Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| andar con rodeos | /andaɾ kon ɾodeos/ (from spelling rules) | |
| andar con evasivas | /andaɾ kon ebasibas/ (from spelling rules) | |
| dar largas | /daɾ laɾɡas/ (from spelling rules) | |
| lentearse | /lenteaɾse/ (from spelling rules) | Nicaragua |
If you are referring to a physical stall, such as a booth for selling goods, you would use nouns like puesto, anaquel or mostrador. If you are referring to a stall for an animal, you would use compartimento, compartimiento or casilla. For a sales stall, El puesto de venta is a formal way to express this, while El puesto ambulante refers to a mobile stall like a food cart.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase andar con rodeos literally means 'to walk with detours' or 'to go around in circles'.
Which one should you use?
There are subtle differences between the forms. Andar con rodeos is used when someone is being indirect or avoiding the main point, similar to the English idiom 'to beat around the bush'. In contrast, dar largas focuses on the act of delaying a decision or a response to avoid a commitment. If the person is specifically providing vague or non-committal answers to avoid a direct question, use andar con evasivas.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Nicaragua, the word lentearse is used to describe stalling or slowing down.
Related words
Did you know?
- While andar con rodeos means 'to stall', the word rodeos is also the Spanish term for the events and activities associated with cattle herding that inspired the English word 'rodeo'.
- The verb andar in andar con rodeos has a strange grammatical history because its past tense likely evolved from the verb haber, which means 'to have'.
- Because rodeos refers to the act of rounding up cattle, using andar con rodeos evokes an image of circling livestock rather than just taking a detour.
Examples in context
- Me gusta comprar frutas frescas en el puesto.I like to buy fresh fruits at the stall.
- El puesto de venta de ropa está en la esquina.The clothing sales stall is on the corner.
- Pedro montó un puesto ambulante de tacos cerca del parque.Pedro set up a mobile stall selling tacos near the park.
- Me encanta comprar artesanías en el puesto del mercado de antigüedades.I love buying crafts at the antique market stall.
- El año pasado trabajé en un puesto de comida rápida en la feria del pueblo.Last year I worked at a fast food stall at the town fair.
- Deja de andar con rodeos y toma una decisión.Stop stalling and make a decision.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “stall” translations and entries dar largas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries andar, con, dar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
