Hacer novillos

/ah-SEHR noh-BEE-yohs/

To skip school or, less commonly, work; to play hooky.

Level:B1Register:InformalCommon:★★★★☆

💡 Understanding the Idiom

Literal Translation:

"To make young bulls"

What It Really Means:

To skip school or, less commonly, work; to play hooky.

English Equivalents:

To play hookyTo skip classTo skive offTo ditch school

🎨 Literal vs. Figurative

💭 Literal

Literally, the phrase means 'to make young bulls'.

✨ Figurative

The actual meaning of 'hacer novillos', showing two students with backpacks having fun in a park instead of being at school.

But it really means to skip school and do something fun instead.

Key Words in This Idiom:

hacer

to do

→

novillos

📝 In Action

Cuando era joven, a veces hacía novillos para ir al cine con mis amigos.

When I was young, I would sometimes play hooky to go to the movies with my friends.

¡No hagas novillos mañana! Tenemos un examen muy importante.

Don't skip class tomorrow! We have a very important exam.

El jefe no está, así que decidimos hacer novillos por la tarde e ir a tomar algo.

The boss isn't here, so we decided to skive off in the afternoon and go for a drink.

📜 Origin Story

This phrase has a fascinating link to bullfighting! A 'novillo' is a young bull, and an apprentice bullfighter is called a 'novillero'. The story goes that these young apprentices would often skip their day jobs or studies to sneak off to the countryside and practice their skills with the young bulls. So, they were literally off 'making' or dealing with 'novillos' instead of being where they were supposed to be.

⭐ Usage Tips

Mainly for School

This is the classic expression for skipping school. While you can use it jokingly for skipping work or other duties, its primary home is in the world of students and classrooms.

A Bit Nostalgic

You'll often hear adults use 'hacer novillos' when reminiscing about their rebellious school days. It has a slightly mischievous and nostalgic feel to it.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Not for Serious Situations

Mistake: "Using 'hacer novillos' in a formal report about a student's chronic absenteeism."

Correction: 'Hacer novillos' is informal and lighthearted. For serious or official contexts, you would use more formal terms like 'absentismo escolar' (school absenteeism) or 'faltar a clase' (to be absent from class).

🌎 Where It's Used

🇪🇸

Spain

Extremely common and the default phrase for playing hooky.

🌎

Latin America

It might be understood, but it's not the most common expression. Many countries have their own popular slang, such as 'irse de pinta' (Mexico), 'hacer la rata' (Argentina/Uruguay), or 'hacer la cimarra' (Chile).

🔗 Related Idioms

↔️Similar Meanings

irse de pinta

To skip school (very common in Mexico).

hacer la rata

To play hooky (very common in Argentina).

⇆Opposite Meanings

quemarse las pestañas

To burn the midnight oil; to study very hard.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: Hacer novillos

Question 1 of 1

If a student in Spain says, 'Mañana voy a hacer novillos', what are they planning to do?

🏷️ Tags

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'hacer novillos' a rude expression?

Not at all. It's an informal, colloquial expression that's perfectly fine to use with friends, family, or colleagues in a casual setting. It often carries a playful or mischievous tone.

Do I conjugate the verb 'hacer' as usual?

Yes, exactly! 'Hacer' is the part you change to fit your sentence. For example: 'Yo hago novillos' (I skip school), 'Ellos hicieron novillos' (They skipped school), '¡No hagas novillos!' (Don't skip school!).