List of Spanish proverbs
Spanish proverbs ( dichos ) with German equivalent or translation
A.
- "A buen hambre no hay pan duro." - In times of need the devil eats flies.
- "A caballo regalado no le mires el served." - You can't look a given horse in the mouth.
- "A caballo regalado no se le miran los serves." - You don't look the gift horse in the mouth.
- "A cabrón cabrón y medio." - One and a half to a rascal.
- "A cada cerdo le llega el San Martín." - Every pig is slaughtered once. - Every wrongdoer gets his punishment.
- "A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando." - God helps the able.
- "A donde te quieren mucho no vengas a menudo." - The prophet is not valid in his own country.
- "A la cama no te irás sin saber una cosa más." - You never stop learning.
- "A mal tiempo se le combate con buena cara." - Good face to bad game.
- "A más doctores, más dolores." - The more doctors, the more pain. / Many cooks spoil the broth.
- "A la muerte, ni temerla ni buscarla, hay que esperarla." - One need neither fear nor seek death, one must wait for it.
- "A la mujer ya la guitarra, hay que templarla para usarla." - A woman is like a guitar, you have to tune her / temper her temper before you can use it.
- "A lo dicho, hecho." - No sooner said than done. - Butter the fish!
- "A palabras necias oídos sordos." - Switch to draft.
- "A pedir de boca." - to your heart's content
- "A poco pan, tomar primero." - If there's little, you go first.
- "A quien Dios no le dio hijos, el diablo le da sobrinos." - To whom God does not give children, the devil gives nieces and nephews.
- "A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda." - The morning hour has gold in its mouth.
- "A rey muerto, rey puesto." - The king is dead, long live the king.
- "A tal pregunta tal respuesta." - As the question, so the answer.
- "A todos les llega su momento de gloria." - Everyone finds happiness! - Everyone gets their grand entrance.
- "Adonde las dan, allí las toman." - Where they give, since they take.
- "Agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo." - get intoxicated, get drunk
- "Al pan pan, al vino vino." - Calling things by their right name. - Name the horse and rider.
- "Alguien vendrá que te hará parecer bueno." - Nothing better comes up.
- "Amor con hambre no dura." - Hungry love doesn't last.
- "Antes se pilla al mentiroso que al cojo." - Lies have short legs.
- "Anunciar a bombo y platillos." - with timpani and trumpets; to promote something
- "Armarse la de dios." - Mix everything up
C.
- "Cada cabeza su mundo." - Each one his.
- "Cada oveja con su pareja." - Equal and equal like to join.
- "Cambiar de chaqueta." - Turn his flag according to the wind.
- "Casa de Tócame Roque" - the juice shop, pigsty
- "Como pez en el agua." - Like a fish in the water.
- "Como elefante en cristaleria." - Like an elephant in a china shop.
- "Cosecharás do siembra." - You reap what you sown.
- "Crea fama y échate a dormir." - Once the reputation is ruined, it is quite uninhibited.
- "Cría cuervos, y te sacarán los ojos." - If you raise ravens, they peck out your eyes. - Ungreatfulness is the salary of the world.
- "Cumplir algo a rajatabla." - at any cost.
D.
- "Dar en el clavo" - get to the point
- "Dar gato por liebre." - Ripped someone off.
- "Dar jabón a alguien" - smear honey around your mouth
- "Dar por zanjado un tema o discusión" - to end an argument.
- "Darse humos" - making yourself important
- "De higos a brevas" - now and then
- "De tal palo tal astilla." - The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
- "Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho." - It is a long way from word to deed. - Talking and doing are two different things. - Easier said than done.
- "De Madrid al cielo." - "From Madrid to heaven."
- "Desde Madrid al cielo." - After Madrid, only the sky is more beautiful.
- "Desde que el mundo es mundo." - Since the beginning of time.
- "De sopetón" - out of the blue
- "Dicho y hecho." - No sooner said than done.
- "Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres." - Tell me who you are going with and I will tell you who you are.
E.
- "Echar leña / aceite al fuego." - Pour oil on the fire.
- "El arbol no le deja ver el bosque." - Can't see the forest for the trees.
- "El hijo del gato, ratones mata." - Like father, like son.
- "El mal escribano le echa la culpa a la pluma." - The bad blacksmith curses his iron.
- "El que no llora no mama." - No gain without diligence. - From nothing, comes nothing.
- "El que se va sin que lo echen vuelve sin que lo llamen." - Anyone who turns away from you for no reason will come back on their own at some point.
- "El saber no es poder, sin embargo el saber hacer sí es poder." - Knowledge is knowledge, ability is power.
- "El saber no ocupa lugar." - Knowledge does no harm.
- "Empezado el queso hay que comerlo." - Whoever says A must also say B.
- "En boca cerrada no entran moscas." - Speech is silver, silence is gold.
- "En casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo." - The shoemaker's wife must wear patched shoes. - The tailor has no clothes. - Carrying owls to Athens. - The cobbler always wears the worst boots.
- "En cien años todos calvos." - Everything has an end. - Nothing is forever.
- "En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es el rey." - In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
- "En todas partes cuecen habas." - It is boiled with water everywhere.
- "Entre col y col lechuga." - Variety is a must.
- "Escurrir el bulto." - pull his head out of the noose
- "Estar como unas Pascuas" - be overjoyed
- "Estar en ascuas" - to sit on glowing coals.
- "Estar manga por hombro." - As with Hempels under the sofa.
G
- "Gato escaldado del agua fría huye." - The burned child shies away from fire.
H
- "Hablando del rey de Roma, por la puerta se asoma." - When you talk about the devil, he's not far.
- "Hablando de Roma, el burro se asoma." - When you talk about the devil, he's not far.
- "Hacer algo en un santiamén." - in no time
- "Hacer la vista gorda." - turn a blind eye to something - turn a blind eye to both
- "Hacérsele a uno la boca agua." - someone's mouth is watering
- "Hacer su agosto." - Bring his sheep into the dry.
J
- "Jamás cerró una puerta Dios, sin abrirse dos." - God never closed a door without opening two others.
L.
- "La guapa desea la suerte de la fea." - The beautiful woman wishes the ugly one to be happy.
- "Las cosas más importantes no son cosas." - The most important things are not things.
- "La última gota hace rebasar el vaso." - The drop makes the barrel overflow.
- "Lo más importante no se ve con los ojos sino con el corazón." - One can only see clearly with the heart. - The essential is invisible to the eyes.
- "Lo que no mata te hace más dura" - What doesn't kill you makes you harder.
- "Lo puedes decir mas alto, pero no mas claro." - You can say that out loud.
- "Los muertos que vos matáis gozan de buena salud." - The dead live longer.
M.
- "Mi casa es su casa" - Feel at home.
- "Machacando se aprende el oficio." - Practice makes perfect.
- "Mañana otro gallo cantará." - Tomorrow is a new day.
- "Más vale llegar a tiempo que en convidado." - Better early than late.
- "Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando." - Better the sparrow in hand than the pigeon on the roof.
- "Matar dos pájaros de un tiro." - Killing two birds with one stone.
- "Meterse la camisa de once varas." - Ride yourself in the shit.
- "Muchos cocineros dañan la comida." - Too many cooks spoil the broth.
N
- "Nacer con estrella" - be a lucky child
- "Nada creas sino lo que veas." - Nobody believes in what they have not seen with their own eyes.
- "Nadie se muere hasta que Dios quiere." - Nobody dies until God wills.
- "Nadie hable del día hasta que la noche llegue." - One shouldn't praise the day before evening.
- "Nadie nace con el manual bajo el brazo." - Nobody is born a master.
- "Ni corto ni perezoso" - without torching (long)
- "No entiendo ni papa" - I only understand train station!
- "No es oro todo lo que reluce." - All that glitters is not gold.
- "No hay mal que por bien no venga." - Everything bad has its good side.
- "No hay quinto malo." - No master has fallen from the sky yet.
- "No hay rosas sin espinas." - No rose without thorns.
- "No hay sábado que pase ni puta que se case." - At some point the seriousness of life comes.
- "No pierde el norte." - Don't lose sight of the goal.
- "No saber de la misa la media." - have no idea about bags and bladders
- "No se ganó Zamora en una hora." - Rome wasn't built in a day either.
- "No se hizo la miel para la boca del asno." - Throw pearls in front of the swine.
- "Nuestro pan de cada día." - The everyday. - Everyday life. - The routine.
O
- "Ojo por ojo, served por served." - An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
- "Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente." - Out of sight, out of mind. - What the eye cannot see that the heart cannot feel. - What he / she does not know does not make him / her hot.
P
- "Pan comido." - Child's play. - It's a no brainer.
- "Pereza, llave de pobreza." - Poverty is the reward for laziness. - No pain no gain.
- "Perro ladrador, poco mordedor." - Dogs that bark don't bite.
- "Poco veneno no mata, nomás ataranta." - What doesn't kill you makes you strong.
- "Poner a alguien de hoja perejil." - don't leave someone with good hair
Q
- "Quedarse de una pieza" - stupid speech
- "Quedarse frito." - overslept
- "Cross it poder." - To want is to be able. Whoever wants can. Where there is a will, there's a way
- "Quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija." - tall trees cast long shadows
- "Quien bien oye, bien responde." - He who listens well answers well.
- "Quien no se arriesga, no gana." - If you don't dare, you won't win.
- "Quien no grita, no mama." - If you don't scream, you won't get any food.
- "Quien se acuesta con niños, mojado se levanta." - Anyone who goes to sleep with children wakes up wet. - Surround yourself with the wrong people and you will be harmed.
- "Quien se pica, ajos come." - where there is planing, chips fall, dogs hit bark (if you feel hit, get in touch)
- "Quien va a Sevilla pierde su silla." - Gone away - Gone place.
- "Quien viaja mucho tiene pocas relaciones." - Those who travel a lot have few friends.
R.
- "Robando a Pedro para pagar a Pablo." - Take from Hinz to give Kunz.
- "Roma no se hizo en un día." - Rome wasn't built in a day.
S.
- "Saber algo al dedillo" - knowing something by heart
- "Salirse con la suya" - asserting one's head
- "Secreto entre mujeres, secreto no es." - A secret among women is no longer a secret.
- "Ser de armas tomar." - Have hair on your teeth, do not let it play with you
- "Ser pájaro de mal agüero." - be an unlucky fellow
- "Ser uña y carne." - be one heart and one soul, like pitch and brimstone stick together
- "Ser un pez gordo." - be a big fish, be a big hit
- "Sin ton ni son" - nothing to me, nothing to you
- "Si quieres el perro, acepta las pulgas." - If you want the dog, you have to accept the fleas.
- "Si te he visto no me acuerdo." - Ingratitude is the world's reward.
T
- "Tener malas pulgas." - be in a bad mood
- "Tirar la casa por la ventana." - hit the wall
- "Tirar la toalla" - throw in the towel
- "Todo lo que va, vuelve." - As one calls into the forest, it resounds.
- "Traer cola." - have consequences
- "Tomar el pelo a alguien." - Pissing someone off
- "Tonto el último." - The dogs bite the last.
V
- "Vivir al día." - live into the day; live from hand to mouth
Further web links
- Collection of Proverbs by Gestialba (Spanish only)
- Collection of proverbs by Justo Fernández López (Spanish with German equivalents / translations)