How do you say “Hear something through the grapevine” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is enterarse de algo por terceros, which literally means “to find out about something through third parties”. English speakers use hear something through the grapevine to mean to learn news through informal conversations rather than from an official or direct source. Plainer than the English phrase. “Oír por ahí que” sounds more casual. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
enterarse de algo por terceros
/enteˈɾaɾse ðe ˈalɣo poɾ teɾˈseɾos/
- Literal meaning
- “to find out about something through third parties”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Por terceros” says the news came through other people, not directly from the person concerned. It doesn't mean the news is false.
“Oír por ahí que” sounds more casual and can suggest a rumour. “Por el boca a boca” puts more emphasis on information spreading from person to person.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
enterarse por el boca a boca
Literally: “to find out by mouth-to-mouth”
Emphasises information circulating between people.
oír por ahí que
Literally: “to hear around that”
More casual and often suggests uncertain or loosely sourced news.
In context
English
I heard through the grapevine that they were moving.
Spanish
Me enteré por terceros de que se iban a mudar.
English
We heard through the grapevine that the shop was closing.
Spanish
Oímos por ahí que la tienda iba a cerrar.
Related expressions
- What “Hear something through the grapevine” means in English
- Spill the beans, To give away a secret.
- Read between the lines, Find hidden meaning in what is said
Last updated 2026-09-16