darse cuenta

realize; become aware

→ dar
phrase Very common #803
realize; become aware Usually appears as darse cuenta de + noun/verb, meaning to become aware of something. A very common expression is sin darse cuenta, meaning without realizing it.
SP: Pocos pueden darse cuenta de sus defectos.
EN: Few people can realize their own flaws.

Acabará en la cámara de gas sin casi darse cuenta.

He will end up in the gas chamber almost without realizing it.

— Perdición (1944)

Él debió de darse cuenta que somos sus padres adoptivos.

He must have realized that we are his adoptive parents.

— Bāhubali: The Beginning (2015)

Soy taxista, creo que no tuvo tiempo de darse cuenta.

I'm a taxi driver; I don't think he had time to realize it.

— Taxi Express (1998)

Y que él estaba muy ciego para darse cuenta.

And that he was too blind to realize it.

— ¡Que te den profe! (2013)

No parecieron darse cuenta.

They didn’t seem to notice.

Se le habrá caído sin darse cuenta.

It must have fallen without him noticing.

— Contratiempo (2017)

Sin darse cuenta se había comido toda la caja de galletas.

Without realizing it, he had eaten the entire box of cookies.

— It's Such a Beautiful Day (2012)

Tom borró sin darse cuenta todos sus mensajes.

Tom accidentally deleted all his messages.

Alguien se las tragó sin darse cuenta.

Someone swallowed them without realizing it.

— Quieto, muere, resucita (1990)