Spanish Proverbs II

F

* Fue por lana y salió trasquilado.
o Translation: (He/She) went looking for wool and came back shorn.
o Interpretations:
+ If you go for something it might end up biting you
+ you woo someone but end up heartbroken.
+ you try to cheat someone but get cheated yourself.
+ Chasing glamour will get you fleeced.
+ All that glitters isn't gold.

G

* Gato escaldado del agua fría huye.
o Translation: A scalded cat flees from cold water.
o Interpretation: Once bitten, twice shy.


* Los gatos siempre caen de pie.
o Translation: Cats always fall in their paws.


* Gato por loser (dar gato por liebre)
o Translation: (give) cat for rabbit/hare.
o Interpretation: Cheat someone, water down, bait and switch, one-card Monty.
o Origin: This comes from an Aztec legend about a man who was so picky that he had to have a certain type of rabbit for lunch every single day. One day, the man he bought his rabbits from got fed up with the man and gave him a cat instead of a rabbit like the man had paid for, and the man never noticed.
o Origin: Rabbit is a common meal in Spain, and skinned rabbits are hung in the meat stall of markets. A skinned rabbit looks very much like a skinned cat.


* Genio y figura hasta la sepultura.
o Translation: Character and presence from the cradle to the tomb.

H

* Hablando del rey de Roma...y éste que se asoma.
o Translation: "As we were speaking of the King of Rome, look who dropped by!"
o Equivalent English expression: "Speak of the Devil (and he's sure to appear)."


* Hasta el justo se equivoca.
* Alt: Al mejor panadero se le quema el pan.
* Alt: Hasta al mejor mono se le cae el zapote. (Costa Rica)
o Translation: Even the wisest makes mistakes.


* Hasta el cuarenta de mayo, no te quites el sayo.
o Translation: Don't shed your coat until May the 40th.
o Interpretation: Since weather changes very quickly in spring, don't put away your coat.
o Interpretation: Don't let yourself be fooled into a sense of safeness, since it may not last.


* Hijo de tigre sale pintado.
o Literal Translation: "The tiger's cub comes out dappled(spotted)."
o Translation: The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.


* Hombre prevenido vale por dos.
o Translation: The man who is aware is worth two men.
o English equivalent: Forewarned is forearmed.


* Hoy no se fía, mañana sí.
o Translation: No loans today but tomorrow.
o Interpretation: Never loan anything now, but always propose on the never-arriving tomorrow.

I

* Imposible solo existe en el mundo de los incapaces.
o Translation: Impossible only exists in the world of the incapables.
o Interpretation: Anything is possible if you put your mind toward it.

L

* La culpa no es del chancho, sino del que le rasca el lomo
o Alt: La culpa no es del chancho, sino del que le da de comer.
o Alt: La culpa no es del chancho, sino del que le da el afrecho.
o Translation: Don't blame the pig, blame the one who scratches his back.
o Alt. Translation : Don't blame the pig, blame those who feed it.
o Interpretation: Bad things' blame goes to the ones who allowed them besides the ones who actually do them.


* La gallina de arriba se caga en la gallina de abajo.
o Translation: The chicken (hen) above shits on the chicken below.
o Interpretation: Self explanatory. For example, "the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."


* Lagarto que traga no vomita.
o Translation: The lizard that swallows doesn't vomit. (NB- lagarto is also archaic for dragon.)
o Interpretation: A tough stomach can take anything.


* Les da uno la mano y se toman hasta el codo.
o Alt: Le das la mano y te agarran el pie
o Translation: You give them a hand and they take your elbow.
o Interpretation: When you help someone they might abuse of your kindness
o English Equivalent Proverb: Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.


* Lo barato sale caro.
o Translation: Cheap things turn out to be expensive
o Interpretation: It is better to buy something of high quality, than continually repair/replace something of low quality.
o Interpretation: Just because something is cheap, does not mean it's worth the price.
o Sometimes one pays more for the things one gets for nothing. (Attributed to Albert Einstein)
o Penny wise, pound foolish.


* Lo que no mata, engorda.
o Alt: Mugre (mierda) que no mata, engorda.
o Translation: What does not kill, fattens.
o Interpretation: What doesn't kill me, strengthens me. (Nietzsche)

M

* Marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso hacen de mayo florido y hermoso.
o Translation: Windy Mars and rainy April make May blossoming and beautiful.
o Interpretations: sometimes, unpleasant things must be borne in order of good things to arrive.


* Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.
* Alt:Perro viejo late echado
o Translation: The devil knows more from being old than from being the devil.
o Interpretations:
+ Don't underestimate experience.
+ Titles do not always describe a person's abilities and knowledge.


* Más rapido que gato de campo.[Chile]
o Translation: Faster than a wild cat


* Más vale llegar a tiempo que en convidado.
o Alt: Más vale llegar a tiempo que ser invitado.
o Translation: It is better to arrive at the right moment than to be invited.
o Interpretations:
+ It is better to arrive in time (prepared) than to depend on others (being invited/hosted).
+ Be responsible; be self-sufficient.
+ Also used when someone not really welcome just shows up (Alt version more common.)


* Más vale tarde que nunca.
o Translation: Better late than never.


* Más vale maña que fuerza.
o Translation: Skill is better than strength.


* Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando.
o Translation: A bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred flying.
o English proverb: "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
o Dutch proverb: "Better one bird in the hand than ten in the air"
o German proverb: Lieber den Spatz in der Hand als die Taube auf dem Dach. (Better the sparrow in the hand than the pigeon on the roof."


* Matrimonio y mortaja del cielo bajan.
o Translation: Marriage and shroud come from heaven.


* Moro viejo nunca será buen cristiano.
o Translation: An old Moor will never make a good Christian.
o Interpretation: In old Spain Moors converted for practical reasons, not because they really believed in Christianity.
o Equivalent English proverb:
+ "A leopard can't change its spots."

N

* Ni raja ni presta el hacha.
o Alt: Ni pica, ni presta el hacha. (Costa Rica)
o Alt: Ni lava, ni presta la batea.
o Alt: Ni picha, ni cacha, ni deja batear. (Guatemala)
o Translations:
+ Neither splits, nor lends the axe.
+ Neither surrenders nor applies the axe.
o Interpretations: Neither works (does) nor lets others work (or do)
+ Stalwart; takes care of things.
+ similar to "lead, follow, or get out of the way"
+ Fish or cut bait.


* Ni come, ni deja comer. (El perro del hortelano)
o Translation: (The farmer's dog) He neither eats, nor lets others eat.
o Equivalent English proverb:
+ "The dog in the manger".


* Ni tanto que queme al santo, ni tan poco que no lo alumbre.
o Translation: Put the candle not so close that it would burn the saint, nor so far that it will fail to light it.
o Interpretation: Find the right place/setting/configuration; don't be careless or shoddy.
o Interpretation: Both extremes are not good

* No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy.
o Translation: Don't wait for tomorrow to do something you can do today.
o Interpretation: If you want to do something, then do it today; don't put it aside for tomorrow.


* No es oro todo lo que reluce
o Translation: 'Not everything that glimmers is gold'


* No hables de la soga en casa del ahorcado.
o Translation: Don't speak of the noose in the hanged man's house.
o Interpretations:
+ Don't talk about others problems in their own home.
+ Beware the beam in your own eye; take care of your own back yard.
+ Beware of speaking about touchy subjects at inappropriate times/in inappropriate places.


* No hay mal que por bien no venga.
o Translation: There is no misfortune that doesn't bring some good with it.
o Interpretations:
+ Every misfortune has a bright side.
o English proverbs:
+ Every cloud has a silver lining


* No hay miel sin hiel. (from Don Quixote)
o Translation: There is no honey without gall.
o Interpretations: There is nothing good in life without a downside.
o English proverbs:
+ No pain, no gain.


* No por mucho madrugar amanece más temprano.
o Translation: Waking up earlier won't make the sun rise any quicker.
o Interpretations:
+ Just because you do something daily doesn't mean things around you will arrange themselves to you.
+ You can't push on a rope.
+ Some things cannot be changed.


* No tiene la culpa el indio, sino el que lo hace compadre.
o Translations:
+ It's not the Indian's fault but the one who befriends him/makes him a companion.
+ The Indian is not at fault, but the one who trusts him.
o Interpretations: NB-pejoritive
+ Don't entrust your loved ones to untrustworthy strangers.
+ Don't blame others for your own folly.
+ You were foolish for trusting a knave.


* No hay cuña que más apriete que la del mismo palo.
o Translation: The best wedge comes from its own stick.


* No hay maestro como carne propia.
o Alt: Nadie escarmienta en cabeza ajena.
o Translation:
+ There is no teacher like your own flesh.
+ Nobody learns from the others mistakes.
+ There is no better teacher than one's own aching flesh.
o Interpretation:
+ Experience is the best teacher.
+ Learn from your mistakes.


* No es solo soplar y hacer botellas. [Spain]
o Translation: It's not as easy as blowing and making bottles.
o Interpretation: It's not as easy as it looks.


* No todo lo que brilla es oro.
o Alt: No es oro todo lo que reluce. [Spain]
o Translation: Not everything that shines is gold.
o Interpretation: Somethings are not what they seem to be.


* No hables a menos que puedas mejorar en el silencio.
o Translation: Don't speak unless you can improve on the silence.


* Nunca digas de esta agua no beberé.
o Translation: 'Never say I will not drink from this water'
o Interpretation: Never say never. Alt. Nunca digas nunca


* No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo.
o Translation: Don't sell the bear's fur before you hunt it."
o English equivalent: Don't count your chickens before they hatch."


* No es lo mismo llamar al diablo que verlo venir
* Alt: "No es lo mismo verla venir que tenerla enfrente" (Guatemala)
o Translation: "It's not the same to call on the devil then it is to see him coming."
o English equivalent: "Easier said than done."

O

* Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente
o Translation: Eyes that don't see, heart that doesn't feel.
o Interpretation: If you don't see something happen, you never get hurt.
o Interpretation: Often used for a cheated person
o Interpretation: One's virtues are always within the reach of one's own sight.
o English equivalent: "Out of sight, out of mind."

P

* Perro ladrador, poco mordedor.
o Alt: Perro que ladra no muerde.
o Translation:
+ A barking dog doesn't bite.
+ His bark is worse than his bite.
o Interpretation:
+ If someone says to be very violent, it means that he is not so bad.
+ When somebody is always threatening you, he shall not hurt you.
+ In general, situations which seem very dangerous are more often harmless than situations in which we can't notice the potential danger.


* Perro viejo, ladra echado
o Translation: An old dog barks while lying
o Interpretation: An old dog knows that he has authority even if he is lying, so he doesn't need to waste energy in getting up.

Q

* Qué bonito es ver llover y no mojarse.
o Translation: How nice it is to see the rain without getting wet.
+ Interpretation: often used to answer someone who's critizicing your work or actions, without doing anything themselves.

* Quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
o Translation: Whoever leans close to a good tree is blanketed by good shade.
o Interpretation: Seek out the good ones in life.


* Quien anda con lobos a aullar aprende.
o Translation: He who hangs out with wolves will learn how to howl.
o Interpretation: Bad influences transform you.
o Interpretation: The same as Nietzsche's "Those who look into the abyss must be careful lest they find the abyss looking into them".


* Quien bien te quiere, te hará llorar.
o Translation: He / She who loves you dearly will make you cry.
o Interpretation: often there're our most loved ones who make us suffer the most.


* Quien calla, otorga. (El que calla, otorga.)
o Translation: 'Silence is assent'
o Interpretation: 'If you do not speak out against "it", that is equivalent to approving "it".'
o Explanation: You cannot keep silent in the face of injustice and then complain about it afterward.


* Quien con niños se acuesta, meado se levanta.
* Quien con niños se acuesta, meado amanece
o Translation: He/She(whom-ever) sleeps with kids wakes up drenched in piss.
o Interpretation: We have to accept how people are when we deal with them.
o Interpretation: We must accept the consequences of our wrong decisions.


* Quien guarda, halla.
o Translation: He / She who keeps things, can find them.


* Quien la hace, la paga.
o Translation: 'He/She who does it, pays it'.
o English version: What goes around comes around.


* Quien la sigue, la consigue.
o Translation: He/She who follows it, gets it.
o Interpretation: When you persist in something, you can obtain what you want


* Quien no cojea, renquea.
o Translation: He / She who does not limp, hobbles.
o Interpretation: We are all the same.


* Quien no llora, no mama ("Güagüa que no llora, no mama")
o Translation: He/She who doesn't cry doesn't get nursed.
o Interpretation: If you never ask for help you will not receive it.


* "Quien quiera peces, que moje el culo"
o Translation: Whoever wants fish, must get their ass wet.
o Interpretation: If you want to achieve something, you must make an effort in order to get it.


* Quien quiere celeste, que le cueste
o Translation: He who wants the heavens must pay.
o Interpretation: If you want the best, you have to work for it (or, "it will cost you").


* El que se va a la villa, pierde su silla.
o Translation: He who leaves the manor loses his seat.
o Interpretations:
+ Leaving a sure thing for a gamble is folly.
+ If you leave something unattended, you may lose it.

*
o Variants:
+ Quien/El que fue a Sevilla perdió su silla (Spain)
+ El que se va pa Sevilla pierde su silla (Spain)
+ El que se va pa' Aguadilla, pierde su silla (Puerto Rico)
+ El que se va para Virilla pierde su silla (Costa Rica)
+ El que se va para Limón pierde su sillón (Costa Rica)
+ El que fue a Melipilla perdió su silla (Chile)
+ El que fue a Matilla perdió su silla (Chile)
+ El que fue a Quellón perdió su sillón (Chile)
+ El que fue a Tocopilla perdió su silla (Chile)
+ El que fue a Melilla perdió su silla
+ El que fue a Melillón perdió su sillón
+ El que fue a la villa perdió su silla
+ El que se va a Barranquilla pierde su silla (Colombia)
+ El que va para Quito pierde su barquito (Ecuador)
+ El que se fue a Barranco perdio su banco (Peru)
# Translation: He who went to [insert city of choice here that rhymes], lost his seat.
# Interpretation: This is not actually a proverb. Usually uttered to someone you have taken a seat from, it can be equated to "Move your feet, lose your seat."


* Quien tuvo, retuvo (La que tuvo, retuvo)
o Translation: 'He/She who had something, retains it'
+ Interpretation: 'When somebody is good in something, she/ he will always be'


R

* Río que suena, piedras trae.
o Translation: River that sounds, brings stones.
o Translation: A river that rumbles carries stones.
o Interpretation:
+ Every rumor has some truth.
+ Every lie has some truth.

* Río revuelto, ganancia de pescadores
o Translation: 'A rough river is profit for the fishers'.
o Interpretation: in every bad situation, there's always someone who makes profit.


S

* Si Mahoma no va a la montaña, la montaña irá a Mahoma
o Translation: 'If Muhammad does not go to the mountain, the mountain will go to Muhammad'
o Interpretation: There are some things that have to happen.
o Translation from an English proverb. The earliest appearance of the phrase is from Chapter 12 of the Essays of Francis Bacon, published in 1625.


T

* Tanta carne y yo comiendo bacalao.
o Alt: Tanta carne y yo sin dientes.
o Translation: So much meat, and I'm eating cod / and I with no teeth.
o Interpretation: So yummy and I can't enjoy it. (in referring to an attractive person who may be out of one's league); water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink.


* Tanto nadar para quedar en la orilla.
o Translation: Swimming so much, only to remain on the shore.
o Alt: Tanto pedo pa' cagar aguado.
o Translation: Farting so much, only to have the runs.
o Interpretation: Said when one's returns aren't commensurate with one's efforts. Running twice as fast just to stay where you are.


* Tanto te quiero perrito, pero pa' pan muy poquito.
o Translation: Much as I love you, puppy, it's not enough to give you bread.
o Interpretation: You're not that attractive!
o Interpretation: used when someone says that they love someone, or that they are good friends with them, but doesn't assist them when in need.


* Tanto va el cántaro al agua que al final se quiebra.
o Translation: So often goes the pitcher to the fountain that will be finally broken.
o Interpretation: When someone persists again and again in doing something ignoring its consequences, they will finally come.

* Todos los caminos conducen a Roma.
o Translation: All roads lead to Rome.
o German proverb: Alle Wege führen nach Rom.


U

* Una golondrina no hace verano.
o Translation: The summer does not start with a single swallow
o German proverb: Eine Schwalbe macht noch keinen Sommer.


* Un loco hace cien
o Romani proverb: One madman makes madmen, many madmen make madness
o Translation: One madman makes one hundred
o English equivalent: One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel


* Un clavo saca a otro clavo
o Alt: La mancha de una mora, con otra verde se quita.
o Translation: one nail drives out another
o Translation: That driven nail draws-out the other.
o Interpretation: A new relationship will clear one's mind of an old relationship
+ Reference: Judge Marilyn Milian refers to this on People's Court (TV show) as something her grandmother said



V

* Vámonos que nos vamos a mojar.
o Translation: Let's go we're getting wet (Knowing when to take one's leave).
o Interpretation: Let's get out of here or we'll get in trouble.


* Ver la paja en el ojo ajeno, y no la viga en el propio. (taken from the Bible, Matthew, 7:3-5)
o Translation: Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?


* Vivieron felices y comieron perdices (y a mí no me dieron).
o Translation: They lived happily and ate partridge (and didn't give me any).
o English equivalent: And they lived happily ever after.


* Vístanme despacio que estoy de afán.
o Alt.: Vístanme despacio, que estoy apurado.
o Alt.: Vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa.
o Translation:
+ Dress me slowly when in a hurry
+ Dress me slowly, since I'm in a hurry.
o Interpretation:
+ Do the things as best as you can, even if you are running out of time.
+ If you do things too fast when running out of time, you might screw up. So, do them slowly and patiently.


Y

* Yo tengo una tía que toca la guitarra.
o Translation: I have an aunt who plays the guitar.
o English proverb: What does that have to do with the price of rice in China?
o Interpretation: That was completely irrelevant.

Me vale verga todo pedazo de hijos de puta.

Z

* Zapatero, a tus zapatos.
o Translation: Shoemaker, to your shoes.
o Interpretation: Stick to your own business and do not meddle in things you don't understand.
o English equivalent: "Shoemaker, stick to your last" or "Cobbler, stick to thy last."