Dar largas

to string someone along; **to string someone along**; **to stall**; **to keep putting someone off**; **to delay deliberately**; **to keep making excuses**

Dar largas means to delay making a decision, answering a request or taking action, usually in the hope that the issue will disappear or that the other person will eventually give up.

The expression often suggests intentional procrastination rather than simple delay.

A company may dar largas instead of replying to a customer's complaint.

A landlord may dar largas when asked to repair a broken heating system.

Someone may dar largas to avoid saying "no" directly.

The idiom usually implies avoidance rather than genuine inability to decide.

• postpones a decision
• avoids giving a clear answer
• delays solving a problem
• keeps making excuses
• refuses to commit while pretending to remain interested

Behind it lies a straightforward physical image that speakers recognise at once.

Traditionally, dar largas referred to extending something or making it last longer than necessary.

Over time, the expression became associated with deliberately prolonging conversations, negotiations or decisions.

Today, the original image has almost disappeared, but the idea of unnecessary delay remains at the heart of the idiom.

Spanish communication often prefers indirectness over blunt refusal.

Rather than saying no immediately, some people choose to postpone the conversation or promise that the issue will be resolved later.

For this reason, dar largas is one of the most frequently used expressions to describe this kind of social behaviour.

It often carries a mildly negative tone because it suggests a lack of honesty or commitment.

Many Spanish speakers use dar largas without realising how specific its meaning is.

The expression does not simply describe waiting.

It describes a very particular social strategy: postponing decisions repeatedly instead of giving a clear answer.

That precision explains why it has remained one of the most useful idioms in everyday Spanish.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would not understand:

He gave me long ones.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• to string someone along
• to keep putting someone off
• to stall

The best choice depends on whether the emphasis is on delaying, avoiding or misleading another person.