Phrase · 🧩 Everyday idioms
No te hagas el tonto: sé que fuiste tú quien se comió el pastel.
Don't play dumb: I know it was you who ate the cake.
B2idiomsinformalAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Noadverbnotte1object pronoun(yourself)tú · 2nd sing. · direct objecthagas1verbmake (yourself)hacer · subjunctive · present · 2nd sing.el1determinerthemasc. · sing. · definitetonto1adjectivesilly, dumbmasc. · sing.:séverbI knowsaber · present · 1st sing.queconjunctionthatfuiste2verbit was (you)ser · past · 2nd sing.tú2pronounyou2nd sing. · subjectquien2pronounwhoseobject pronoun(himself)3rd · direct objectcomió2verbate (up)comer · past · 3rd sing.eldeterminerthemasc. · sing. · definitepastel3nouncakemasc. · sing..
- hagas → te: obj
- te → tonto: agree
- quien → tú: ref
- comió → pastel: obj
Word for word: “Don't make yourself the fool: I know that it was you who ate up the cake.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1hacerse el tonto = to play dumb; negative tú command no te hagas. Negative imperative and imperative with pronouns →
- 2fuiste tú quien: emphatic structure; after quien the verb is usually third person (comió). Relative clauses I: que, quien, donde, lo que →
- 3el pastel = cake (in the Southern Cone, torta).
Variations
- No te hagas el tonto: sé que fuiste tú el que se comió el pastel.