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Not able to see the forest for the trees Meaning in English

expression

NAHT AY-buhl TOO see THUH FAW-rist fer THUH TREEZ
NOT AY-buhl too see THUH FOR-ist faw THUH TREEZ

Definition

To focus too much on small details and miss the overall important situation.

Usage & Nuances

This is an idiom, used to point out when someone is missing the bigger picture due to focusing on minor things. Often used in work, planning, or problem-solving. Can refer to a person or their actions: 'He's not able to see the forest for the trees.'

Spanish: no poder ver el bosque por los árbolesPortuguese (BR): não conseguir ver a floresta por causa das árvoresPortuguese (PT): não ver a floresta por causa das árvoresChinese (Simplified): 只见树木，不见森林Chinese (Traditional): 只見樹木，不見森林Hindi: पेड़ों को देखकर जंगल नहीं देख पानाArabic: لا يرى الغابة بسبب الأشجارBengali: গাছে গাছে ডুবে গিয়ে বন দেখতে না পারা - খুঁটিনাটি নিয়ে ব্যস্ত থাকতে গিয়ে আসল বিষয়টা না দেখাRussian: за деревьями леса не видетьJapanese: 木を見て森を見ずVietnamese: không nhìn thấy rừng vì mải nhìn từng cái câyKorean: 나무만 보고 숲을 보지 못하다Turkish: ağaçlardan ormanı görememekUrdu: درختوں میں گم ہوکر جنگل نہ دیکھناIndonesian: tidak bisa melihat hutan karena terlalu fokus pada pepohonan

Example Sentences

Sometimes, people are not able to see the forest for the trees.

basic

If you focus too much on details, you might be not able to see the forest for the trees.

basic

My teacher said I am not able to see the forest for the trees in my essay.

basic

He worries so much about minor mistakes that he's not able to see the forest for the trees.

natural

We're not able to see the forest for the trees if we look at each task separately without considering our end goal.

natural

Sometimes you gotta step back or you'll be not able to see the forest for the trees.

natural