Inklingo

How to Say "faux pas" in Spanish

The Spanish word for “faux pas” is “oso” — B1 level.

English → SpanishB1

oso

nounB1informal
Social error
A surprised person wearing red overalls tripping over their feet, causing a large stack of colorful wooden blocks they were carrying to tumble dramatically onto the floor.

Examples

Hice el oso cuando saludé a la persona equivocada en la reunión.

I made a fool of myself (or: I had an embarrassing moment) when I greeted the wrong person at the meeting.

¡Qué oso! Se le cayó la bandeja entera.

How embarrassing! He dropped the entire tray.

Using 'Qué oso'

When used as an exclamation ('¡Qué oso!'), it means 'How embarrassing!' or 'What a blunder!' and is used to describe an awkward situation.

Direct Translation

Mistake: “No quiero hacer el oso (I don't want to do the bear).”

Correction: The phrase 'hacer el oso' must be learned as a unit meaning 'to make a fool of oneself.' Don't translate the words literally.

Related Translations

Learn Spanish with Inklingo

Interactive stories, personalized learning, and more.