hacer novillos
/aθeɾ nobiʝos/from spelling rules
In Spanish, ditching school is expressed as hacer novillos.
The phrase is used to describe the act of staying away from school without permission from parents or teachers. While you might hear Faltar a clase used informally to mean skipping class, hacer novillos is a specific idiomatic way to describe the act of ditching.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to to make young bulls.
Is it said differently in some regions?
hacer novillos is a common idiom used specifically in Spain.
How does it change in a sentence?
This is an impersonal idiom that does not change based on the object. You do not need to add a specific word for 'school' to the phrase. It is used with the verb hacer (to do/make) and is not a reflexive verb.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθeɾ nobiʝos/
Did you know?
- While hacer novillos is the idiom in Spain, students in Argentina might use hacerse la rata, which literally means 'to make oneself a rat'.
- The word novillos refers to young bulls that are not yet old enough for the bullring. This imagery suggests a state of youth and lack of discipline associated with students skipping class.
- The verb hacer is derived from the Latin facere, which is a distant relative of the English word 'fact' via the idea of something that has been 'made' or established.
Examples in context
- No quiero hacer novillos hoy.I don't want to ditch school today.
- Juan fue a hacer novillos con sus amigos.Juan went ditching school with his friends.
- ¿Por qué decidieron hacer novillos?Why did they decide to ditch school?
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hacer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
