Refranes y Dichos - Proverbs and Sayings
Here is a selection of the most commonly used saying and proverbs in Spanish, in fact this is a "refranero" (a collection of sayings or proverbs). Some of them are literally exactly the same in English and Spanish and some of them vary but have the same meaning. There are notes on the meanings of the less common words.
Español | English |
| a lo hecho pecho | its no use crying over spilt milk |
| a quien cuida la peseta nunca le falta un duro | look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves |
| a quien madruga Dios lo ayuda. madrugar = to get up early | it's the early bird that catches the worm early to bed and early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise) |
| al perro que duerme, no lo despiertes despertar = to wake, wake up | let sleeping dogs lie |
| algo es algo, peor es nada | half a loaf is better than no bread |
| antes de hablar pensar | think before you speak |
| aunque la mona se vista de seda mona se queda mono = monkey, seda = silk | you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear |
| cuando el gato duerme, bailan los ratones | when the cats away the mice will play |
| cuatro ojos ven más que dos | two heads are better than one |
| el fin justifica los medios | the end justifies the means |
| el que ríe último, ríe mejor | he who laughs last laughs longest |
| el que tiene boca se equivoca | we all make mistakes |
| el sapo a la sapa tiénela por guapa sapo = toad | beauty is in the eye of the beholder love is blind |
| el tiempo es oro | time is money |
| el trabajo compartido es más llevadero adj: llevadero = bearable | many hands make light work |
| en boca cerrada no entran moscas | if you keep your mouth shut, you wont put your foot in it |
| en el peligro se conoce el amigo | a friend in need is a friend indeed |
| hablando del rey de Roma....... (y él que se asoma) | talk of the devil (and the devil appears) |
| la ausencia es al amor lo que al fuego el aire | absence makes the heart grow fonder |
| la necesidad hace maestros | necessity is the mother of invention |
| lo barato sale caro | if you buy cheaply, you pay dearly |
| lo que a uno cura a otro mata | one man's meat is another man's poison |
| lo que no cuesta dinero, siempre es bueno | the best things in life are free |
| lo que siembres cosecharás quien siembra vientos recoge tempestades sembrar = to sow cosechar = to harvest, reap, to pick | as you sow, so shall you reap |
| loro viejo no aprende a hablar loro = parrot | you cant teach an old dog new tricks |
| más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando | a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| más vale maña que fuerza. maña = skill, knack | brain is better than brawn |
| más vale prevenir que curar; | better safe than sorry |
| más vale tarde que nunca | better late than never |
| nadie está contento con su suerte | the grass is always greener on the other side |
| nadie sabe lo que vale el agua hasta que falta | you never know what you've got till it's gone |
| no dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy | never put off till tomorrow what you can do today |
| no es oro todo lo que reluce relucir = to twinkle - glitter | all that glitters is not gold |
| no hay mal que por bien no venga | every cloud has a silver lining |
| no hay que vender la piel del oso (antes de cazarlo) oso = bear cazar = hunt | dont count your chickens (before theyre hatched) |
| no hay tiempo como el presente | there's no time like the present |
| no se ganó Zamora en una hora. (Zamora is a town in Spain. It refers to a battle) | Rome wasn't built in a day |
| nunca llueve a gusto de todos llover = to rain | one man's meat is another man's poison |
| ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente | out of sight, out of mind |
| peor es el remedio que la enfermedad | the cure is worse than the cause the solution is worse than the problem the cure is worse than the disease |
| poner toda la carne en el asador | to put all your eggs in one basket |
| puedes darle un consejo a alguien, pero no puedes obligarlo a que lo siga | you can lead o take a horse to water but you cant make it drink |
| quien a hierro mata, a hierro muere hierro = iron | they that live by the sword shall die by the sword |
| quien no tiene, no teme | no cows, no cares |
| quien no malgasta no pasa necesidades malgastar = waste | waste not, want not |
| si quieres ser bien servido, sírvate a ti mismo | if you want a thing done well, do it yourself? |
| tirar las frutas frescas con las pochas adj: pocho = over-ripe - past it | to throw the baby out with the bathwater |
| una puntada a tiempo ahorra ciento stitch = puntada | a stitch in time (saves nine) |