Hacer el paripé

to put on an act; **to put on an act**; **to go through the motions**; **to put on a show**; **to pretend**; **to keep up appearances**

Hacer el paripé means to put on an act, to go through the motions, to pretend, to put on a show, or to keep up appearances.

It describes behaviour that is not sincere but performed to create a particular impression.

• pretends to be working
• acts interested without really caring
• keeps up appearances
• stages an emotional reaction
• behaves hypocritically for the benefit of others

The word paripé comes from Caló, the traditional language of the Spanish Roma community.

Originally, it referred to deception, trickery or pretence.

From there it entered colloquial Spanish, where it came to describe any false display intended to impress others or conceal reality.

Today, many speakers use the word without knowing its Romani origin.

The expression is usually critical.

When Spaniards accuse someone of hacer el paripé, they suggest that the person's behaviour lacks sincerity.

It commonly appears in discussions about:

• politics,
• workplace behaviour,
• family situations,
• or public appearances.

Spanish has several expressions describing insincere behaviour:

• Hacer el paripé → to put on an act.
• Guardar las apariencias → to keep up appearances.
• Hacer teatro → to make a scene or behave theatrically.
• Fingir → to pretend.

Among them, hacer el paripé is by far the most colloquial and one of the most frequently used in modern Spanish to criticise behaviour that is purely for appearances rather than genuine.

Do not translate the expression literally.

English speakers would never say:

He's doing the paripé.

Instead, use expressions such as:

• He's putting on an act.
• She's just pretending.
• They're going through the motions.
• It's all for show.
• They're keeping up appearances.

Choose the translation according to the context.