Idioms add color to everyday conversations and today we are going to learn four Spanish idioms with oídos (inner ears). First, it is important to remember the difference between the words oído and oreja. They both relate to the ear, but the noun oído refers specifically to the sense of hearing or to the inner ear. However, oreja refers to the external, visible part of the ear. It represents the physical organ that captures sound waves and transmits them to the inner ear.

In this article, you will learn what the following Spanish idioms with oídos mean and how to use them. Let’s start!

Spanish Idioms with Oídos

Spanish idioms with oídos give us a fascinating look into how the language shows the importance of listening and being open to new ideas. These expressions will definitely help you improve your communication in Spanish. Get ready to discover these Spanish idioms with oídos and do not hesitate to incorporate them into your daily communication.

Hacer oídos sordos (to turn a deaf ear)

El abuelo aconseja a María no salir por la noche. Ella hace oídos sordos y sale todos los fines de semana.

Grandpa advises María not to go out at night. She turns a deaf ear and goes out every weekend.

El profesor hace oídos sordos a nuestras quejas y pone música durante los exámenes.

The teacher turns a deaf ear to our complaints, and he plays music during exams.

Pitar los oídos (one’s ears burning)

Pitar los oídos should be used with indirect object pronouns to express whose ears are burning. In Mexico, they use another verb in this expression. There they say zumbar los oídos.

Alguien habla mal de mí. Me pitan los oídos desde hace tres días. (ES)

Alguien habla mal de mí. Me zumban los oídos desde hace tres días. (MX)

Somebody is speaking badly of me. My ears have been burning for three days.

¿Te pitan los oídos? Si es solo tu oído derecho, hablan bien de ti. Si es el izquierdo, hablan mal. (ES)

¿Te zumban los oídos? Si es solo tu oído derecho, hablan bien de ti. Si es el izquierdo, hablan mal. (MX)

Are your ears burning? If it is only your right ear, someone is speaking well of you. If it is your left one, they are speaking badly

Tener buen oído (to have a good ear)

Nunca estudió música, pero toca muy bien la guitarra. Tiene buen oído para tocar canciones populares.

He never studied music but he plays the guitar very well. He has a good ear for playing popular songs.

Tiene buen oído. Sabe quién es el autor de cualquier canción en los tres primeros segundos.

He has a good ear. He knows who the author of any song is within the first three seconds.

Ser todo oídos (to be all ears)

¿Hay muchas ofertas en esa tienda? Soy todo oídos. Me gustaría comprar varios muebles para el jardín.

Are there a lot of discounts in that store? I’m all ears. I would like to buy several pieces of furniture for the garden.

El profesor de matemáticas explicó varios ejercicios del examen y los alumnos fueron todo oídos.

The math teacher explained several exercises from the test and the students were all ears.

Exercises

In our blog, you can learn several Spanish idioms. For example, you can find more idioms with other body parts (cabeza, cara, ojos, pelo…). Now let’s do some exercises to practice the Spanish idioms with oídos we have covered in this article.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

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Idioms and Phrases