Spanish Courses

Spanish / English Dictionary

Spanish Forum

Join our community of Spanish language learners! Visit our Spanish forum now.

Ask questions
Meet people
Discuss travels
View funny photos with Spanish captions

Conversational Spanish

Verb Conjugator

Link to Us

Like this site? Please support it by linking to us.

Spanish Language Schools

Our directory of Spanish language schools is the most comprehensive on the Internet. For an in-depth search, we recommend using our Advanced Search.

Browse by Country:

Learn Spanish Online

Travel

The users of this website have accumulated quite a few travel logs, or travel diaries, which provide personal accounts of their stay in Latin America or other Spanish speaking travel destinations.

Browse Travel Blogs by Country:

Social Bookmarking

Proverbs and refrains - Proverbios y refranes

Proverbs and refrains (Proverbios y refranes)

Cultural Curriculum

66. Proverbs and Refrains (English)

This lesson includes information on:

Proverbs and Refrains

1. Proverbs and Refrains

Proverbs and sayings are common sentences that express a warning or a moral lesson and are used by tradition. For example:

· Más vale lo viejo conocido que lo nuevo por conocer. (It’s better to have an old acquaintance than a new acquaintance to get to know.)

· No es rico el que tiene mucho dinero, sino el que vive contento. (He who has money is not rich, but he who lives happily is rich.)

Common Spanish proverbs and refrains are:

Spanish	English
A caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo	Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
A gato viejo, ratón tierno	Old cat, young mouse.
Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr	That which you don't need, leave for others.
A la fuerza, ni la comida es buena	The food is no good when it is force-fed.
A la ley de cristo cada quien con su pisto	Dutch treat
Al mal tiempo, buena cara	Smile in the face of adversity.
Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda	The early bird catches the worm.
Candil de la calle, oscuridad de su casa	Angel in the street, devil in the house.
A palabras necias, oídos sordos	To foolish words, turn a deaf ear.
Amor con amor se paga	You get what you give.
Árbol que crece torcido, nunca su rama endereza	Old habits die hard.
A todo coche se le llega su sábado	What goes around comes around.
Barriga llena, corazón contento	A full stomach means a happy heart.
Cada cabeza es un mundo	To each his own.
Cada oveja busca su pareja	Birds of a feather flock together.
Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente	You snooze, you lose.
Caras vemos y corazones no sabemos	You can't judge a book by its cover.
Claro como el agua	Crystal clear
Con la vara que midas, serás medido	You get what you give.
Cuando dios da, da de junto	When it rains, it pours.
Cuando el gato se va, los ratones hacen su fiesta	When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Cuando el río truena, es porque piedras lleva	Every rumor has a little bit of truth.
Cuando tu ibas, yo venía	I was fishing when you were still a twinkle in your father's eye.
Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho	Saying and doing are two different things.
De tal palo tal astilla	The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres	Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are.
Donde come uno, comen dos	There's always room for one more.
Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan	Where there was fire, ashes remain.
Donde manda capitán, no manda marinero	There's only one captain to a ship.
Donde cabe uno, caben dos	There's always room for one more.
El comal le dijo a la olla, “qué tiznada estás”	The pot calling the kettle black.
El padre predica pero no se convierte	Do as I say, not as I do.
El lunes ni las gallinas ponen	On Mondays not even chickens lay eggs.
El pez grande se come al chico	The big fish eats the little fish.
El que busca encuentra	He who seeks shall find.
El que más tiene, más quiere	The more you have, the more you want.
El que no arriesga, no gana	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
El que no llora, no mama	The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
El que no oye consejos, no llega a viejo	He who doesn't listen to good advice won't live to be old.
El que siembra vientos, cosecha tempestades	You reap what you sow.
El que se va a Sevilla, pierde su silla	Finders keepers, losers weepers.
El tiempo lo dirá	Time will tell.
El tiempo perdido hasta los santos lo lloran	Time is money.
El tiempo vuela	Time flies.
En boca cerrada no entran moscas	Loose lips sink ships.
En el peligro se conoce al amigo	A friend in need is a friend in deed.
Enfermo que come, no se muere	A sick person that eats doesn't die.
Entre menos bulto, más claridad	Two's company, three's a crowd.
Errar es de humanos	To err is human.
Fruta podrida, contagia a las demás	One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.
Gallina que come huevo, ni aunque le quemen el pico	Old habits are hard to break.
Hablando del rey de Roma y él que se asoma	Speak of the devil.
Hablando se entiende la gente	By talking, people come to understand one another.
Hasta no ver no creer	Seeing is believing.
Hay más tiempo que vida	There is always enough time.
Haz el bien y no mires a quién	Do good and don't consider to whom or how it will benefit you.
Hierba mala, nunca muere	You can't kill the devil.
Hombre casado, ni frito ni asado	Married men, not fried or grilled.
Hombre prevenido, vale por dos	To be prepared is half the battle.
Hoy por ti, mañana por mí	You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
Justos pagan por pecadores	The innocent often pay for the sins of others.
La curiosidad mató al gato	Curiosity killed the cat.
La educación no pelea con nadie	The educated do not fight with anyone.
La práctica hace al maestro	Practice makes perfect.
Las apariencias engañan	Can't judge a book by its cover.
La unión hace la fuerza	Two heads are better than one.
Lo barato sale caro	You get what you pay for.
Del cielo a la tierra no hay nada oculto	That which is done at night appears in the day.
Peor es nada	Anything is better than nothing.
Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Más vale prevenir que lamentar	Better safe than sorry.
Más vale que sobre y no que falte	Better too much than too little.
Más vale solo que mal acompañado	Better to be alone than in bad company.
Más vale tarde que nunca	Better late than never.
Mientras haya vida, habrá esperanza	When there's life, there's hope.
Músico pagado no toca bien	Music paid for doesn't sound good.
Nadie da algo sin pedir nada a cambio	There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Nadie nace sabiendo	No one is born knowing.
No dejes para mañana, lo que puedas hacer hoy	Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
No hagas a otros lo que no quieres que te hagan	Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
No hay mal que dure cien años	No ill lasts a hundred years and no one can endure it so long.
No hay mal que por bien no venga	Every cloud has a silver lining.
No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver	No one is more blind than he who doesn't want to see.
Nunca digas: nunca	Never say never.
No todo lo que brilla es oro	All that glitters is not gold.
Ojo por ojo y diente por diente	An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente	What you don't know can't hurt you.
Para saber hablar hay que saber escuchar	To know how to speak, you have to know how to listen.
Perro que ladra, no muerde	His bark is worse than his bite.
Preguntando se llega a Roma	By asking you'll get to Rome.
Querer es poder	Where there's a will, there's a way.
Todo tiene solución, menos la muerte	Only death has no solution.
Zapatero a tus zapatos	Stick with what you know.
Los niños y los bolos, dicen la verdad.	Children and crazies (drunks) tell the truth.
No puede el buen árbol tener malos frutos	Good trees cannot have bad fruit.
Por el fruto se conoce el árbol	By the fruit, one knows the tree.
Cada uno sabe dónde le aprieta el zapato	Each person knows his weakness.
Acércate a los pobres y te acercarás a Dios	Be near the poor and you'll be near God.
Corazón sin amores, jardín sin flores	A heart without love is like a garden without flowers.
Por el canto se conoce al pájaro	By the song, one knows the bird.
Por su propio boca muere el pez	To put one's foot in one's mouth.
Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre	When one door closes, another door opens.
Cada uno quiere llevar agua a su molino y dejar seco el del vecino.	Each person who wants to carry water to his kitchen leaves the neighbor dry.
Las paredes tienen oídos	The walls have ears.
No hay rosas sin espinas	There are no roses without thorns.
Quien tiene un buen libro, tiene un buen amigo	He who has a good book has a good friend.
Juez limpio de manos, no acepta regalos	A judge with clean hands doesn't accept gifts.
Palabras sin obras, guitarras sin cuerdas	Words without works are like guitars without cords.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

66. Proverbios y Refranes (en español)

Esta lección incluye información sobre:

Proverbios y Refranes

1. Proverbios y Refranes

Los proverbios y los refranes son frases comunes que expresan una advertencia o una enseñaza moral y se usa por tradición. Por ejemplo:

· Más vale lo viejo conocido que lo nuevo por conocer.

· No es rico el que tiene mucho dinero, sino el que vive contento.

Los proverbios y los refranes comunes en español son:

Español	Inglés
A caballo regalado no se le mira el colmillo	Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
A gato viejo, ratón tierno	Old cat, young mouse.
Agua que no has de beber, déjala correr	That which you don't need, leave for others.
A la fuerza, ni la comida es buena	The food is no good when it is force-fed.
A la ley de cristo cada quien con su pisto	Dutch treat
Al mal tiempo, buena cara	Smile in the face of adversity.
Al que madruga, Dios lo ayuda	The early bird catches the worm.
Candil de la calle, oscuridad de su casa	Angel in the street, devil in the house.
A palabras necias, oídos sordos	To foolish words, turn a deaf ear.
Amor con amor se paga	You get what you give.
Árbol que crece torcido, nunca su rama endereza	Old habits die hard.
A todo coche se le llega su sábado	What goes around comes around.
Barriga llena, corazón contento	A full stomach means a happy heart.
Cada cabeza es un mundo	To each his own.
Cada oveja busca su pareja	Birds of a feather flock together.
Camarón que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente	You snooze, you lose.
Caras vemos y corazones no sabemos	You can't judge a book by its cover.
Claro como el agua	Crystal clear
Con la vara que midas, serás medido	You get what you give.
Cuando dios da, da de junto	When it rains, it pours.
Cuando el gato se va, los ratones hacen su fiesta	When the cat's away, the mice will play.
Cuando el río truena, es porque piedras lleva	Every rumor has a little bit of truth.
Cuando tu ibas, yo venía	I was fishing when you were still a twinkle in your father's eye.
Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho	Saying and doing are two different things.
De tal palo tal astilla	The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.
Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres	Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are.
Donde come uno, comen dos	There's always room for one more.
Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan	Where there was fire, ashes remain.
Donde manda capitán, no manda marinero	There's only one captain to a ship.
Donde cabe uno, caben dos	There's always room for one more.
El comal le dijo a la olla, “qué tiznada estás”	The pot calling the kettle black.
El padre predica pero no se convierte	Do as I say, not as I do.
El lunes ni las gallinas ponen	On Mondays not even chickens lay eggs.
El pez grande se come al chico	The big fish eats the little fish.
El que busca encuentra	He who seeks shall find.
El que más tiene, más quiere	The more you have, the more you want.
El que no arriesga, no gana	Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
El que no llora, no mama	The squeaky wheel gets the grease.
El que no oye consejos, no llega a viejo	He who doesn't listen to good advice won't live to be old.
El que siembra vientos, cosecha tempestades	You reap what you sow.
El que se va a Santa Lucía, pierde su silla	Finders keepers, losers weepers.
El tiempo lo dirá	Time will tell.
El tiempo perdido hasta los santos lo lloran	Time is money.
El tiempo vuela	Time flies.
En boca cerrada no entran moscas	Loose lips sink ships.
En el peligro se conoce al amigo	A friend in need is a friend in deed.
Enfermo que come, no se muere	A sick person that eats doesn't die.
Entre menos bulto, más claridad	Two's company, three's a crowd.
Errar es de humanos	To err is human.
Fruta podrida, contagia a las demás	One bad apple spoils the whole bunch.
Gallina que come huevo, ni aunque le quemen el pico	Old habits are hard to break.
Hablando del rey de Roma y él que se asoma	Speak of the devil.
Hablando se entiende la gente	By talking, people come to understand one another.
Hasta no ver no creer	Seeing is believing.
Hay más tiempo que vida	There is always enough time.
Haz el bien y no mires a quién	Do good and don't consider to whom or how it will benefit you.
Hierba mala, nunca muere	You can't kill the devil.
Hombre casado, ni frito ni asado	Married men, not fried or grilled.
Hombre prevenido, vale por dos	To be prepared is half the battle.
Hoy por ti, mañana por mí	You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.
Justos pagan por pecadores	The innocent often pay for the sins of others.
La curiosidad mató al gato	Curiosity killed the cat.
La educación no pelea con nadie	The educated do not fight with anyone.
La práctica hace al maestro	Practice makes perfect.
Las apariencias engañan	Can't judge a book by its cover.
La unión hace la fuerza	Two heads are better than one.
Lo barato sale caro	You get what you pay for.
Del cielo a la tierra no hay nada oculto	That which is done at night appears in the day.
Peor es nada	Anything is better than nothing.
Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando	A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Más vale prevenir que lamentar	Better safe than sorry.
Más vale que sobre y no que falte	Better too much than too little.
Más vale solo que mal acompañado	Better to be alone than in bad company.
Más vale tarde que nunca	Better late than never.
Mientras haya vida, habrá esperanza	When there's life, there's hope.
Músico pagado no toca bien	Music paid for doesn't sound good.
Nadie da algo sin pedir nada a cambio	There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Nadie nace sabiendo	No one is born knowing.
No dejes para mañana, lo que puedas hacer hoy	Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
No hagas a otros lo que no quieres que te hagan	Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
No hay mal que dure cien años	No ill lasts a hundred years and no one can endure it so long.
No hay mal que por bien no venga	Every cloud has a silver lining.
No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver	No one is more blind than he who doesn't want to see.
Nunca digas nunca: