What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'clean yourself the ears' because Spanish uses definite articles instead of possessive adjectives when referring to body parts.
Which one should you use?
When referring to the act of cleaning the ear canal, it is more common to use oídos (referring to the inner ear or hearing organ) than orejas (which refers to the outer ear or pinna).
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase límpiate los oídos uses the informal imperative form of the reflexive verb limpiarse. The formal version, límpiese los oídos, is used when addressing someone as usted.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the possessive tus (your) instead of the definite article los (the) when referring to body parts. Instead of saying límpiate tus oídos, you should say límpiate los oídos.
Did you know?
- While límpiate los oídos is a literal instruction, saying abre los oídos (open your ears) is a common way to tell someone to start paying attention or to listen to a secret.
- In some Latin American regions, it is a common folk remedy to put warm olive oil in the oído before attempting to limpiarlo.
- The word oído is used not just for the organ but also to describe a musical 'ear', such as tener buen oído meaning 'to have a good ear' for music.
Examples in context
- Por favor, limpia tus oídos antes de salir.Please clean your ears before going out.
- Limpie sus oídos con cuidado utilizando el producto recomendado.Clean your ears carefully using the recommended product.
- Debes limpiar tus oídos regularmente para mantener una buena higiene.You should clean your ears regularly to maintain good hygiene.
- Límpiate los oídos con cuidado.Clean your ears carefully.
- Si te sientes tapado, límpiate los oídos.If you feel clogged, clean your ears.
Example conversation
Elena is talking to Alejandro about his hearing.
- Elena¿Por qué me hablas tan fuerte, Alejandro?Why are you speaking so loudly to me, Alejandro?
- AlejandroEs que no escucho bien lo que dices.It's just that I can't hear what you're saying very well.
- ElenaLímpiate los oídos y verás que mejoras.Clean your ears and you'll see that you improve.
- AlejandroTienes razón, lo haré ahora mismo.You're right, I'll do it right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
