poner los ojos en blanco
/poneɾ los oxos en blanko/from spelling rules
To say "roll his eyes" in Spanish, use poner los ojos en blanco.
This phrase is used to express annoyance, disbelief or impatience, functioning just like the English equivalent.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "to put the eyes in white."
How does it change in a sentence?
While poner los ojos en blanco is a common way to say this, using the reflexive form ponerse los ojos en blanco is also a standard way to express the same action. Additionally, note that the verb poner is irregular in the preterite tense. For example, if you want to say "he/she rolled his/her eyes," you would use puso los ojos en blanco.
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking cultures, rolling the eyes can be seen as significantly more aggressive or disrespectful toward elders than it is in English-speaking cultures.
- The word blanco shares an ancient root with the English word 'blank', both stemming from a Proto-Germanic word meaning 'shining' or 'bright'.
Examples in context
- Él suele poner los ojos en blanco cuando se queja.He tends to roll his eyes when he complains.
- No es bueno poner los ojos en blanco ante el jefe.It is not good to roll one's eyes in front of the boss.
- Él va a poner los ojos en blanco si lo interrumpes.He is going to roll his eyes if you interrupt him.
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are talking about a difficult coworker.
- Javier¿Viste cómo reaccionó él a la noticia?Did you see how he reacted to the news?
- LucíaSí, parece que va a poner los ojos en blanco.Yes, it looks like he is going to roll his eyes.
- JavierÉl siempre hace eso cuando está aburrido.He always does that when he is bored.
- LucíaEs muy evidente cuando él pone los ojos en blanco.It is very obvious when he rolls his eyes.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries blanco, en, los, poner, CC BY-SA 4.0.
