poner los ojos en blanco
/poneɾ los oxos en blanko/from spelling rules
The phrase for rolling eyes in Spanish is poner los ojos en blanco.
This phrase is used to describe the physical action of rolling one's eyes to express annoyance, disbelief or exasperation.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression literally translates to 'to put the eyes in white', referring to the appearance of the sclera (the white part of the eye) when the eyes roll upward.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express that someone rolled their eyes in the past, change the verb poner to its conjugated forms, such as puso (preterite) or ponía (imperfect).
Did you know?
- While poner los ojos en blanco describes the gesture of annoyance, the same phrase can be used literally to describe someone fainting or losing consciousness.
- The word blanco in this phrase shares an ancient root with the English word 'blank', as both stem from a Proto-Germanic word meaning 'to shine' or 'bright'.
Examples in context
- No puedes poner los ojos en blanco así.You can't roll your eyes like that.
- Ella suele poner los ojos en blanco cuando me escucha.She tends to roll her eyes when she hears me.
- Él empezó a poner los ojos en blanco ante la broma.He started rolling his eyes at the joke.
Example conversation
Sofía is annoyed by Alejandro's repetitive jokes.
- Alejandro¡Ese chiste siempre es muy divertido!That joke is always very funny!
- SofíaNo puedo evitar poner los ojos en blanco, Alejandro.I can't help rolling my eyes, Alejandro.
- Alejandro¿Tan mala es mi broma?Is my joke that bad?
- SofíaSí, es muy mala.Yes, it is very bad.
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.
