ah-SEHR la BEES-tah GOR-dah
Literally, this means 'to make the sight fat'.
In practice, it means to 'turn a blind eye' to something you know is happening.
El policía vio que el coche estaba mal aparcado, pero decidió hacer la vista gorda.
B2The police officer saw the car was badly parked, but decided to turn a blind eye.
Sé que mi hijo come galletas antes de cenar, pero a veces hago la vista gorda.
B2I know my son eats cookies before dinner, but sometimes I look the other way.
La empresa hacía la vista gorda con las pequeñas infracciones de seguridad para ahorrar dinero.
C1The company turned a blind eye to minor safety infractions to save money.
One popular story says this phrase comes from old customs officials. To let goods pass without inspection, often in exchange for a bribe, an official would pretend their vision was 'gorda'—fat, thick, or swollen—and therefore couldn't see the details of the cargo. They would 'make their sight fat' to ignore what was right in front of them.
This idiom is perfect for situations where someone knows about a problem or a broken rule but chooses to ignore it. It's not about accidentally missing something; it's about deliberately not intervening.
You can use 'hacer la vista gorda' for minor things (like a parent ignoring a messy room) or for very serious situations (like a government ignoring corruption). The context tells you how serious it is.
Mistake: “Using it to say you genuinely did not see something. For example, 'Perdón, no vi el semáforo en rojo, hice la vista gorda.' (Sorry, I didn't see the red light, I turned a blind eye.)”
Correction: This is incorrect because the phrase implies you *did* see it and chose to ignore it. If you genuinely didn't see it, you would simply say, 'No vi el semáforo en rojo' (I didn't see the red light).
Want to understand the grammar behind this idiom? Explore these lessons for a deep dive:
The idiom is fixed using the feminine noun 'la vista' (sight) and the feminine adjective 'gorda' (fat), showing that adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe.
The examples use both past tenses: 'decidió' (Preterite) shows a single, completed choice, while 'hacía' (Imperfect) describes a habitual or ongoing action in the past.
Extremely common and universally understood.
Very common and widely understood in almost all countries, from Mexico to Argentina.
Question 1 of 1
Your friend is on a diet but eats a small piece of chocolate. If you 'haces la vista gorda,' what do you do?
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It can be, but not always. Its connotation depends entirely on the context. Ignoring a friend cheating on a diet is harmless. A company ignoring safety violations is very negative. The phrase itself is neutral; the situation gives it a positive or negative flavor.
