Quedarse a verlas venir
To stay and watch them come.
to sit back and wait; **to sit back and wait**; **to wait and see**; **to stand by and do nothing**; **to be passive**
Quedarse a verlas venir means to remain passive while waiting for events to unfold instead of acting, making decisions or taking control of the situation.
No podemos quedarnos a verlas venir.
We can't just sit back and wait.
El gobierno se quedó a verlas venir.
The government simply stood by and did nothing.
Si te quedas a verlas venir, otros decidirán por ti.
If you just wait and see, other people will make the decisions for you.
The expression often carries a critical tone.
It suggests that the person is allowing circumstances to decide for them rather than actively influencing the outcome.
A company may quedarse a verlas venir instead of reacting to new competitors.
A government may be accused of quedarse a verlas venir during a crisis.
An individual may simply wait for others to solve a problem.
- waits instead of acting
- avoids making decisions
- remains passive during a crisis
- expects problems to solve themselves
- shows little initiative
Behind it lies a straightforward physical image that speakers recognise at once.
Many linguists associate the expression with bullfighting, where remaining still and simply watching events unfold would be the opposite of taking decisive action.
The image of passively waiting became firmly established in everyday Spanish.
Today, speakers rarely think about its origin.
Spanish generally values initiative and decisive action.
For that reason, quedarse a verlas venir is often used critically.
The expression suggests that waiting indefinitely is not a strategy but a failure to respond.
It frequently appears in discussions about politics, business, leadership and personal responsibility.
One of the most striking features of this idiom is the mysterious pronoun las.
Native speakers never ask what las refers to.
They instinctively understand the whole expression as meaning "to remain passive and wait for events."
This hidden reference is one reason why the idiom is so difficult for learners and so natural for native speakers.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would not naturally say:
We'll stay to watch them come.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- We'll just sit back and wait.
- They're waiting to see what happens.
- They're standing by instead of acting.
The focus is always on passivity.
There are five hundred more.
The complete collection — no ads, on paper or Kindle.
Get the book on Amazon