Pasar la noche en blanco
/pah-SAR la NOH-cheh en BLAHN-koh/
To stay up all night without sleeping; to have a sleepless night.
💡 Understanding the Idiom
🎨 Literal vs. Figurative
Literally, this means 'to pass the night in white'.
In reality, it means to have a sleepless night, not sleeping at all.
Key Words in This Idiom:
📝 In Action
Estaba tan preocupado por el examen que pasé la noche en blanco.
B2I was so worried about the exam that I pulled an all-nighter.
El bebé estuvo llorando y me hizo pasar la noche en blanco.
B2The baby was crying and made me have a sleepless night.
Si bebes tanto café ahora, vas a pasar la noche en blanco.
B2If you drink that much coffee now, you're going to have a sleepless night.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase has a cool origin story from medieval times. Before becoming a knight, a squire had to hold a vigil—a night of prayer and reflection. They would spend the entire night awake in a chapel, dressed in white robes to symbolize their purity. Because they stayed up all night 'in white,' the expression came to mean any sleepless night.
⭐ Usage Tips
For Any Reason
Use this for any reason you didn't sleep, whether it was due to worry, studying, partying, or a noisy neighbor. The cause doesn't matter, only the result: zero sleep.
Remember the Verb
The key action verb is 'pasar' (to pass/spend). Always remember to conjugate it to fit who had the sleepless night. For example: 'Pasé la noche en blanco' (I had a sleepless night).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Not About a Good Night
Mistake: "Thinking 'blanco' (white) has a positive or peaceful meaning here, like a 'white Christmas'."
Correction: In this idiom, 'blanco' means 'blank' or 'empty'—a night empty of sleep. It always describes a lack of sleep and usually has a negative connotation of being tired the next day.
🌎 Where It's Used
Spain
Extremely common and universally understood.
Latin America
Very common and widely understood in almost all countries.
🔗 Related Idioms
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: Pasar la noche en blanco
Question 1 of 1
If your friend says, 'Anoche pasé la noche en blanco,' how are they feeling today?
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this idiom formal or informal?
It's neutral. You can use it in almost any situation, from telling a friend why you're tired to explaining to your boss why you're not at your best. It's universally understood and not considered slang.
Can I use 'estar en blanco' to mean I'm tired?
No, be careful with that! 'Estar en blanco' means your mind has gone blank and you can't remember something. To talk about the sleepless night itself, you need the full phrase with the verb 'pasar': 'pasar la noche en blanco'.