Cómo sobrevivir a un accidente aéreo en los Andes

What does “abrocharse el cinturón” mean in Spanish?

Abrocharse el cinturón is “to fasten your seatbelt,” the phrase in every Spanish-language safety briefing. Hiding inside the verb is broche, a clasp or brooch: abrochar is to close with a clasp, and the reflexive se makes it something you do to yourself — abróchate el cinturón. The undo verb is desabrocharse, and shirts get abrochados too: buttoned up.

The clip uses it as the ominous pivot — “Por favor, abróchense los cinturones” — before walking through how you’d survive a crash in the Andes, inspired by the real 1972 Uruguayan Air Force flight, where 16 of 45 aboard survived and two hiked ten days for help. In casual speech, ponerse el cinturón does the same job with less hardware.