poner los puntos sobre las íes
verbCEFR B2
What does “poner los puntos sobre las íes” mean in English?
to spell things out clearly, to leave no room for ambiguity
to spell things out clearly, to leave no room for ambiguity (definitive clarification; not just thoroughness — specificity)
Example sentences
Ha llegado el momento de poner los puntos sobre las íes: estas son las condiciones, sin excepciones.
The time has come to spell things out clearly: these are the conditions, with no exceptions.
El mediador puso los puntos sobre las íes ante ambas partes para evitar futuros malentendidos.
The mediator laid things out clearly for both parties to avoid future misunderstandings.
Antes de firmar, conviene poner los puntos sobre las íes sobre todas las cláusulas ambiguas.
Before signing, it's advisable to spell out all the ambiguous clauses clearly.
How to use it
Poner los puntos sobre las íes (to dot the i's and cross the t's in English — but note: Spanish has no equivalent for crossing the t) means 'to spell things out clearly', 'to be unambiguous', 'to leave no room for misinterpretation'. It implies a definitive clarification that removes all ambiguity. Construction: poner los puntos sobre las íes (intransitive, often with time marker: 'ha llegado el momento de…'). More emphatic than aclarar (to clarify).
Common mistake
The English equivalent 'dot the i's and cross the t's' means thoroughness/attention to detail — but in Spanish, poner los puntos sobre las íes means definitive clarification of ambiguity, not just thoroughness. The plural is íes (not *is or *i's) — the letter i becomes la i → las íes in Spanish.