Post 🇮🇹 Fare orecchie da ascoltatore

🇮🇹 Fare orecchie da ascoltatore Tuesday lesson — Slang & Idioms | 20 October 2026 This Italian idiom means to pretend not to hear something, usually because you want to avoid giving an answer or dealing with an awkward situation. It often has a humorous tone, but it can also suggest that someone is deliberately ignoring what they have heard. The expression is not literal: in English, you would say that someone is «turning a deaf ear» rather than «making listener’s ears». How to use it: The dictionary form is fare orecchie da ascoltatore, but the verb is conjugated normally: ho fatto, ha fatto, abbiamo fatto, and so on. ─── 💡 Examples: 1. Quando ha iniziato a parlare delle spese, ho fatto orecchie da ascoltatore. When he started talking about the expenses, I pretended not to hear. 2. La professoressa ha spiegato che era necessario rivedere il piano, ma molti ragazzi hanno fatto orecchie da ascoltatore. The teacher explained that the plan needed to be reviewed, but many students pretended not to hear. 3. Smettila di fare orecchie da ascoltatore: dobbiamo affrontare il problema. Stop pretending not to hear: we have to deal with the problem. 4. Mio fratello ha fatto orecchie da ascoltatore quando gli ho chiesto di aiutarmi a traslocare. My brother pretended not to hear when I asked him to help me move. Related expression: fare orecchie da mercante also means to ignore someone, but it emphasizes doing so because the request is inconvenient or unwelcome. ─── ✨ Daily Tip: Use fare orecchie da ascoltatore when you want to describe deliberate avoidance with a playful or mildly critical tone. If you genuinely did not hear something, simply say «Non ho sentito» — “I didn’t hear.”