Hacer la pelota

to suck up; **to suck up**; **to brown-nose**; **to kiss up to someone**; **to curry favour**; **to flatter someone for personal gain**

Hacer la pelota means to flatter someone excessively, usually because you hope to obtain some personal advantage.

The praise is often exaggerated, insincere or opportunistic.

A student may hacer la pelota to a teacher before an exam.

An employee may hacer la pelota to a manager in the hope of receiving a promotion.

Children also use the expression when accusing a classmate of trying to win a teacher's approval through excessive compliments or obedience.

The idiom almost always carries a negative meaning.

It suggests manipulation rather than genuine admiration.

• flatters a superior excessively
• seeks favour through compliments
• behaves like a sycophant
• tries to gain an advantage by praising someone
• appears insincere in their admiration

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

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

Regardless of its historical development, the expression became firmly established during the twentieth century and is now understood throughout the Spanish-speaking world.

Today, speakers no longer associate the idiom with its original image.

It functions simply as the everyday expression for excessive flattery motivated by self-interest.

Spanish culture generally values sincerity and tends to view obvious flattery with suspicion.

For that reason, accusing someone of hacer la pelota is rarely a compliment.

The expression is heard constantly in schools, where children quickly learn to recognise classmates who try to gain a teacher's favour.

Adults use it just as frequently in offices, politics and social life.

Spanish has several informal words for a person who constantly hace la pelota, but none is as universal as the idiom itself.

Because schools and workplaces provide endless opportunities for this kind of behaviour, the expression remains one of the most frequently heard colloquial idioms in contemporary Spanish.

Learning it will help you understand countless everyday conversations, especially those involving office politics or classroom dynamics.

Avoid translating the expression literally.

English speakers would not understand "to make the ball."

Instead, choose the equivalent that best matches the level of formality.

In everyday conversation, to suck up is usually the best choice.

In more formal writing, expressions such as to curry favour or to flatter someone for personal gain may be more appropriate.

Remember that the Spanish idiom nearly always implies insincerity.

A genuine compliment is not considered hacer la pelota.