What does “No oír ni una mosca” Spanish Idiom mean in English ?
Before explaining the meaning of this expression, it is important to have a clear understanding of what an an idiomatic expression is.
What even is an idiomatic expression in the first place?
It is a phrase, that when directly translated into another language, makes no sense. Some idiomatic expressions you may know, ” A blessing in disguise”, “Beat around the bush”, “Better late than never’. Learning and familiarizing yourself with different idioms can allow you to better learn a language and its’ culture.
“No oír ni una mosca”
The literal translation of this idiom is “to not even hear the flight of a fly.”
The English equivalent is “You could have heard a pin drop”
Example of “No oír ni una mosca” being used:
Les dije a los nuevos estudiantes que no hablaran durante el examen, pero no esperaba el absoluto silencio que mantuvieron durante los 50 minutos del examen. No se oía ni el vuelo de una mosca. Quedé bien impresionada y decidí decirles que estudiaran español tres horas diarias a ver si eso tendría el mismo resultado.
For more Spanish Idioms check out our Spanish Language Blog Posts!
