Phrase · 🧩 Idioms in everyday speech
Le pedí que lavara los platos y se hizo el sueco.
I asked him to do the dishes and he pretended not to hear.
C2complaining about someonecolloquialAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Leobject pronounhimél · 3rd sing. · indirect objectpedí2verbI askedpedir · past · 1st sing.que2conjunctionto (that)lavara2verbhe washlavar · subjunctive · imperfect · 3rd sing.losdeterminertheel · masc. · pl. · definiteplatos3noundishesplato · masc. · pl.yconjunctionandse1pronounhimself3rdhizo1verbmadehacer · past · 3rd sing.el1determinerthemasc. · sing. · definitesueco1nounSwede (deaf ears)masc. · sing..
- pedí → lavara: pedir que + imperfect subjunctive
- se → sueco: hacerse el sueco: play dumb
- Le → pedí: le: the person asked
Word for word: “I asked him that he wash the dishes and he played the Swede.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1hacerse el sueco = to pretend not to hear or understand (lit. play the Swede); also hacerse el desentendido. For a woman: se hizo la sueca.
- 2A past request takes the imperfect subjunctive: le pedí que lavara (also lavase). Sequence of tenses in the subjunctive →
- 3lavar los platos = to do the dishes; Spain also says fregar los platos.
Variations
- Le pedí que lavara los platos y se hizo el desentendido.
- Le pedí que fregara los platos y se hizo el sueco.
- Le pedí que lavara los platos y se hizo el loco.