close relationship and complete harmony.
The expression has long been associated with intimacy, friendship and good relations.
The expression is often used with con:
Partir un piñón con alguien.
For example:
Parten un piñón.
→ They get on extremely well.
Parten un piñón con el jefe.
→ They get on extremely well with the boss.
It can also be used ironically, especially when two people are behaving as though they are very close:
Mira estos dos, cómo parten un piñón.
→ Look at those two, getting on like a house on fire.
The expression is closely related in meaning to:
Hacer buenas migas.
Both describe people who get along very well.
But partir un piñón tends to emphasise closeness and harmony, whereas hacer buenas migas can simply mean that two people hit it off or get along well.
The tiny pine nut makes partir un piñón particularly evocative: if two people can happily share something so small, they must be very close indeed.
Do not translate the idiom literally as:
They split a pine nut.
That would normally be understood literally in English.
The natural translation is based on the relationship:
They get on really well.
They're very close.
They're inseparable.
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