/esˈtaɾ en ˈbabja/ lit. ‘to be in Babia’
Spanish idiom, colloquial. To miss something that is obvious to everyone else.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use Estar en Babia
?
Colloquial and friendly, mostly heard in Spain; in Latin America people are more likely to say “estar en la luna” or “estar en las nubes”. You conjugate “estar” and keep the rest: “está en Babia”, “siempre estás en Babia”, “estaba en Babia y no me enteré”. It’s a gentle tease, so you can say it to a friend, a child or yourself without giving offense.
Also said quedarse en Babia
Estar en Babia
in real sentences
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Está en Babia.
He is distracted.
Tatoeba, sentence by Shishir, translation by belgavox, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Mi compañero no da un palo al agua, siempre está en Babia mirando el ordenador; así que me toca a mí hacer todo el trabajo.
My coworker doesn’t lift a finger, he’s always off in Babia staring at the computer, so I end up doing all the work.
Tatoeba, sentence by Shishir, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Estar en Babia
come from?
Babia is a real mountain district in the north of the province of León, Spain. Both English and Spanish Wiktionary give the traditional story: the medieval kings of León spent long summers there, and when someone asked for the absent king, courtiers said he was “en Babia”, far from his duties. That story is the standard explanation, but neither source gives an early written use, so treat it as tradition and not as a recorded fact.
Mistakes learners make with Estar en Babia
Dropping “estar” for “ser”: “es en Babia” makes no sense, because Babia is a place you happen to be at the moment. And Babia is a real place name, so it keeps its capital B.
Other Spanish idioms like Estar en Babia
Spot a mistake in Estar en Babia
?
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