Breton Proverbs

A

* "Aessoc'h d'ar mab goulenn ouzh tad ewid d'an tad goulenn ouzh mab"
o Translation: "It is easier for the son to ask from the father than for the father to ask from the son"

* "An douar so kozh, med n'eo ket sod"
o Translation: "Earth is old, but it is not mad"

* "An hani ne vez ket joä doc'htoñ a-pa arriw, a vez joä doc'hton a-pa y-â kuit"
o Translation: "The one who does not make you happy when he arrives makes you happy when he leaves"

* "An heni a blij ar c´hizhier dezañ en-nevez ur wreg koant"
o Translation: "Who loves cats has a beautiful wife"

* "An heni a heuli e benn a heuli penn un asen"
o Translation: "Who follows his head follows the head of an ass"

* "An heni a so mestr d'e sec'hed so mestr d'e yec'hed"
o Translation: "Who can master his thirst can master his health"

* "An heni a vez e grass ar merc'hed n'en-deus nà naon nà sec'hed"
o Translation: "He who gets the grace of the women is neither hungry nor thirsty"

* "An heni na avantur netra, nà koll nà gounid ne ra"
o Translation: "The one who does not risk anything does not gain nor lose"

* "An trubuilh ne varv den ebed gantañ"
o Translation: "Sorrow, nobody dies about it"

* "Anduriñ so red, med karoud n'eo ket"
o Translation: "To endure is obligatory, but to like is not"

* "Ar c´hi ne bak ket pelloc'h eged e stag"
o Translation: "The dog does not catch further that its leash"

* "Ar c´housked so an hanter ag ar yec'hed"
o Translation: "Sleep is half of Health"

* "Ar re vezw a zivezwo med ar re sod ne zïsodont ket"
o Translation: "The drunk ones will sober up, but the mad ones will not clever up"

* "Arabad gwerzhañ ar wioù e reor ar yér"
o Translation: "Don't sell eggs in the bottom of hens"

B

* "Bezañ paour n'eo ket pec'hed, gwell eo koulskoude tec'hed"
o Translation: "To be poor is not a sin, it's better to avoid it anyway"

* "Brizh diod hag a oar tewel, ouzh un den fur a so heñvel"
o Translation: "Complete idiot who can keep silent, to a wise man is similar"

C

* "C'hoant Doue ha c'hoant den a so daou."
o Translation: "Desire of God and desire of man are two."


E

* "En noz e kemerer ar silioù, dale a ra vad a-wechoù"
o Translation: "At night one takes eels, it is worth waiting sometimes"

F

* "Forzh tud / fall sikour"
o Translation: "Many people / bad assistance"

G

* "Gortosit an noz ewid lavared eo bet kàer an deiz"
o Translation: "Wait for the night before saying that the day has been beautiful"

* "Goude mà vezer skuizh, ec'h aer c'hoazh pell"
o Translation: "Once you are tired, you still can go far"

* "Gwell eo karantez leizh an dorn ewid madoù leizh ar forn"
o Translation: "A handful of love is better than an oven full of bread"

H

* "Hanter douget - ur bec'h graet mad"
o Translation: "Half-carried - a well-built load"


J

knitschued alerm coilloewaanrstee yik

The young one always knows faster in the dark.

K

* "Kass ar paour da baour a so dïaes"
o Translation: "To make a poor man poorer is not easy"

* "Kig kristen - en em beñsel e hunan"
o Translation: "Flesh of man - mends itself"

* "Klañv heb glac'har, kamm ki pa gar"
o Translation: "Patient without any pain, the dog is lame when it wants to"


M

* "Magit mad ho korf, hoc'h ene a chomo pelloc'h e-barzh"
o Translation: "Inside a well-nourished body, the soul remains longer"

N

* "N'en dez ket rekis gouied galleg ewid goulenn kousked er-maes"
o Translation: "Not need to know French to ask to sleep outside"

* "N'eus den nà tra heb e si, hag alïes en-deus daou pe tri"
o Translation: "There is no man nor thing without his defect, and often they have two or three of them"

* "N'eus gouañv-ebed à gement a so chomet ba kof e vamm"
o Translation: "There is no winter for who has remained in his mother's womb"

* "N'eus ket à diegezh heb buanegezh"
o Translation: "There is no household without domestic fight"

* "Neb so lemm beg e deod, a rank bezañ kaled kostez e benn"
o Translation: "Whose end of tongue is sharp, the edge of his head must be hard"


P

* "Pa gasser ar paour d'an douar, kloc'h bras ar barres so bouzar"
o Translation: "When the poor man is buried, the large bell of the parish is silent"

* "Peb sant newez en deus e virakloù d'ober"
o Translation: "Any new saint-to-be has his miracles to make"

* "Pelloc'h e vimp marw eged paour"
o Translation: "We will stay longer dead than poor"

* "Pemp munut yec'hed a ra vad d' un den klañv"
o Translation: "Five minutes of health comfort the ill one"

* "Poan ar re all so skañv da zougen"
o Translation: "Someone else's pain is easy to carry"

* "Propoc'h eo ur fri bras ewid daou vihan"
o Translation: "It is more becoming to have a large nose than two small ones"

R

* "Restachoù mad so mad da gaoud"
o Translation: "Good remains are nice to have."

S

* "Seul mui à vugulion a vez, e vez falloc'h gouarnet ar saout"
o Translation: "The more cowherds there are, the worse the cows are looked after"

T

* "Tan ged koäd sec'h ha labour ged tud reizh a so aes"
o Translation: "Fire with seasoned wood and work with flexible people are easy"

* "Tra mà vo daou zen war ar bed, ar jalousi a reno bepred"
o Translation: "As long as there will remain two men on Earth, Jealousy will reign"

* "Truez heb sikour a ra nebeud à vad"
o Translation: "Pity without help does little good"

U

* "Ur c´horf erbedet n' â ken med peder eur warn-ugent hirroc'h ewid unan all"
o Translation: "A spared body only goes twenty-four hours further that another"

V

* "Va mab, re gozh an douar ewid ober goap anezi"
o Translation: "My son, too old is the Earth don't make fun of it"