How do you say “Talk someone's ear off” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is darle la lata a alguien hablando, which literally means “to give someone the tin by talking”. English speakers use talk someone's ear off to mean to talk to someone for so long that it becomes tiring or excessive. Especially familiar in Spain. “Hablarle sin parar” is a useful option for a wider audience. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
darle la lata a alguien hablando
/ˈdaɾle la ˈlata a ˈalɣjen aˈβlando/
- Literal meaning
- “to give someone the tin by talking”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“Dar la lata” means annoying someone. Adding “hablando” makes talking the cause, as in the English phrase.
“Hablar por los codos” describes a talkative person without necessarily suggesting a bored listener. “Hablarle sin parar” is a direct alternative that works well in an apology for talking too long.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
hablarle a alguien sin parar
Literally: “to talk to someone without stopping”
A broadly understandable direct equivalent.
hablar por los codos
Literally: “to talk through the elbows”
Describes a very talkative person but does not necessarily imply a particular tired listener.
In context
English
He talked my ear off about his new car.
Spanish
Me dio la lata hablando de su coche nuevo.
English
Sorry, I've talked your ear off for half an hour.
Spanish
Perdona, llevo media hora hablándote sin parar.
Related expressions
- What “Talk someone's ear off” means in English
- Cut to the chase, Get directly to the main point.
- Drive someone up the wall, Make someone extremely annoyed.
Last updated 2026-09-16