Spanish · Romance & Flirting
Echar los perros
eh-CHAR lohs PEH-rrohs · /e.ˈtʃaɾ los ˈpe.ros/
To hit on someone / put the moves on
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"To throw/release the dogs"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
A vivid Mexican image for actively pursuing someone romantically — you "let the dogs loose." "Le está echando los perros a mi prima" = he's making moves on my cousin. Clean, playful, and very local. A gentler cousin is "echar el ojo" (to eye someone).
Heard in the wild
Todo el mundo vio que le echabas los perros.
Everyone saw you putting the moves on her.
Where it lands
Mexico (universal)
Quick answers
- What does "Echar los perros" mean?
- In Spanish, "Echar los perros" means "To hit on someone / put the moves on". Literally it's "To throw/release the dogs". A vivid Mexican image for actively pursuing someone romantically — you "let the dogs loose." "Le está echando los perros a mi prima" = he's making moves on my cousin. Clean, playful, and very local. A gentler cousin is "echar el ojo" (to eye someone).
- Is "Echar los perros" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Echar los perros"?
- Say it "eh-CHAR lohs PEH-rrohs" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: e.ˈtʃaɾ los ˈpe.ros.
Related in Spanish
Coger koh-HEHR To have sex (Mexico); to grab/catch (Spain) Ligar lee-GAR To flirt / to hook up / to pull Estar buenote / buenota ess-TAR bweh-NOH-teh To be hot / smoking Fajar fah-HAR To make out / heavy petting Mamacita mah-mah-SEE-tah Hottie / gorgeous (as an address) Poner los cuernos poh-NEHR lohs KWEHR-nohs To cheat on / two-time
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