poner los ojos en blanco
/poneɾ los oxos en blanko/from spelling rules
In Spanish, 'rolling your eyes' is expressed as poner los ojos en blanco.
The phrase poner los ojos en blanco is used to describe the physical gesture of rolling one's eyes. It is typically used to convey feelings of disbelief, annoyance or impatience.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase translates to 'to put the eyes in white', which refers to the appearance of the sclera (the white part of the eye) when the eyes are rolled upward.
How does it change in a sentence?
To describe the continuous action of rolling one's eyes, use the gerund form poniendo los ojos en blanco. If you want to describe a completed action in the past, such as 'he/she rolled his/her eyes', you would use the conjugated past tense form puso los ojos en blanco.
Did you know?
- While poner los ojos en blanco describes the gesture of annoyance, using the same phrase in a medical context can indicate a symptom of fainting or a seizure.
- The word blanco in this phrase is a cognate of the English word 'blank', as both originate from a root meaning 'shining' or 'bright'.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, you might hear girar los ojos instead of the more common phrase involving 'white'.
Examples in context
- Después de escuchar la broma, todos pusieron los ojos en blanco y se echaron a reír.After hearing the joke, everyone rolled their eyes and burst into laughter.
- Ella suele poner los ojos en blanco cuando está aburrida.She tends to roll her eyes when she is bored.
- ¡Deja de poner los ojos en blanco!Stop rolling your eyes!
Example conversation
Mateo and María are discussing a chore.
- MateoTienes que limpiar tu cuarto ahora mismo.You have to clean your room right now.
- MaríaNo puedo creer que me digas eso.I can't believe you're telling me that.
- MateoNo empieces a poner los ojos en blanco, María.Don't start rolling your eyes, María.
- MaríaEstá bien, lo haré en un momento.Fine, I'll do it in a moment.
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.
