A las barbas con dineros, honra hacen los caballeros.
He is always revered who sports an old but wealthy beard.
Casa con dos puertas mala es de guardar.
A two-doored house is hard to keep.
Quien del alacrán está picado, la sombra le espanta.
He who has been bitten by a serpent, is afraid of a rope. To him who
has known the scorpion's bite, a glimpse of its shadow will fill with
fright.
Quien echa agua en la garrafa de golpe, más derrama que ella coge.
Haste makes waste. He who in haste does water pour, finds less in the
jug than on the floor.
Ni bebas agua que no veas, ni firmes carta que no leas.
Ne'er drink water from springs you haven't tread, nor sign papers which
you never read.
Del agua mansa me libre Dios, que de la brava me guardaré yo.
Beware of a silent man and still water. Fierce waters I can face by will,
but may God protect me from those that are still.
Cabeza loca no quiere toca.
A crazy head will wear no hat.
A menos bultos, más claridad
Fewer bundles, greater light.
Quien tiene cuatro y gasta cinco, no ha menester bolsico.
He that has but four and spends five, has no need of a purse.
Amor loco, yo por vos y vos por otro.
Oh foolish love, mine for you and yours for anotherAih
No hay barranco sin atranco.
No gains without pains. There is no ravine without a bog.
ŠAl cabo de los años mil, vuelve el agua por do solía ir.
The hare always returns to her form. A thousand years later water
always returns to its course.
Ni ausente sin culpa, ni presente sin disculpa.
The absent are never without fault, nor the present without _excuse.
No hay atajo sin trabajo.
No sweet without sweat.There is no shortcut without work.Na`
No hay peor astilla que la de la misma madera.
No splinter is worse than that which comes from the same tree.N
Más quiero asno que me lleve, que caballo que me derrueque.
Better ride on an ass that carries me than a horse that throws _me.MK
Dijo el asno al mulo: arre allá, orejudo.
The kettle calls the pot black. Said the ass to the mule: plough over
there you long-eared fool
Asno de muchos, lobos lo comen
The ass that is common property is always the worst saddled. A mule of
many masters is eaten by the wolves.
Asno con oro, alcánzalo todo.
An ass laden with gold climbs to the top of the castle. A mule bearing
gold arrives anywhere.
Agua vertida, no toda cogida.
Throw dirt enough and some will stick. Not all water spilt will dry.
No hay bien ni mal que cien años dure.
No good or evil lasts a century
La ropa sucia se debe lavar en casa.
Don't wash your dirty linen in public.
Quien mete el hocico en todo, a veces se llena de lodo.
Curiosity killed the cat. He who sticks his nose into everything, must
some time get covered in mud.
Dormiréis sobre ello, y tomaréis acuerdo.
The best advice is found on the pillow. Sleep on it and find agreement.
Un solo acto no hace hábito.
One act alone does not form a habit.
ŠDelante hago acato, y por detrás al rey mato.
Before the king I do his will, behind his back my words could kill.D
tQuien no sabe de abuelo, no sabe de bueno.
He who never knew a Granparent, never knew good.Qkj:
Los viejos a la vejez se tornan a la niñez.
Old men are twice children
uEn tierra de ciegos, el tuerto es rey.
In the country of the blind the one-eyed man is king.Elk
Cuanto mayor es la subida, tanto mayor es la descendida.
The harder they come, the harder they fall.
Un alma sola, ni canta ni llora.
A soul alone neither sings nor weeps.UVU
Al ruin y al pobre le cuesta doble.
The poor man's shilling is but a penny.The villain and the poor man pay
double.
Una buena capa todo lo tapa.
Money answereth all things. A good cape cloaks everything.UdcE
De la risa al duelo, un pelo.
Laugh before breakfast, you'll cry before supper.But a hair separates
laughter from pain.D…„'''
A rey muerto, rey puesto.
The king is dead, long live the king.
WtuRíe bien el que ríe el último.
He laughs best who laughs last.RNM.
RPeQuien tieQuien tiedQuien tiene arte, va por toda parte.
Who has an art, has everywhere a part.QZ...
Por arte juran muchos, y por arte son perjuros.
A man apt to promise is apt to forget.Many are those who artfully
promise and artfully betray.Pc
Quien no se arriesga, no gana nada.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
El arca de avariento, el diablo yace dentro.
The devil's mouth is a miser's purse.The devil awaits within the miser's
chest.EŠ_
En arca abierta, el justo peca.
The righteous man sins before an open chest.E
Más vale solo que mal acompañado.
Better alone than in ill company
Ni un dedo hace mano, ni una golondrina verano.
One swallow does not make a summer.Neither one finger makes a hand,
nor one swallow a summer.N`
Aún no asamos, y ya pringamos.
Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.We're licking the pot
before the meat has even begun to roast.
H°Al catarro, con el jarro.
Wine cures all colds.
En tu casa no tienes sardina, y en la ajena pides gallina.
Your larder doesn't even house a sardine yet you ask for chicken at your
neighbour's.
En casa llena, presto se guisa la cena.
Supper is quickly prepared when the cupboard is full.
En casa del herrero, badil de madero.
In the house of the blacksmith, the shovel's made of wood.
El día que no escobé, vino quien no pensé.
The only day I failed to sweep, an unexpected guest arrived.
Día de mucho víspera de nada.
Plenty makes poor.D?-'''
A dos días buenos, ciento de duelo.
For two good days, one hundred days of sorrow.
Más mató la cena, que sanó Avicena.
By suppers, more have been killed than Galen ever cured.
Quien a los treinta no asesa, no comprará dehesa.
He who by thirty cannot discern will ne'er a pasture earn.
Al que al cielo escupe, en la cara le cae.
Who spits against the wind, it falls in his face.
ÂQuien dice de mí, mírese a sí.
The eye that sees all things sees not itself. He who speaks of me should
look at himself.
No se acuerda el cura de cuando fue sacristán.
A priest never remembers when he was just a verger.
Quien te cubre, te descubre.
Who covers you, uncovers you.
Cada cuba huele al vino que tiene.
Every tub smells of the wine it holds.
Costumbres de mal maestro, sacan hijo siniestro.
An ill master, an ill scholar.
Tres cosas echan al hombre de casa fuera: el humo, la gotera y la mujer
vocinglera.
Three things drive a man out of his house - smoke, rain, and a _scolding
wife.
Oír, ver y callar, recias cosas son de obrar.
Hear and see and speak nothing. Hear, see and be silent, the right
course in life.
Cosa hallada no es hurtada.
Finders keepers, losers weepers. What's found is never pilfered.
A días claros, oscuros nublados.
No pleasure without repentance. Dark clouds follow bright days.
Calenturas de mayo, salud para todo el año.
Fevers in May herald health throughout the year.
El que tiene capa, escapa.
He who hath a cloak will soon escape.
¿Qué aprovecha candil sin mecha?.
Of what use is an oil lamp without its wick
A canas honradas, no hay puertas cerradas.
All doors open to an honest silver head.
Cuando no lo dan los campos, no lo han los santos.
When fields do not give forth, saints do not receive.
Tu camisón no sepa tu intención.
Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Don't even
let your nightgown know your intention.
Camino de Santiago, tanto anda el cojo como el sano.
Both sane and lame wakl the road to Saint James.
Camarón y cangrejo corren parejo.
Birds of a feather flock together.
The shrimp and the crab run alike.
La cama es buena cosa: quien no puede dormir, reposa.
Among all furniture the bed is best: he who can't sleep can always rest.
Dijo el cazo a la caldera: quítate allá, tiznera.
Ill may the kin call the oven burnt-tail.
Calenturas otoñales, o muy largas, o mortales.
Autumn fevers, long-lasting or mortal.
Cada uno quiere llevar el agua a su molino, y dejar en seco el del
vecino.
Everyone would kile to carry the water to his own mill, leaving his
neighbour's dry.
El que no cae no se levanta.
To each his own. He who falleth not shall never rise.
La cabra siempre tira al monte.
To each his own. The goat always heads for the hills.
Antes de contar, escribe; y antes de firmar, recibe.
Write before counting and receive before signing.
Quien no oye consejo, no llega a viejo.
He was slain that had warning, not he that took it. He who takes no
counsel will never have white hair.
Muchos componedores descomponen la novia.
Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many dressers ruffle the bride.
Más vale ponerse una vez colorado, que ciento amarillo.
It's better to be ashamed once than to have regrets for ever
_more.Better to blush once than turn red forever.
En cojera de perro y en lágrimas de mujer, no hay que creer.
Women and dogs set men together by the ears.Never believe a dog's
limp or a woman's tears.
ÕPor un clavo se pierde una herradura.
For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the _horse was
lost; for want of a horse, the rider was lost.For want of a nail a shoe is
lost.PÌË
dMás vale callar que mal hablar.
Better say nothing than not to the purpose.MZ
Aunque malicia oscurezca verdad, no la puede apagar.
Though spite may obscure the truth, it will never stamp it out.
Quien teme la muerte no goza la vida.
The fear of death will take the hoy from life.Who fears death will not
enjoy life.Q…a
Lluévame a mi en mayo, y a vosotros todo el año.
Let it rain on me in May and on you the whole year through.L:::
Entre todos la mataron y ella sola se murió.
Between them they killed her. All she did was die.Eon
En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques.
On Tuesdays, neither marry nor set sail.E`_
El que no va por la mar, no sabe a Dios rogar.
He that would learn to pray, let him go to sea.Enm
Más vale maña que fuerza
Brain is better than brawn.
Skill before force
Omanos frías, corazón caliente.
Cold hands, warm heart.MFE.
xManos duchas, comen truchas.
Hands that are stout, bring to the table trout. Able hands eat trout.MonY
KMayo frío, mucho trigo.
Cold May, plentiful wheat.MBA'!!!
De la mano a la boca se pierde la sopa.
There's many a slip twixt cup and lip.The soup gets lost between hand
and mouth.D…
Para mayo guarda el sayo.
Ne'er cast a clout till May be out.PML
La ociosidad es madre de todos los vicios.
Idle hands do the devil's work.Idleness is the mother of all vices.LW
POPLa ocasión hace al ladrón.
Opportunity makes the thief.LGF
Obras son amores, que no buenas razones.
Actions speak louder than words.Deeds speak love and not good
reasons.OV
MNDe noche todos los gatos son pardos.
In the dark, all cats are grey.DTS...
En la necesidad se conoce la amistad.
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
De nada no se hace nada.
Nothing comes from nothing.
En este mundo mezquino, cuando hay para pan, no hay para vino.
Have for bread but lack for wine; oh wretched life.
Afanar, afanar y nunca medrar.
To work and work and never thrive.
Manos callosas, manos honrosas.
Horny hands, honest hands.
El que no llora no mama.
The squeaking wheel gets the grease.He who doesn't cry, doesn't
suck.ElkJ
En 'to' el coco
In all the coconut
El hijo de la gata, ratones mata.
Like father, like son.The cat's young also kill mice.EedE
Entre hermano y hermano, tres testigos y un escribano.
Between two brothers, two witnesses and a notary.ExwF
Hembra tras de varón, quema como tizón.
The female after the male burns like a smouldering brand.Hqp
Haces mal, espera otro tal.
Do as you would be done by.One bad turn will find another.HdcD
El mal de muerte no hay médico que acierte.
Death defies doctors
Vel que en mal anda, en mala acaba.
He who does ill, ends ill.EML
El mal del viente, no se cura agua caliente.
Hot water won't fill an empty belly.
d;Mayo come trigo, y agosto bebe vino.
May eats wheat and August drinks wine.MZ...
m(Las madres hacendosas hacen a las hijas perezosas.
Busy mothers make idle daughters.LdcB
Ni buscar la muerte es valentía, ni huirla cobardía.
To seek death is not valour nor to flee it cowardice.NzyD
lMuchos son los llamados y pocos los escogidos.
Many are called, but few are chosen.Mcb
Llagas hay que no se curan, y toda la vida duran.
There are sores which never cure, but lifelong endure.Lwv:::
Más sabe el loco en su casa que el cuerdo en la ajena.
Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.The fool in his house
knows more than the sane man elsewhere.M¯q
lobo hambriento, no tiene asiento.
The hungry wolf knows no rest.LQP
Quien se viene a mesa puesta, no sabe lo que cuesta.
The wholesomest meal is at another's expense.He who sits at another's
table knows not the cost.Q¡o
De mentira y sacarás verdad.
Tell a lie and find a truth.DIH,
Con la medida que mides, te han de medir.
As you judge, so shall you be judged.C_
El médico, mozo; y el boticario, cojo.
The doctor young and game; the apothecary lame.Efe
Cada maestrillo tiene su librillo.
There are more ways than one to skin a cat.
Each little teacher has his little book.
RjkMuchos pocos hacen un mucho.
Mony a mickle maks a muckle.MIH,
El muerto, al hoyo, y el vivo, al bollo.
So drink, eat and be merry, for tomorrow we die.The dead to the grave,
the quick to the table.Ef
No hay regla sin excepción.
The exception proves the rule.NJI
SrsQuien todo lo quiere, todo lo pierde.
All covet, all lose.QJI
Quien bien te quiera, te hará llorar.
You have to be cruel to be kind
NpqQuerer es poder.
Where there's a will, there's a way.QED
La prosperidad es víspera de la adversidad.
Prosperity is the eve of adversity.
noQuien a su prójimo engaña, a sí mismo se daña.
He who does his neighbour deceive harms but himself.Qsr
Nadie es profeta en su tierra.
A prophet is without honour in his home country.N_.
Ojo por ojo, diente por diente.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.OWV
klEl poeta nace, el orador se hace.
The poet is born, the orator made.ETS
xSTOjos que no ven, corazón que no siente.
What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve for.Oon
Más vale poco y bien ganado que mucho y enlodado.
Better a little well earned than a lot with mud bespattered.MA
hiEn pleito claro no es menester letrado.
A good case wants no lawyers.EUT
xghQuien con perros se echa, con pulgas se levanta.
He who beds down with dogs gets up with fleas.Qon:::
QfgPerro ladrador, poco mordedor.
Barking dogs seldom bite.PHG.
mefMuerto el perro, se acabó la rabia.
Dead dogs don't bite.The rabies ends with the dog.MdcF
edeEl perro viejo, si ladra da consejo.
If the old dog barks, he gives counsel.E...
xcdEl perro flaco todo es pulgas.
Misfortunes rain upon the wretched.For the skinny dog; more fleas.EonO
Donde hay patrón no manda marinero.
The boss is the boss.The seaman's not boss when the captain's on
board.DyxF
lmQuien pregunta, no yerra.
Better to ask the way than to go astray.QRQ
fEl pan, pan, y el vino, vino.
Call a spade a spade.Bread, bread and wine, wine.E'''
El movimiento se demuestra andando.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.Movement is proved by
walking.Ezy
Más moscas se cogen con miel que con hiel.
Files are easier caught with honey than with vinegar.Mpo:
sDENo todo el monte es orégano.
Life is not all beer and skittles.Not all the mount is oregano.NjiL
mCDQuien adelante no mira, atrás se queda.
He who does not look ahead gets left behind.Qdc
BCNo se hizo la miel para la boca del asno.
Like casting pearls before swine.Honey was never meant for the ass's
El buen pastor esquila las ovejas, pero no las despelleja.
The good shepherd shears his sheep but doesn't skin them.E„J
En todas partes cuecen habas, y en mi casa a calderadas.
Beans are stewed up everywhere and in my house by the cauldron.EH
Después de beber, cada uno dice su parecer.
Drink loosens the tongue.In his cups each man speaks his mind.DxwR
pQRMás ven cuatro ojos que dos.
Two heads are better than one.Four eyes see better than two.
Wno de solo pan vive el hombre.
Man cannot live by bread alone.M.
Si el fuego está cerca de la estopa, llega el diablo y sopla.
If the flame is near the tow, the devil will come to blow.
A falta de pan, buenas son tortas.
Half a loaf is better than none.
rZCada palo aguante su vela.
Each man must carry his own burden.Each mast must bear its sail.CihK
Palabras vanas, cáscaras de avellanas.
Empty words, hazelnut shells.
RXYA palabras locas, orejas sordas.
Foolish talk, deaf ears.
qWXMás vale pájaro en mano que buitre volando.
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Ver la paja en el ojo ajeno, y no la viga en el nuestro.
To see the mote in another's eye and not the beam in one's own.VH
uUVPagar en tres pagas: tarde, mal y nunca.
To pay in three instalments; late, short and never.Plk
No es oro todo lo que reluce.
All that glitters is not gold.NLK-'''
Y_Pan para hoy y hambre para mañana.
Bread today, hunger tomorrow.
Coger una merluza
To get a hake
Como uña y carne
Like nail and flesh
Chupa del frasco
Suck from the flask
Chupar banquillo
Suck bench
Cierra el buzón
Close de mailbox
Coger una mierda
To get a shit
Coger una mona
To get a female monkey
Coger una tea
To get a torch
Coger o llevar un melocotón
To get (or carry) a peach
Cepillarse a alguien
To brush somebody
Coger una merluza en un buen caladero del norte
To get a hake in a good northern fish bank
Casarse de penalty
To marry of penalty
Columpiarse
To swing
Comerse el tarro
To eat your pot
Comerse un colín
To eat a bread stick
Comerse una rosca
To eat a doughnut
Comerse un 'saci'
To eat a cough sweet
Como anillo al dedo
Like ring to finger
Como los chorros del oro
Like gold jets
Corazón apasionado no quiere ser aconsejado.
An impassioned heart wants no counsel.
Coger una mierda como un piano de cola
To get a shit like a grand piano
No ver tres en un burro
(As) blind as a bat. Completely blind. (Blind can mean either literally
blind, or ignorant, unwilling to see.
De noche todos los gatos son pardos
All cats are gray in the dark. It is hard to distinguish things in the dark;
in the dark, appearances are meaningless. (A rude sexual interpretation
means that, in the dark, all women are suitable to copulate with. )A
Después de la tempestad viene la calma
After a storm comes a calm. Things are often calm after an upheaval.
Obras son amores y no buenas razones
Actions speak louder than words. What you do is more significant than
what you say.
Al buen entendedor pocas palabras bastan.
A word to the wise (is enough). And A word to the wise is sufficient
You only have to hint something to wise people in order to get them to
understand it; wise people do not need long explanations.
A toda castaña
To full chestnut
Por la boca muere el pez
A word (once) spoken is past recalling. Once you have said something,
you cannot undo the result of having said it. (Also the cliché: past
recalling, not reclaimable.
Más limpio que una patena
(As) clean as whistle. Completely clean.
Más limpio que una patena
(As) clean as whistle. Completely clean.
Cerveza Molinero
Miller Beer.
k10Descaradamente / osado
(As) bold as brass. Very bold; bold to the point of rudeness.
Como un huevo a una castaña
Like an egg to a chestnut
(Tan negro) como el carbón.
.(As) black as coal and (As) black as pitch. Completely black. (Also the
cliché: pitch dark, pitch black, used to describe a completely dark night
or room.
Más calvo que una bola de billar
(As) bald as a coot and (As) bald as a baby's backside. Completely bald.
(The baby's backside version is extremely casual; both are disrespectful
of the person you are describing.
Abril lluvioso trae a mayo florido y hermoso
April showers bring May flowers. Although rain in April is not very
pleasant, it helps flowers, which are pleasant, to grow later.
(Figuratively, this can mean that something you do not enjoy may lead
to something you doenjoy.
Las apariencias engañan
Appearances can be deceiving. Things can look different from the way
they really are.
Agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo
Any port in a storm. When you are in a lot of trouble, you will accept
help from anyone, even someone you would not usually deal with.
Ojo por ojo y diente por diente
An eye for an eye (and a tooth for a tooth). If someone hurts you, you
should be able to punish the offender by hurting him or her in the same
way. Not everyone agrees with this idea of justice.
Más ligero que una pluma.
(As) light as a feather and (As) light as air.
Light in weight; or, said of cakes and pastries, delicate and airy.
Carretera del Batán
Fulling Mill Road.
Muy ocupado
(As) busy as a bee. Industrious. (Cute. Used only to describe people.
Also a busy bee, an industrious person.
El oro y el moro
The gold and the moor
Como oro en paño
Like gold in cloth
Divertirse como un enano
To enjoy like a midget
Dormir a pierna suelta
To sleep loose leg
Dormir la mona
To sleep the female monkey
El pobre está un pelín 'p'allá'
The poor is a little hair over there
El gordo cayó en Manchester
The fat one fell in Manchester
El que no llora no mama
No cry no suck
El gordo cayó en Manchester
The fat one fell in Manchester
Desde luego tiene una mala pata el pobre
From after he has such a bad leg the poor
El sobre
The envelope
Deja de comerte el tarro
Stop eating your pot
El hijo de mi madre
My mother's son
El año de la nana
Nanny's year
Empanada mental
Mental pie
En el quinto pino
In the fifth pinetree
En dos patadas
In two kicks
Hambre canina
(As) hungry as a hunter. Very hungry.
En el quinto infierno
In the fifth hell
Cambiar el agua al canario
To change the canarys water
El año de maricastaña
Marychestnuts year
Dar por saco
To give by sack
Con toda la pesca
With all the fishing
Contigo pan y cebolla
With you bread and onion
Costar un riñón
To cost a kidney
Costar un Congo
To cost one Congo
Costar un huevo
To cost an egg
Costar un huevo y parte del otro
To cost an egg and part of the other one
Cuando seas padre comerás dos huevos
When you are a father you will eat two
Dar calabazas
To give pumpkins
Desplumar a alguien
To pluck somebody
Dar la paliza
To give the beating
Todo vale en el amor y en la guerra
All's fair in love and war. In some situations, such as when you are in
love or waging war, you are allowed to be deceitful in order to get what
you want. (Often said as an excuse for deception.
Dar una galleta
To give a cooke
Darse el bote
To give yourself the can
Darse el filete
To give yourself the tenderloin
Darse un voltio
To give yourself a volt
De mil pares de pelotas
From a thousand pairs of balls
De bote en bote
From can to can
De perdidos al río
From lost to the river
De pe a pa
From p to pa
Dar gato por liebre
To give cat for hare
Cuando la sartén chilla, algo hay en la villa.
There's no smoke without fire.When the oil does spatter, there is
something the matter.CZ
Todo lo bueno se acaba
All good things must (come to an) end. All experiences, even pleasant
ones, eventually end.
Dando gracias por agravios, negocian los hombres sabios.
Better flatter the devil than fight him.
Wise men close their deals by paying insults with thanks.
Quien no adoba gotera, hace casa entera.
Who repairs not his gutter, repairs his whole house.
Who patches not the leak, a new house must seek.
Un solo golpe no derriba un roble.
An oak is not felled with one stroke.
Hasta los gatos quieren zapatos.
Even cats want spats.
Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan.
When the cat's away, the mice will play.
No eches la gata en tu cama, o no la acocees después de echada.
How can the cat help it, if the maid be a fool.Don't let the cat upon your
bed nor kick it once it's there.
Quien de los suyos se aleja, Dios le deja.
Far from home, near thy harm.
God abandons he who leaves his own.
Donde fueres, haz como vieres.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Wherever you be, do as you see.
Cada sendero tiene su atolladero.
Every path has a puddle.
Madrastra, aun de azúcar, amarga.
Take heed of a stepmother: the very name of her suffices.
Stepmothers, even when sweet, embitter.
Para poca salud, más vale morirse.
He that wants health, wants all.
The sickly man were better dead.
El rocín en mayo vuélvese caballo.
In May, the nag becomes a horse.
íNo se puede repicar y andar en la procesión.
You cannot have your cake and eat it.You cannot ring the bell and walk
in the procession.N_
Si el prior juega a los naipes, ¿qué harán los frailes?.
If the prior's playing cards, how are the friars engaged?
Cómo subo, subo: de pregonero a verdugo!.
Up, up I go: from town crier to hangman.
El salir de la posada es la mayor jornada.
The greatest step is that out of doors.To leave the inn is to really begin.
Huyendo del perejil, le nació en la frente.
To go from bad to worse.While fleeing the parsley it sprouted on his
brow.
Perdido es quien tras perdido anda.
Keep not ill men company, lest you increase the number.Lost is he who
follows the lost.Ph
Quien a otro sirve, no es libre.
He who serves is not free.
Guardaos del dicho, y escaparéis del hecho.
Least said soonest mended.
Al hombre rudo, no le hables agudo.
Refined talk means nothing to the coarse man.
Donde fuego se hace, humo sale.
There's no smoke without fire.
Where fire begins, smoke will appear.
El mejor escribano echa un borrón.
The best cart may overthrow.Even the best clerk may leave a
smudge.EtsL
Al erizo, Dios le hizo.
God made all creatures great and small.
Even the hedgehog is the work of God.
A buen entendedor, breve hablador.
A word to the wise will suffice.
Juzgan los enamorados que todos tienen los ojos vendados.
Lovers think that all the world is blind.
Cual el dueño, tal el perro.
Dogs bark as they are bred.
Dios da el frío conforme la ropa.
God sends cold after clothes.
Quien a hierro mata, a hierro muere.
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.
Dineros de avaro, dos veces van al mercado.
Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar. A miser's money goes twice to
the market.
Al vivo, la hogaza, y al muerto, la mortaja.
For those alive, a loaf of bread; just give a shroud to the dead.
Nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena.
Better late than never.
Fortune when favourable is never late.
Quien tarde se levanta, todo el día trota.
He who rises late trots throughout the day.
Más vale un día del discreto que toda la vida del necio.
One day of a prudent man is worth the entire life of a fool.
chico pajarillo, chico nidillo.
A little bird is content with a little nest.
Ovejas bobas, por do va una van todas.
If one sheep leap o'er the dyke, all the rest will follow.Oqp
El ojo, límpiale con el codo.
Nothing in your ear but your elbow.Clean your eye only with your
elbow.EsrN'''
El ojo del amo engorda al caballo.
The master's eye makes the horse fat.EXW
Matrimonio y mortaja, del cielo baja.
Hanging and wiving, go by destiny. Marriage and shrouds descend from
the clouds.
De Dios almendras al que no tiene muelas.
God gives almonds to those who have no teeth.
Lo que no se necesita resulta caro a cualquier precio
A thing you don't want is dear at any price. You should not buy
something just because it is cheap.
Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres
A man is known by the company he keeps.
A person tends to associate whith people who are like him or her.
Me lo dijo un pajarito
A little bird told me. A way of indicating that you do not want to reveal
who told you something. (Sometimes used playfully, when you think
that the person you are addressing knows or can guess who was the
source of your information.
Genio y figura hasta la sepultura
A leopard cannot change his spots. One cannot change the basic way
one is.
Aprendiz de todo, oficial de nada
A jack of all trades is a master of none. If you are able to do a lot of
things fairly well, you will not have time to learn to do one thing
extremely well. (Also the cliché: a jack of all trades, someone who can
do a great many things fairly well.
Cada uno en su casa y Dios en la de todos
A hedge between keeps friendship green.
Your friendship will flourish if you and your friend respect each other's
privacy.
Poderoso caballero es don dinero
A golden key can open any door.
Sufficient money can accomplish anything.
ôEn la necesidad o en el peligro se conoce al amigo
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Someone who helps you when you
need it is a true friend. (Also the cliché: a friend in need, someone who
helps you when you need it.
Una nube de verano/estar en Babia
A fool's paradise. Being happy for foolish or unfounded reasons.
Por todas partes se va a Roma.
Al roads lead to Rome.
Un problema compartido es menos problema
A trouble shared is a trouble halved. If you tell someone about a
problem you are having, or request someone's help with a problem, the
problem will not seem so daunting. (Can be used to encourage someone
to confide in you or ask for your help. )A.
Bicho malo nunca muere
A bad penny always turns up.
A worthless person always comes back to the place he or she started
out.
Also the cliché: a bad penny, a worthless person.
Callarse es de inteligentes
A still tongue makes a wise head. If you are wise, you do not talk very
much; you only speak when you have judged that it is appropriate to do
so.
Sentirse como pez fuera del agua
A square peg in a round hole. Someone who is uncomfortable or who
does not belong in a particular situation. (Also the cliché: trying to fit a
square peg into a round hole, trying to combine two things that do not
belong together).
Piedra movediza nunca moho cobija/Canto rodado no crea musgo
A rolling stone gathers no moss. A person who does not settle down is
not attached to anything or anyone. (Can be said in admiration or in
censure, depending on whether or not the speaker feels it is good to be
attached to something or someone.
Ónadie es profeta en su tierra
A prophet is not without honor save in his own country. Everyone
recognizes that a wise person is wise, except for the people close to him
or her.
Una imagen vale más que mil palabras
A picture is worth a thousand words. Pictures convey information more
efficiently and effectively than words do.
u¡Un duro por lo que piensas!
A penny for your thoughts!. What are you thinking about? (Playful.
Una manzana al día del médico te ahorraría
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Apples are so nutritious that if
you eat an apple every day, you will be so healthy you will not ever
need to go to the doctor.
Gallo que no canta, algo tiene en la garganta.
Any cock who doesn't crow hides something he's wont to show.
Un lobo con piel de cordero
A wolf in sheep's clothing. A dangerous person pretending to be
harmless.
Como pez fuera del agua.
A fish out of water. Someone who does not belong in a particular
situation; someone out of place.
No es oro todo lo que reluce
All that glitters is not gold. Just because something looks attractive does
not mean it is genuine or valuable. (Often said as a warning.
El buen vino no ha menester pregonero.
Good wine needs no bush. Good wine has no need for the town crier.
Quien siembra vientos, recoge tempestades.
They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.
En esta vida caduca, el que no trabaja no manduca.
The race is got by running.In this mortal life, he who does not work
does not nibble.
Contra el vicio de pedir, hay la virtud de no dar.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be. Against the vice of asking, the virtue
of not giving.
Dónde va Vicente? Donde va la gente.
One sheep follows another.Where goes Vincent? Following the
rest.DtsL...
Quien tiene vergenza, ni come ni almuerza.
A man may lose his goods for want of demanding them.He who is
bashful enither eats nor sups.
Quien a mi me trasquiló, con las tijeras se quedó.
He that takes the devil into his boat, must carry him over the _sound.He
who sheared me was left with the scissors.
Por un clavo se pierde una herradura
A miss is as good as a mile. Almost having done something is the same
as not having done it at all, since in both cases the thing does not get
done.
Quien tiene tejado de vidrio, no tire piedras al de su vecino.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Es como hablar a una pared
A nod's as good as a wink to a blind horse. You cannot get someone to
take a hint if he or she is determined not to.
Poca cosa, nada.
A drop in the bucket and A drop in the ocean. An insignificant
contribution toward solving a large problem.
Es hijo de su padre
(De tal palo, tal astilla). A chip off the old block. A child who is very
much like one of his or her parents. (Usually a son who is like his father.
Siete vidas tiene un gato
A cat has nine lives. Cats can survive things that are severe enough to
kill them. (You can also refer to a particular cat's nine lives.
Castillos en el aire
A castle in Spain. A daydream. (Also the cliché: building castles in
Spain, daydreaming.
Como una bomba
A bolt from the blue.
A sudden surprise.
Una suerte en el fondo
A blessing in disguise. Something that at first seems bad, but later turns
out to be beneficial.
Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Having something for
certain is better than possibly getting something better.
Perro ladrador poco mordedor
A barking dog never bites. Someone who makes threats all the time
seldom carries out the threats.
Más vale pan con amor, que gallina con dolor.
Is love is no lack.Better bread in love than chicken in sorrow.
En tiempos de higos no hay amigos.
The rich man knows not who is his friend.
In time of figs no man is a friend.
Amistad que no fue duradera, nunca fue verdadera.
A short-lived friendship was never the real thing.
Modesto en la prosperidad y cuerdo en la adversidad.
Modest in prosperity and wise in adversity.
El hábito no hace al monje.
The clothes don't make the man. The habit doesn't make the monk.
El que no tiene cabeza tiene que tener pies.
Forgetfulness demands more trips. He who doesn't have a head needs
feet.
El que parte y reparte, se queda con la mejor parte.
He who divides the cake, takes the lion's share. He who cuts and shares,
keeps the best part.
hierba mala nunca muere.
Ill weeds grow apace.
Hacer bien y no mirar a quien.
A good act is never a selfish act. Do shat is right, whoever the
beneficiary.
Hablar sin pensar es tirar sin apuntar.
To speak without thinking is like shooting without aiming.
Amistad de nuevo trabada es como llaga mal curada.
A friendship reforged, is like a badly cured sore.
La experiencia es la madre de la ciencia.
Experience is the best teacher. Experience is the mother of science.
Si quieres de tu amigo probar la voluntad, finge necesidad.
To try a friend's faith, try want.
Fue por lana y salió trasquilado.
The biter bit. He went for wool and came back shorn.
Amistad fuerte llega más allá de la muerte.
A true friendship lasts beyond the grave.
Amigo y caudal, más fácil de ganar que de conservar.
A friend and a fortune; easier to win than to keep.
Al amigo que en apuro está, no mañana sino ya.
When a friend asks ther's no tomorrow.
Amigos y compadres búscalos entre tus iguales.
Perfect friendship cannot be without equality. Friends and companions
should be sought among equals.
Amigo de mesa y mantel, no te fíes de él.
Beware of fair-weather friends. A friend of table and cloth, trust him not.
Amistad de yerno, sol de invierno.
A son-in law's friendship is like the sun in winter.
Amigo reconciliado, enemigo redoblado.
A reconciled friend is a doubled enemy.
hecha la ley, hecha la trampa.
Every law has a loophole.HHG.
El que tiene padrinos es bautizado dos veces.
He who has godparents gets christened twice.
Jornal de obrero, entra por la puerta y sale por el humero.
The worker's wage comes in the door and goes up the chimney.JK
Quien tiene hijos y ovejas, nunca le faltarán quejas.
Children and sheep equally bleat.He who has both children and sheep
will have no shortage of complaints.Q«d
mCon necios y porfiados enriquecen los letrados.
Lawyers get rich on folls and dupes.Cdc?
Tla letra con sangre entra.
The lesson is learnt with blood.LKJ
La lengua de mal amigo, más corta que cuchillo.
The tongue is not steel, yet it cuts. A false friend's tongue cuts deeper
than a knife.Lb
dAllá va la lengua, do duele la muela.
The tongue moves to the aching tooth.
gLa leche y el vino, hacen al viejo niño.
Milk and wine make the old man a boy.L
Quien hurta al ladrón gana cien años de perdón.
He who robs the thief wins one hundred years relief.Qts?
Piensa el ladrón que todos son de su condición.
Who is in fault suspects everyone.The thief thinks everyone of his
condition.PŠ_
Divide y vencerás.
Divide and rule.
gDesgraciado en el juego, afortunado en amores.
Unlucky at play, lucky in love.D
Por una oreja entra y por otra sale.
It goes in one ear and out the other.
Si el mal no fuese sentido, el bien no sería conocido.
If we didn't suffer evil, we'd never know good.SvuF
Paga lo que debes, sanarás del mal que tienes.
Out of debt, out of danger.Pay what you owe and your illness will be
cured.PW
No hay mal que por bien no venga.
A stumble may prevent a fall.There's no evil that doesn't bring some
good.NzyL
Mal de muchos, consuelo de tontos.
A trouble shared is the fool's consolation.M
El rey entra como puede y reina como quiere.
The king gets there however he can and rules however he likes.
El que está a las verdes que esté a las maduras.
Learn no take the thick along with the thin. Who shares the ripe fruit,
must also share the rotten.
El gozo, comunicándolo, crece.
A pleasure shared is a pleasure doubled. Pleasure grows when spoken
of.
Genio y figura hasta la sepultura.
What is bred in the bone will never come out of the flesh. Wit and
presence accompany to the grave.
sLabrador astuto no labra tierra que no da fruto.
The wise ploughman tills not barren land.Lji:::
Cuando febrero no febrerea, marzo marcea.
Warm February, shivery March.When February doesn't feb, March
doesn't march.
Ni por rico te realces, ni por pobre te rebajes.
Neither swell up with your wealth nor collapse under your poverty.
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda.
You cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
The monkey dreáed in silk is still a monkey.
A otro perro con este hueso.
Tell if to the marines. Take that bone to some other dog.
Al postrero muerde el perro.
The dog bites the last one in.
Los amores entran riendo y salen llorando y gimiendo.
Loves arrives laughing and departs in tears. Love comes in laughing and
leaves crying and moaning.
Cuando uno no quiere, dos no regañan.
It takes two to make a quarrel.
Amantes y ladrones, gustan de la sombra y los rincones.
Lovers and thieves seek out the shadows and the eaves. Lovers and
thieves like shadows and corners.
Si no aras en marzo, ya no lo harás.
If in March you fail to till you never will.
Corre la vaquilla mientras dura la soguilla.
The heifer runs as far as his cord will stretch.
Abril sonriente, de frío mata a la gente.
Smiling April kills with cold.
El gato escaldado, del agua fría huye.
Once bitten twice shy. The scalded cat flees from cold water.
Agua de San Juan, quita vino y no da pan.
Rain on St. John's day denies us bread and takes our wine away.
Agosto, frío en rostro.
August brings a coll breeze to the face.
Treinta días trae noviembre, como abril, junio y septiembre, veintiocho
no hay más que uno; los demás, de treinta y uno.
Thirty days hath September, April, June and November. All the _rest
have thirty-one excepting February alone, which has _twenty-eight days
clear and tyenty-nine in each Leap Year.
Caballo que vuela, no necesita espuela.
A willing horse must not be whipped.
A flying horse has no need of spurs.
El gallo bueno, canta igual en su corral y en el ajeno.
The good cock crows just as hard in his own or another's yard.
Cien ratones a un gato, le dan un mal rato.
Union is strength.
A hundred mice can give a cat a hard time.
Si la golondrina en marzo no la ves, mal año de espiga es.
If you don't sight the swallow in March, a bad year for crops.
El que a la bestia le hace mal, es más bestia que el animal.
He who harms a beast, more beastly be.
Si tu casa quieres reparar, en marzo has de empezar.
Repairs begin when March comes in. If you want to repair your house,
March is the time to start.
Si te casas por interés, no sabrás lo que el amor es.
If for interest you wed, you know not love.
Mejor es ser envidiado que apiadado.
Better be envied than pitied.
Oír campanas y no saber dónde.
To hear but be no wiser for it.Hear bells without knowing whence.
Nunca dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy.
Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.
Amor de estudiante, amor inconstante.
Student's love, inconstant love.
Amor forastero, amor pasajero.
Love with a stranger can be but a passing fancy.
si quieres bien casar, casa con tu igual.
If a good marriage you would make, your equal take. If you want to
marry well, marry your equal.
Amores nuevos, olvidan viejos.
New loves cast out old loves.
Al buen amar nunca le falta que dar.
True love never tires of giving.
Como el gazapo, que huyendo del perro dio en el lazo.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.
Like the young rabbit, run from the dog and into the trap.
Amor que llega al olvido, amor no ha sido.
A love forgotten was never true. A love which comes to be forgotten,
was not a love.
Libro cerrado no saca letrado.
A book that is shut is but a block.Closed books don't make lawyers.LpoO
El que se casa por dinero, de la mujer es jornalero.
He who marries for money becomes his wife's handyman.
Más vale loco conocido que sabio por conocer.
Better the fool you know, than the wise man yet to meet.
Mujer obstinada, marido obstinado, matrimonio mal avenido. Stubborn
husband, stubborn wife, a recipe for married strife.
Que cada cual cargue con su muerto.
Let each man carry his own burden.
Por temor no pierdas honor.
Don't let fear drive out honour. Don't lose you honour through fear.
Tal sembrarás, tal cogerás.
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
El que tiene buen amigo, tiene buen abrigo.
He who has a good friend, has a safe haven.
Cochino matado, invierno solucionado.
Slaughtered pig, plentiful winter. A slaughtered pig solves winter.
En boca cerrada no entran moscas.
Files never enter a closed mouth.
Aborrecer tras haber querido, mil veces ha sucedido.
A love that turns to hating, that's the story of the ages. To hate where
you have loved, that's happened a thousand times.
Dios los cría y ellos se juntan
Birds of a feather flock together. Similar people tend to associate with
each other.
La caridad empieza por uno mismo
Charity begins at home. You should take care of people close to you
before you worry about more distant people.
Más claro que el agua
(As) plain as a pikestaff. Obvious; very clear.
LJMás paciente que el santo Job
(As) patient as Job. Very patient. (Also the cliché: to have the patience
of (a) Job, to be extremely patient.
Como una cabra
(As) nutty as a fruitcake and Nuttier than a fruitcake. Crazy.
Tan manso como un cordero
(As) meek as a lamb. Meek; quiet and docile.
Tan loco como una cabra
(As) mad as a March hare. Crazy. (British).
Entre la espada y la pared
Between the devil and the deep blue sea and Between a rock and a hard
place.
Más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer
Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know. If you have to
choose between a familiar but unpleasant situation and an unfamiliar
situation, choose the familiar one because the unfamiliar situation may
be worse.
oPMMás pobre que una rata
(As) poor as a churchmouse. Penniless; very poor. (Oldfashioned.
Mejor ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león
Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion. It is better to be the
leader of a less prestigious group than to be a subordinate in a more
prestigious one.
QNMás orgulloso que un pavo real
(As) proud as a peacock and (As) vain as a peacock. Overly proud; vain.
Las malas noticias vuelan
Bad news travels fast. Information about trouble or misfortune
disseminates quickly (more quickly than good news).
Como en gallina en corral ajeno
Babe in the woods. A helpless person; someone who cannot take care of
him- or herself in a particular situation.
Blanco como la pared
(As) white as a sheet. Extremely pale. (Used to describe people who
have suddenly become pale.
Más feo que picio
(As) ugly as a toad. Very ugly.
Uña y carne
(As) thick as thieves. Cospiratorial; scheming together.
Más rápido que el viento
(As) swift as the wind and Like the wind. Very fast.
oWUTerco como una mula
(As) stubborn as a mule and (As) obstinate as a mule. Very stubborn.
Allá van leyes, do quieren reyes.
What the king wills, that the law wills.The law follows where the king
leads.
y`Más vale tarde que nunca
Better late than never. Doing something late is better than not doing it.
Pasado de moda
(As) dead as the dodo. Obsolete; out of fashion.
pBAMás duro que una piedra
(As) hard as nails. Stern; unyielding. (Used to describe people.
fAComo una santa
(As) good as gold. Very good; usually used to describe children.
Libre como el viento
(As) free as (the) air. Completely free; without obligations or
responsibilities.
ñ?>(Liso) como una tabla
(As) flat as a board. Very flat. (Also used to describe someone's chest or
abdomen, referring to well-developed abdominal muscles or small or
absent breasts or pectoral development-in either sex.
X>Como las propias rosas
(As) Fit as a fiddle. In very good health.
dMás gordo que una foca
(As) fat as a pig. Exceptionally fat; grotesquely fat.
Muy fácil
(As) easy as A,B. C. Very easy.
N;:Reseco
(As) dry as a bone and Bone-dry. Completely dry.
aOLContento como unas Pascuas
(As) pleased as Punch. Delighted; very pleased.
Más sordo que una tapia
(As) deaf as a post. Deaf.
ÎnmHaz bien y no mires a quien
Cast one's bread upon the waters. To be foolishly generous; or, to be
generous because you feel it is rght and not because you expect a
reward.
Completamente muerto
(As) dead as a doornail and Deader than a doornail. Dead. (Often used
figuratively, to describe an electric device that is not working, as in the
first example.
Más loca que una cabra
(As) crazy as a loon. Crazy.
Tan campante
(as) cool as a cucumber. Extremely calm; imperturbable.
Más frío que el marmol
(As) cold as marble. Very cold indeed. (Used to describe a person who is
either physically or emotionally cold.
Callado(s) como muerto(s)(As) silent as the dead anUTCallado(s) como
muerto(s)(As) silent as the dead and (as) silent as the grave
USCallado(s) como muerto(s)(As) silent as the dead and (as) silent as
the grave. Completely silent. (Has ominous connotations because of the
reference to death. Usually used to pUSCallado(s) como muerto(s)(As)
silent as the dead and (as) silent as the grave. Completely silent. (Has
ominous connotations because of the reference to death. Usually used to
promise someone that you will be silent and therefore not betray a
secret. )A
Como un reloj
(As) regular as clockwork. Very regular; completely predictable.
Como una amapola
(As) red as a poppy. Bright red. (Usually used to describe someone
blushing.
Más rápido que el viento
(As) quick as lightning and (As) swift as lightning. Extremely fast.
Como una cuba
(As) drunk as a lord. Very drunk.
A buena hora, mangas verdes.
To close the stable door after the horse has bolted.Too late,
batallion!Asr
Fuerte como un roble
(As) strong as a horse and (As) strong as an ox. Very strong. (Used to
describe people.
Gato con guantes no caza ratones.
A cat in gloves catches no mice.GRQ
Quien lejos va a casar, o va engañado o va a engañar.
He who travls far to wed will mislead or is mislead.QzyE
La injuria, mejor es olvidarla que vengarla.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt
_me.Insult is better forgotten than revenged.L¨
Más vale humo de mi casa que de la ajena brasa.
Better my smoke than another's coals.Med?
Humo y mala cara sacan a la gente de casa.
Smoke and sour faces empty places.H:
Humedades de abril, malas son de salir.
April damp; venture not outdoors.
Huevos sin sal, no hacen ni bien ni mal.
Eggs without salt do neither good nor ill.Hcb
Más vale caer en gracia que ser gracioso.
Luck may raise higher than merit.
It's better to be fortunate than to be smart.
Huéspedes vendrán que de tu casa te echarán.
A constant guest is never welcome.Guests will come and drive you from
your home.HŠ
Un grano no hace granero, pero ayuda a su compañero.
Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
One grain doesn't make a barnful, but it helps.
Más vale morir con honra que deshonrado vivir.
It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.Mxw
El que quiere honra, que la gane.
Honour is as honour does.Who seeks honour must earn it.EgfH
tHombre prevenido vale por dos.
Forewarned is forearmed.The trusting man is a consummate fool.HkjD
Hombre porfiado, necio consumado.
The trusting man is a consummate fool.
Hombre mendigo, nunca buen testigo.
A beggar will serve money before truth. A beggar is not a good
witness.HxwX
lHombre avariento, por uno pierde ciento.
To win just one, the miser lost a hundred.Hcb
La lisonja causa amigos, y la verdad enemigos.
Flattery makes friends, the truth makes enemies.Lon
Donde menos se piensa, salta la liebre.
It is the unexpected that always happens.The hare leaps out where you
least expect it.D
Huéspedes vinieron y señores se hicieron.
Fish and guests stink after three days.They came as guests and stayed
as landlords.HŠ
Divide y vencerás
Divide and conquer. In order to achieve a victory, you should make your
enemies fight against each other, so that they do not join together to
fight against you.
Al pan pan, y al vino vino
Call a spade a spade.
To speak directly to the point; to say exactly what you mean.
ljCon el sudor de tu frente
By the sweat of one's brow. By hard work. (Often used in the phrase to
earn by the sweat of one's brow.
Antes es la obligación que la devoción
Business before pleasure. You should finish your work before starting to
relax and enjoy yourself.
ojhEnterrar el hacha de guerra
Bury the hatchet. To make peace; to end a quarrel. (Casual).
qigTrabajar hasta altas horas de la madrugada
Burn the midnight oil. To stay up late working.
hfQuemar las naves
Burn one's bridges (behind one). To destroy all possible ways of
retreating; to commit yourself to going forward.
geHacer castillos en el aire
Build castles in the air. To draydream about accomplishing something
that you want; to imagine a future that you hope will come to pass.
(Also the cliché: castles in the air, daydreams about a desired future.
xfdMantener una casa
Bring home the bacon. To bring back money, a prize, or anything good.
Gente refranera, gente embustera.
Proverbs are the refuge of the scoundrel.
Scoundrels love proverbs.
Lo bueno si breve, dos veces bueno
Brevity is the sould of wit. Jokes and humorous stories are funnier if
they are short.
Estas son lentejas; si quieres, las comes, y si no, las dejas.
Lentils today; take them or leave them.
A grandes males, grandes remedios
Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies. If you have a
seemingly insurmountable problem, you must do things you ordinarily
would not do in order to solve it.
mtsLos muertos no hablan
Dead men tell no tales. Dead people will not betray any secrets.
îqpLos niños hablan cuando mean las gallinas
Children should be seen and not heard. Children should not speak in the
presence of adults. (Often used as a way to rebuke a child who has
spoken when he or she should not.
êpoNiños y locos dicen las verdades
Children and fools tell the truth. Children have not yet learned, and fools
never did learn, that it is often advantageous to tell a lie; no
knowledgeable person tells the truth.
Todas las familias tienen un secreto que esconder
Every family has a skeleton in the closet. Every family has an
unpleasant secret. (Also the cliché: a skeleton in the closet, an
unpleasant secret.
A lo hecho, pecho.
What can't be cured, must be endured.
Face sad facts with a broad chest.
Haz primero lo necesario, y después lo voluntario.
Do what you have to and then what you will.
Quien guarda, halla.
Waste not, want not.He who keeps, finds.
ecNacer con un pan debajo del brazo
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth. Born into wealth and privilege.
Quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
To know which side one's bread is buttered on.He who stands by a
strong tree is protected by its shadow.Q«q
La ciencia quiere prudencia y experiencia.
Science requires prudence and experience.Ldc:
Cada uno en su casa, y Dios en la de todos.
Every man for himself and God for us all.
Each man in his own home and God in every one.
Capitán vencido, ni loado ni bien recibido.
The defeated captain finds neither praise nor welcome.Crq;
Cabeza calva, peinada desde el alba.
A bald head stays combed from dawn to dusk.
La bolsa del miserable, viene el diablo y la abre.
The devil slits open the poor man's purse.
chica boca, chica sopa.
A small mouth needs little soup.
Ave que vuela, a la cazuela.
Bird on the wing makes the pot sing.
Bird that flies, into the pot.
el avaro, por no dar, tal vez no quiere tomar.Para el avaro todo es caro.
For fear of giving, the miser accepts no gifts.
Agua pasada no muele molino.
There's no use crying over spilt milk.
A mill cannot grind with water that is past.
Arca cerrada con llave, lo que encierra nadie sabe.
A well-locked chest keeps its contents hidden.
Lo que del agua es, el agua se vuelve.
All that from water comes, to water returns.
El que desea aprender, muy cerca está de saber.
Wanting is thefirst part of the lesson.He who wishes to learn is already
close to knowledge.Ed
Amor loco si ella es mucho y tú eres poco.
If she is high and you are low, what madness love!Aml:
Más vale buen amigo que mal marido.
Better a good friend than a bad husband.M
Entre amigos y soldados, cumplimientos son excusados.
Between friends and soldiers praise can be foregone.EzyE
El comer y el rascar, todo es empezar.
Eating and scratching, all is beginning.E_
Comer para vivir, no vivir para comer.
Eat to live not live to eat.CSR
Come poco y cena más poco, y dormirás como pocos.
Lunch on little, dine on less and sleep the sleep of the blessed.C‚A
Si hay trato pueden ser amigos el perro y el gato.
Where there's business to be done, the cat and dog as one.
El avariento, ni pobre ni rico está contento.
The miser is always in want.
Al amigo que no es cierto, con un ojo cerrado y el otro abierto.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
The doubtful friend must be observed with one eye closed the other
open.
Abril, tan pronto llorar como reír.
April brings laughter and tears in equal measure.
Abril sin granizo, Dios no lo hizo.
God made no such creature as an April without hail.
Abril abrilero, cada día dos aguaceros.
A real Aplil April, two downpours a day.
Quien mucho abarca, poco aprieta.
Grasp all, lose all.He who tries to hold all, embraces very little.Don't bite
off more than you can chew.
Do not commit yourself to doing more than you can actually do. (Also
the cliché: to bite off more than one can chew, to take on too much
responsability.
¡De toda dolencia es remedio la paciencia.
Patience is the best medicine.
A veces es peor el remedio que la enfermedad.
The cure is worse than the disease.
Si quieres vivir sano, anda una legua más por año.
If your health you hold dear, walk an extra league each year
Donde entra el sol no entra el médico.
The doctor never visits where the sun has come to stay.When the sun
comes in, the doctor stays away.D˜k
Agua de por mayo, pan para todo el año.
May makes or mars the wheat.Water como May, bread for all the year.
El amigo ausente, como si fuese presente.
Let an absent friend be present always.
Cielo aborregado, suelo mojado.
Mackerel sky, not long dry.CKJ
Amar, es bueno; ser amado, mejor; lo uno es servir, lo otro, ser señor.
To love is good, to be loved is greater, for one is to serve and the other
be master.
Ninguno se alabe de lo que no sabe.
Self-praise is no recommendation.
Don't boast of what you don't know.
Quien se pica, ajos come.
If the cap fits, wear it.If your mouth itches, you've been eating garlic.
Ajo, sal y pimiento, y lo demás es cuento.
Just garlic, pepper, salt; the rest is nought.
Garlic, salt and pepper and rest is tittle-tattle.
Quien lo ajeno toma, con su pan se lo coma.
The thief eats his spoils with his bread.Qed;
Al que de ajeno se viste, en la calle le desnudan.
He who dresses in borrowed clothes gets stripped in the street.
Quien acecha por agujero, ve su duelo.
Eavesdroppers never hear any good of themselves.
He who spies at the hole, sees but his dole.
Nadie diga de esta agua no beberé.
The one thing you swear you'll never do is what you wake up to _find
yourself doing.
Never say from this water I will not drink.
Días y ollas son menester para convalecer.
Time and good stew will see the patient through.Days and good food will
bring recovery.Dh
hðEl que esperar puede, obtiene lo que quiere.
Everything comes to him who waits.E_
Mejor es no comenzar lo que no se puede acabar.
Don't start what you can't finish.Mba?
péEl consejo no es bien recibido donde no es pedido.
An unwanted counsel is ill-received.EgfB
déLa comida reposada, y la cena paseada.
Sleep off lunch and walk off dinner.LZ
Lo que no has de comer, déjalo cocer.
Keep you nose out of other people's business.What you won't eat let
others cook.L„`
Al gato, aunque sea ladrón, no le eches de tu mesón.
Let not the cat stray from your hearth, though a thief he be.
jôõEl que miente, escrito lo trae en la frente.
The liar bears the mark on his brow.Ea`
dóôEn febrero, busca la soma el perro.
February days, the dog seeks the shade.EZ
Unos tienen la fama y otros cardan la lana.
Some do the work, others get the credit.Some get the fame while others
card the wool.Ua
íA la corta o a la larga, el galgo a la liebre alcanza.
Sooner or later, the greyhound traps the hare.
lðñNo todos los que llevan espuela tienen caballo.
Not all who wear spurs own a horse.Ncb?
kíLas cosas bien pensadas, bien acertadas.
A well-thought plan is a successful plan.Lba
Lo que te dice el espejo, no te lo dicen en consejo.
Mirrors don't lie.The mirror will tell you what counsellors won't.L…„T
Cuando el español canta, o rabia, o no tiene blanca.
When the Spaniard sings he's either mad or broke.
Errando, errando, se va acertando.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again.By dint of wandering
the answer is found.Ef
a envidia del amigo, peor es que el odio del enemigo.
A friend's envy is more dangerous than a foe's hate.LzF
La ensalada bien salada, poco vinagre y bien aceitada.
The well-dressed salad; a touch of vinegar and plenty of oil.L„F
Si quieres enfermar, cena mucho y vete a acostar.
If illness you seek, take a hefty supper straight to sleep.SA
El enamorado y el pez, frescos han de ser.
The lover and the fish are better fresh.Ecb:
El hombre quiere a la mujer sana, y la mujer al hombre que gana.
Man loves woman for her health; woman loves man for his wealth.EPJ
nñòCría buena fama y échate a dormir.
Gain a name for yourself and rest on your laurels.
Casa mal guardada, pronto robada.
The ill-guarded house is soon robbed.
No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver.
There's none so blind as he that will not see.
De eso que poco cuesta, híncheme la cesta.
It's cheap, pile the basket high.
No hay más cera que la que arde.
What you see is what you get.The only wax is the wax that's burning.
Huir de la ceniza y caer en las brasas.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire.Run from the ash and fall into the
embers.
Más matan cenas que guerras.
There are more deaths from supping than warring.
Debajo del dulce cebo, está el anzuelo.
The bait hides the hook.
Al mejor cazador se le va la liebre.
We all make mistakes.Even the best hunter may miss a hare.
Mejor es castigar que después suspirar.
Better punish today than sigh tomorrow.
A donde el corazón se inclina, el pie camina.
Go where your heart takes you.To where the heart is inclined, the feet
are directed.
jÈÉEn casa bien regida, no hay pobreza conocida.
A well-kept home knows not poverty.Ea`
La abundancia hace señores; la carestía, ladrones.
Plenty makes gentlemen; scarcity thieves.
Dolor de viudo, corto y agudo.
The widower's grief is sharp but brief.DVU.
jåæDonde hay más doctores, hay más dolores.
Where doctors congregate pains multiply.Da`
yãäQuien dineros ha de cobrar, muchas vueltas ha de dar.
He who is owed money must walk a long way.QpoE
qâãEl dinero y el amor traen los hombres al derredor.
Love and money bring all men running.EhgB
El deseo hace hermoso lo feo.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.Desire can turn ugly to
beautiful.EsrP'''
Dime con quien andas, te diré quien eres.
A man is known by the company he keeps.Tell me who you wakl with
and l'll tell you who you are.D–
VàMás vale dar que tomar.
It is better to give than to receive.L'!!!
Las cosas nuevas placen y las viejas satisfacen.
New thing please and old things satisfy.Lih:::
fÉÊUnos por otros y la casa por barrer.
All for one and the house stays unswept.U...
mucho estirar hace quebrar.
Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach.Stretch, stretch
and snap.
Éramos pocos y parió la abuela.
It never rains but it pours.The house was full to bursting and Grandma
gave birth.ÉI
Al hombre mezquino, bástale un racimo.
A single bunch will make a miser's lunch.
The miser makes do with one bunch.
A bodas y a niño bautizado, no vayas sin ser llamado.
To weddings and christenings go only when you're bid.
Por la mañana a la pescadería y por la tarde a la carnicería.
To the fishmonger in the morn and the butcher in the afternoon.
No hay peor cuña que la de la misma madera.
A man's worst enemies may lurk in his own home. There's no worse
wedge than one of the same wood.
El que se casa, quiere casa.
Before you marry, be sure of a house wherein to tarry.Ecb,
Bueno es visitar, pero mejor es en casa estar.
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.
No hay cerradura si es de oro la ganzúa.
A golden key opens every door.
No lock will hold if the picklock is gold.
Cuando el hierro está encendido, entonces ha de ser batido.
Strike while the iron is hot.
When the iron is afire, then it should be beaten.
El dinero hace al hombre entero.
A man without money is like a bow without an arrow.
Money makes a man whole.
Con buena escoba bien se barre.
Choose the tool to fit the job.
A good broom sweeps clean.
El mentiroso ha de ser memorioso.
Liars need good memories.
No escarmentéis de una vez, y serán dos y tres.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
If you don't punish the first time, the second and third will inevitably
follow.
A tres de pelea, enseñáles la suela.
He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day.
Three in a fight; show them the soles of your shoes.
Antes es la obligación que la devoción.
Business before pleasure.
Obligation before devotion.
Al mal tiempo, buena cara.
Face foul weather with a smiling face.
A lo que puedas solo, no esperes a otro.
Don't wait for another when you can do it alone.
Cuando el sol sale, sale para todos.
When the sun comes up, it shines for everyone.
Cielo aguado, hierba en prado.
A rain-filled sky, grass in the meadow.CVU.
Cuando el abad lame el cuchillo, malo para el monaguillo.
When the abbot licks his knife, the altar boy loses hope.
When the abbot licks his knife, it's bad news for the altar boy.
Dichoso mes, que empieza con los Santos y acaba con San Andrés.
Wretched month, that starts with all the saints and ends with
Andrew.DOI
En el quinto pimiento
In the fifth pepper
Caracoles en cestos, resultan indigestos.
Baskets of snails, the stomach rebels.Snails in baskets are heavy on the
stomach.C
xTTA buen hambre no hay pan duro.
Hunger is the best sauce.There is no hard bread when hunger bites.
Comer verdura es cordura.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.It's sensible to eat
vegetables.CmlL
Las espinacas, cómelas a sacas.
Spinach; eat it by the sackful.LON
Un mes antes y otro después de Navidad, es invierno de verdad.
One month before and after Yule is winter cruel.U
Marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso sacan a mayo florido y hermoso.
March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers.
En febrero, un rato al sol y otro al humero.
In February, a spell in the sun and another by the chimney.Exw
Al hombre osado, la fortuna le da la mano.
Faint heart never won fair lady.
Fortune smiles on the bold.
En abril y mayo, haz harina para todo el año.
April and May are the keys of the year.In April and May, make flour for
the year ahead.
Cuando llueve, llueve; cuando nieva, nieva, cuando hace viento,
entonces hace mal tiempo.
When it rains it rains; when it snows it snows; the real bad weatheris
when the strong wind blows.CÍÌjddd
Por San Juan, a pescar van.
Come St. John's a-fishing go.PIH
Mes de flores, mes de amores.
Month of flowers, love blooms.MLK-'''
Por San Marcos evangelista, mayo a la vista.
Come St Mark's day, May is but a breath away.
Al músico viejo le queda el compás.
The old musician can still keep time.
Quien bien ata, bien desata.
He who fixes true, can also undo.
Al mentiroso, cuando dice la verdad, no le dan autoridad.
It's like the boy who cried wolf.
The liar is not believed when he speaks the truth.
Donde comen tres, comen cuatro.
Where there's food for three, there's food for four.
Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga.
God shapes the back for the burden.
God squeezes, but he doesn't squasj.
Sol de febrero, calienta como caldero.
The February sun heats like a cauldron.S
Riendo, riendo, la gente va muriendo.
With laughter and play our lives slip away.Laughing and laughing, we
live out our lives.R
Arco iris al amanecer, agua antes de anochecer.
Rainbow at dawn, rain before dusk.
Cuando en invierno vieres tronar, vende los bueyes y échalo en pan.
When in winter thunder hoves, sell your ox and turn your wheat to
loaves.
Cuando el viejo no puede beber, la fosa le pueden hacer.
When the old man doesn't drink, to the grave he must sink.
Comida fría y bebida caliente, nunca hicieron buen diente.
Hot drink and cold food never did a body good.CyxJ
Barriga caliente, pie durmiente.
Eat your fill then let your feet be still.Hot belly, feet at rest.BrqY
Al que es de muerte, el agua le es fuerte.
For the sickly man, even water is too strong.
A las diez, durmiendo estés.
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and _wise. At
tne o'clock, in bed and sleeping.
A la cabeza, el comer la endereza.
Pain in the head wants to be fed.
Blanco cielo es de lluvia mensajero.
A white sky is the herald of rain.
Agua fría y pan caliente, nunca hicieron buen vientre.
Cold water and hot bread make the stomach dread.Cold water and hot
bread were never good for the belly.
Cielo de lanas, si no llueve hoy, lloverá mañana.
Cotton clouds fill the sky, rain is nigh.Cotton clouds, if it doesn't rain
today, it will rain tomorrow.C¨h
Aceituna, una es oro; dos plata, y la tercera mata.
Olives; the first is gold, the second is silver, the third kills.
Aceite de oliva, todo mal quita.
Olive oil cures all ills.
Uno no sabe cuando sufre más, si con dinero y sin salud, o con salud y
nada más.
How do we suffer more; with money but no health or with health and
nothing else
Salud y pesetas, y lo demás son puñetas.
Health and wealth, all the rest is nonsense.
Ni en agosto caminar, ni en diciembre navegar.
Neither walk in August nor sail in December.
Nunca vi mayor afán que muchos hijos y poco pan.
There never was a harder lot than many children and little bread.
Aceite y vino, bálsamo divino.
Oil and wine, balm divine.
El vino, comido mejor que bebido.
Wine is better eaten than drunk.
Agua no enferma, ni embeoda, ni adeuda.
Drinking water never makes a man sick nor in debt nor his wife a
_widow.Water neither sickens nor inebriates nor indebts.
El que fía y no sabe cobrar, pronto no tendrá con qué pagar.
He who gives credit and doesn't collect, soon will find himself _in debt.
He who gives credit and never collects, soon won't be able to pay.
De la abundancia viene la vagancia.
Abundance of things engenders disdainfulness.Plenty breeds
idleness.Dvu
Agua de primavera, si no es torrencial, llena la panera.
Spring rain, when soft, will always fill your loftSpring rain, if not
torrential, will fill the silo.
Agua del cielo, no quite riego.
Although it may rain, cast not away the watering pot.
La gallina pone cantando y la mujer llorando.
The hen gives birth with good cheer and the woman with tears.
Cada hijo que nace, un pan debajo del brazo trae.
Each child born brings a loaf of bread under its arm.
Madre sin dolor, madre sin amor.
A painless birth makes an uncaring mother.
El criar envejece y el parir enternece.
Raising children ages though bearing them brings joy.
El casarse no tendría interés, si al cabo de poco no fueran tres.
Why married be, if not to make three?
Marriage wouldn't be of interest if after a while there weren't three.
Arco iris al mediodía, llueve todo el día.
Rainbow at two, rain the whole day through.
Si problemas no quieres tener, pocos hijos has de haber.
Trouble to eschew, let your children be few.SutH
Agua esperé y tarde sembré, sabe Dios lo que recogeré.
I waited for water and spread my seed late. God only knows what
harvest I'll make.I waited for water and sowed my fields late, only God
knows what I shall harvest.
Antes el trabajo era una maldición, hoy es una obsesión.
Once work was a curse, now it is an obsession.
Haciendo y deshaciendo, se va aprendiendo.
Learning is both doing and undoing.H:
No te fíes de cielo estrellado ni de gato alarmado.
Trust neither a starry sky nor a scared cat.NpoC
ŠAño lluvioso, campesino dichoso.
A rainy year is the farmer's cheer.
ŠSi la nube es negra, cuídate de la piedra.
Black clouds breed hailstones. If the cloud is black, watch out for stones.
A mala lluvia, buen paraguas.
For bad rain, a good umbrella.
Cuando llueve, llueve para todos.
When it rains, it rains for everyone.
Nunca llueve a gusto de todos.
It never rains to everyone's taste.
Al pie de la sierra o a cien leguas de ella.
Either among the hills, or a hundred leagues away.
Muchos hijos y poco pan, a mendigar van.
Many children, little bread, a-begging you must go.
No tener ni un clavel
Not to have a carnation
No ver tres en un burro
Not to see three on a donkey
No está el horno para bollos
The oven is not for buns
No tengo una gorda
I don't have a fat one
No seas golfo
Don't be gulf
No vender una escoba
Not to sell a broom
No decir ni mu
Not to say moo
No me toques las narices
Don't touch my noses
No pegar ni sello
Not to stick a stamp
No dar ni clavo
Not to give nail
No sabe ni jota
He knows nor
No dar ni palo
Not to give a stick
No es mas tonto porque no se entrena
He is not sillier because he doesn't train
No tener ni una gorda
Not to have a fat one
No tengo ni chapa
I don't even have a cap
No decir ni pío
Not to say a cheep
No decir esta boca es mía
Not to say this mouth is mine
No dar pie con bola
Not to give foot with hall
No es moco de pavo
It is not turkey's mucus
Muy interesado/a
(As) keen as mustard.
Very eager or enthusiastic.
No hay moros en la costa
No moors on the coast
A caballo regalado no le mires el diente
If they give you a horse don't look his tooth
Más vale poco que nada
Something is better than nothing. It is better to get only some of what
you want than to get nothing at all. (Also the cliché: better than
nothing, a way to describe something that is not exactly what you want,
or not as much as you want.
Trabajar con ahinco
Keep one's nose to the grindstone.
To work hard and constantly.
Quien guarda, halla
Keep a thing seven years and you'll (always) find a use for it.
If you keep a seemingly useless thing for seven years, you will
_supposedly have some occasion to use it during that time.
Al mal tiempo buena cara
Keep a stiff upper lip.
Act as though you are not upset; do not let unpleasant things upset you.
(English people are stereotypically supposed to be very good at keeping
a stiff upper lip.
No juzgues y no serás juzgado
Judge not, lest ye be judged.
And Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Si entre burros te ves, rebuzna alguna vez.
One must howl with the wolves. If your find yourself among donkeys,
bray from time to time.
Habló el buey y dijo mu.
The ox spoke and he said moo.
A toda pastilla
To full tablet
No dar ni chapa
Not to give plate
A todo trapo
To full rag
No me busques las vueltas
Don't look for my turns
A mí plín
To me plín
Ni flores
Nor flowers
Ni harto de vino
Not even full of wine
No dejar títere con cabeza
Not to let puppet with head
No se entera de qué va la guerra
He doesn't know what the war is all about
No hay mal que por bien no venga
There is no bad that doesn't come for good
No saber de qué va la guerra
Not to know what the war is all about
No tengo una perra chica
I don't have a little bitch
A toda leche
To full milk
Pulir o pulirse algo
To polish
No todo el monte es orégano
Not all the mountain is marjoram
Pensar en las musarañas
To think in the shrews
Perder pluma
To lose feather
Perra chica
Little bitch
Pilla por la orilla
Get it by the bank
Pollos contra pajaritos
Chicken versu little birdsPoner verde a alguien
Poner a cien
To put at one hundred
Ponerse en mono
Tu wear the monkey
Pedir cuentas al pregonero
To ask counts from de town crier
Ponerse morado a copas
To put yourself purple with cups
Patinarle el embrague
To skid the clutch
Que me quiten lo bailao
Let them take away my dancing
Que lo haga Rita
Let Rita do it
Quedarse nota
I am note
Quien se pica ajos come
If you pike you eat garlic
Raquetas Príncipe
Prince Rackets.
Retratarse
To photograph
Reunión de pastores oveja muerta
Shepherds meeting dead sheep
Rita la cantaora
Rita the singer
Ponerse las botas
Tu put the boots
Pagar en carne
To pay in flesh
No tengo ni una perra gorda
I don't even have a fat bitch
No tener ni una perra
Not to have a bitch
No da ni golpe el tío
He doesn't even give a blow, the uncle.
No dar ni golpe
Not to give a blow
No me pases el marrón
Don't pass me the brown
Nos van a dar las uvas
It is going to give us the grapes
Nos ha cagao el palomo
The pigeon shit on us
Ordenadores Manzana
Apple Computers.
Pedirle peras al olmo
To ask pears from the elm
Pagar el pato
To pay the duck
Las desgracias nunca vienen solas
Misfortunes never come singly.
Bad things tend to happen in groups.
Pagar a escote
To pay low neck
Pagar a toca teja
To pay touch tile
Pan con pan comida de tontos
Bread with bread food for the silly
Para muestra vale un botón
A button for a sample
Pasarlo bárbaro
To pass it barbarian
Pasarlo teta
To pass it tit
Pasarse de castaño oscuro
To pass from dark chestnut
Paseo de las Delicias
Delights Avenue.
Otro gallo cantara
Another cock would sing
Cuanto más la noche oscurece, más claro amanece
The darkest hour is just before the dawn. And It's always darkest just
before the dawn. When things are extremely bad, it may signal that
they are about to get much better.
La familia que reza unida permanece unida
The family that prays together stays together. Families who observe
religion together will not break apart through divorce or estrangement.
Las mejores satisfacciones no cuestan dinero
The best things in life are free. The most satisfying experiences do not
cost any money.
Las cosas buenas en pequeños tarros se venden
The best things come in small packages. And Good things come in small
packages. Small packages often contain valuable things. (Sometimes
said os small people.
Lo mejor es enemigo de lo bueno
The best is the enemy of the good. If you are too ambitious and try to
make something better than you are capable of, you may ruin it.
La mejor defensa es un buen ataque
The best defense is a good offense. If you attack your opponents, they
will be so busy fighting off your attack that they will not be able to
attack you. (Often associated with sports. Pronunce defense with the
accent on the first syllable, so that it sounds similar to offense.
A quien madruga Dios le ayuda
The early bird catches the worm. If you wake up and get to work early,
you will succeed. (Sometimes used to remark that someone is awake
and working surprisingly early, as in the second example.
Se va a armar la de Dios
The devil to pay. Severe and unpleasant consequences. (Usually
someone has the devil to pay or there will be the devil to pay.
Mala hierba nunca muere
The devil looks after his own. Evil people are often prosperous or well
taken care of. (Implies that they must be getting their prosperity from
the devil, since they are not earning it by being good and deserving.
ÍhsCuál de los dos sabe menos
The blind leading the blind. A case of someone who is not capable of
dealing with the situation guiding someone else who is not capable of
dealing with it.
El ocio es la madre de todos los vicios
The devil finds work for idle hands to do. If you do not have useful work
to do, you will be tempted to do frivolous or harmful things to get rid of
your boredom.
Cargar con las consecuencias
The chickens come home to roost. You have to face the consequences of
your mistakes or bad deeds.
El cliente siempre tiene la razón
The customer is always right. In order to keep customers happy, the
people who serve them should always obey their wishes. (Often cited as
a principle of good business dealings; customers sometimes say it to the
people serving them ir order to try to get good service.
Cuanto menos se diga, mejor
The less said (about something), the better. A way of indicating that you
think something should not be talked about any further.
Que tu mano izquierda no sepa lo que hace la derecha
The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. One part of an
organization does not know what another part is doing. Describes an
organization in which people who should be communicating with one
another are failing to do so.
Nadie está contento con su suerte
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. People
always think they would be happier in a different set of circumstances.
(Usually implies that the other circumstances really are not any better.
Lo bueno es enemigo de lo mejor
The good is the enemy of the best. Instead of making things the best
that they can, people often settle for making them merely good.
Lo peor es el primer paso
The first step is always the hardest. Starting a new endeavor is the
hardest part of it.
No hay mal que cien años dure
The first hundred years are the hardest. The first hundred years of your
life are the hardest, and after that, you can expect things to get easier;
in other words, your whole life will probably be difficult. (A jocular, ironic
way to console someone who is having difficulties.
No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy
Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
Do not procrastinate.
No es tan fiero el león como lo pintan
The devil is not so black as he is painted. No one is as bad as people say
he is. (Implies that people are saying too many bad things about
someone.
Pararle los pies a uno
Take teh wind out of someone's sails. To destroy someone's enthusiasm
or pride.
Ensalada de tiros
Shot salad
Donde fueres haz lo que vieres
So many countries, so many customs. People in different countries have
ways if behaving.
En menos que canta un gallo
In less than a cock signs
Dormir como un tronco
Sleep like a log. To sleep very well and deeply.
En boca cerrada no entran moscas
Silence is golden. Silence is often good or desirable. (You can use this
phrase to advise someone to be silent.
El que calla otorga
Silence gives consent. If you do not object to what someone says or
does, you can be assumed to agree with or condone it.
A buenas horas mangas verdes
Shut the stable door after the horse has bolted. And Lock the stabledoor
after the horse is stolen. To try to prevent something that has already
happened; to act too late.
Hay que saber compartir
Share and share alike. To share fairly and evenly. (Used to describe a
situation in which everyone divides something equally; often used to
instruct people to share.
Cuanto más alto se llegue, más dura será la caída
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When prominent people fail,
their failure is dramatic.
Í`kEstar cortados por el mismo patrón
Tar someone with the same brush. To condemn someone for the same
reason as you condemn someone else, whether that condemnation is
justified or not.
El fin justifica los medios
The end justifies the means. You can use bad or immoral methods as
long as you accomplish something good by using them. (Not everyone
agrees with this idea.
Estar a las duras y a las maduras
Take the rough with the smooth. To accept difficult as well as easy
times.
Aprovechar la oportunidad
Strike while the iron is hot. When you have an opportunity to do
something, do it before you lose your chance.
No gastes más de lo que tienes
Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach. Do not spend
more money than you have.
Del agua mansa me libre Dios (que de la brava me libro yo)
Still waters run deep. Quiet people are probably very thoughtful; think a
lot more than they say.
A palabras necias oídos sordos
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.
You do not hurt me by calling me names. (A reply to somene who has
called you names. Primarily used by children; sounds childish when used
by adults.
wYdResistir el paso de tiempo
Stand the test of time. To be well regarded; to last for a long time.
Hablando de Roma por la puerta asoma
Speak of the devil (and in he walks). And Talk of the devil (and he is
sure to appear). Talk about a certain person, and that person appears.
(Used when someone appears whom you have just been talking about.
íWbLa letra con sangre entra
Spare the rod and spoil the child. You should punish a child when he or
she misbehaves, because if you do not, the child will grow up expecting
everyone to indulge him her.
Gustos diferentes
Tastes differ. Different people like different things.
Más vale prevenir que curar
Prevention is better than cure. It is better to try to keep a bad thing
from happening than it is to fix the bad thing once it has happened.
Se va a armar la gorda
The fat is in the fire. Matters have come to a crisis; trouble is about to
start.
No se puede perder lo que no se ha tenido
You cannot lose what you never had. You should not say you have lost
something if you only wished that you had it to begin with.
No se puede estar en misa y repicando
You cannot have your cake and eat it (too).
You cannot pursue two alternatives at the same time.
No pongas el carro delante del caballoDont put the cart before the
horseDo not do things in the wrong order
(Can imply that the person you are addressing is impaWª«Dormir como
un leñoSleep like a topTo sleep soundly.
Dormir como un leño
Sleep like a topTo sleep soundly
A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando
Put your trust in God, and keep your powder dry. Have faith that God
will make sure that you win a conflict, but be prepared to fight well and
vigorously. (Supposed to have been said by Oliver Cromwell; powder
means gunpowder.
Meter la pata
Pu one's foot in it. Inadvertently to do something rude, unwise, or
awkward.
Cerrarse en banda
To set a limit that you are not willing to alter.
Put one's foot down
Nada que valga la pena se logra sin crear conflictos
You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. In order to get
something, you must give up something else.
Engañar a alguien como a un chinoPull the wool over someones eyesTo
fool
No se puede dar gusto a todo el mundo
You cannot please everyone.
De matamala a matapeor
Out of the frying pan into the fire. From a bad situation to an even
worse one.
No se puede estar en dos sitios a la vez
One cannot be in two places at once. You cannot be in more than one
place or do more than one thing at the same time. Casamiento y
mortaja del cielo bajan. Marriages are made in heaven. You cannot
foretell who will marry whom. Two people may love each other very
much but may end up not marrying each other, and two people who do
not even know each other may marry each other in the end.
No se ganó Zamora en una hora
Rome Was not built in a day. It takes a lot of time to achieve something
important.
Es como un mono, hace lo que ve
Monkey see, monkey do. Children imitate what they see other people
doing. (Playful.
La mitad del mundo no sabe como vive la otra mitad
Half the world knows not how the other half lives. You cannot
understand what life is like for people who are different from you; often,
rich people do not know what it is like to be poor, and poor people do
not know what it is like to be rich.
Dime con quien andas y te diré quien eres
If you lie down with dogs, you will get up with fleas.
If you associate with bad people, you will acquire their faults.
Un hombre bueno es difícil de encontrar
Good men are scarce.
And A good man is hard to find.
There are only a few good people in the world.
Más viejo que andar de pie
(As) old as the hills.
Very old; ancient.
Tratar de hacerlo lo mejor posible
Put ones best foot forwardTo behave exceptionally
Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente
Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise. If knowing something
makes you unhappy, it would be better not to know it. (Also the cliché:
ignorance is bliss.
Han pasado muchas cosas
Water over the dam and Water under the bridge. Events in the past that
cannot be changed.
Quien no malgasta no pasa necesidades
Waste not, want not. If you do not waste anything, you will always have
enough.
Dijo la sartén al cazo: retírate que me tiznas
The pot is calling the kettle black. And That's the pot calling the kettle
black. You should not criticize someone for a fault that you have too.
(Not polite to say about the person you are addressing.
Más puede la pluma que la espada
The pen is mightier than the sword. Eloquent writing persuades people
better than military force.
Cuanto más tienes más quieres
The more you get, the more you want. And The more you have, the
more you want. People are never satisfied with what they have.
Cuanto más mejor
The more the merrier. The more of something you have, the happier
you will be. (Often used to invite more people to join you. Sometimes
used ironically, as in the second example.
Agua pasada no mueve molino
The mill cannot grind with water that is past. Do not waste the
opportunities you now have; or, do not waste time wishing for what you
had in the past.
Resumiendo
The long and the short of it. The most important point; the summary of
the matter.
Aunque la mona se vista de seda, mona se queda
You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Querer es poder
Where there's a will, there's a way. If you truly want to do something,
you will find a way to do it, in spite of obstacles.
Sacudir una galleta
To shake a cookie
Cuando el gato está ausente, los ratones se divierten
When the cat's away, the mice will play. When no one in authority is
present, the subordinates can do as they please.
Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre
When one door shuts, another opens. When you lose one opportunity,
you often find a different one.
ó ˜Donde fueres haz lo que vieres
When in Rome, (do as the Romans do). Behave however the people
around you behave; adapt yourself to the customs of the palces you
visit.
Si está bien que uno lo haga, está bien que lo haga cualquiera
What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. What is good for one
person is good for another; often, what is good for the woman in a
couple is good for the man.
Qué importa el nombre?Whats in a name?The name of a thing does not
matter as much as the quality of the thing
(From Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet.
Quien sabe, vete tu a saber
Your guess is a good as mine.
Favor con favor se paga
You scratch my back, I'll scratch your. If you do what I want you to do,
I will do what you want me to do.
No se puede servir a Dios y al dinero
You cannot serve God and mammon.
El menor de dos males
The lesser of two evils. The least unpleasant of two unpleasant options.
¡Vete a freir monas!
Go to fry fremale monkeys!
Acabo de pisar una catalina
I've just stepped on a catherine
¡Qué pasada!
What a passing!
¡Qué pasa tronco!
What pass trunk!
¡Qué maleta eres!
What a suitcase you are!
¡Tela marinera!
Sea fabric!
¡Tírate de la moto!
Jump off the bike!
¡Vamos anda!
Comoe on walk!
¡Vaya potra!
What a filly!
¡Que te parta un rayo!
That a ray breaks you!
¡Vete a la porra!
Go to the club!
¡Que mala baba tienes!
What a bad spittle you have!
¡Y un cuerno!
And a horn!
¡Y un jamón!
And a ham!
A mala leche
On bad milk
A caer de un burro
To fall from a donkey
A mala uva
On bad grape
A la sopa boba
To the silly soup
A lo hecho, pecho
To the made, chest
Sábado sabadete, camisa limpia y polvete
Saturday, little saturday, clean shirt and little dust
¡Vaya tomate!
What a tomatoe!
¡Echa el freno Madaleno!
Throw the brake Madaleno!
Y me puso a caer de un burro
And the put me to fall from a donkey
Y me guindó el boli
And he cherried my ballpen
Y le dieron por saco
And they gave him by sack
Y me desplumó el tío
And the uncle pluked me
Y armaron un buen cacao
And they put together a good coca
¡A freir espárragos!
To fry asparagus!
¡A freir monas!
To fry female monkeys!
¡A buenas horas mangas verdes!
To good hours green sleeves!
¡Qué marronazo!
What a big brown!
¡Anda ya!
Walk now!
Agarrar un pedal
To get a pedal
¡Maciza!
Solid!
¡Me cago en tu estampa!
I shit on your print!
¡Me cago en diez!
I shit on ten!
¡Me cago en la mar!
I shit on the sea!
¡Me cago en la leche!
I shit on the milk!
¡No tragues por ahí, tío!
Dont swallow by there uncle!
¡Para el carro!
Stop the cart!
¡Que de qué!
What of what!
¡Allá películas!
Over there films!
Cada loco con su tema
Each fool with his theme
Abrirse
To open yourself
Borrón y cuenta nueva
Blot and new account
Braguetazo
A coup de fly
Bueno, me abro
Good, I'm going to open myself
Bueno, me doy el bote
Good, I'm gonna give myself the can
Bueno, me voy a hacer seda
Good, I'm goig to make silk.
Buscar tres pies al gato
Look for three feet in the cat
Buscar las vueltas
Look for the turns
Bancociudad
Citibank.
Caballo grande, ande o no ande
Big horse walk or no walk
Así te luce el pelo
So your hair looks
Cada oveja con su pareja
Each sheep with its pair
Cada mochuelo a su olivo
Each little owl to its olive tree
Caer gordo
To fall fat
Caer el gordo
To fall the fat one
Calderilla
Little boiler
Calle del Panadero
Baker Street.
Calle Lavapies
Feetwasher Street.
Calle de la Iglesia
Church Street.
Butragueño chupa mucho banquillo
Butragueño sucks a lot of bench
Aquí la parienta
Here the relative
Agarrar un pedo
To get a fart
Agarrar una castaña
To get a chestnut
Ahorrarse el chocolate del loro
To save the parrot's chocolate
Al pan, pan y al vino, vino
To bread, bread and to wine, wine
Andar con pies de plomo
To walk with lead feet
Ande yo caliente y ríase la gente
Let me waqlk hot and let the people laugh
Anoche lo pasamos teta
Last night we passed it tit
Aprender inglés es un peñazo
Learning English is a big boulder
Batir el cobre
To beat the copper
Aquí mi Santa
Here my Saint
Vete a cagar a la vía
Go to shit to the tracks
Aquí un conocimiento
Here one knowledge
Aquí me las dén todas
Here they give me all
Aquí paz y después gloria
Here peace and after glory
Aquí hay gato encerrado
Here is a locked up cat
Aquí viene el tío Paco con las rebajas
Here comes uncle Frank with the sales
Aquí no hay tu tía
Here there is not your aunnt
Armar la gorda
To arm the fat one
Armar un cirio
To arm a big candle
Aquí mi tronqui
Here my little trunk
Ser de la acera de enfrente
To be of the opposite sidewalk
Y se pulió todo lo que tenía
And he polished everything he had
Ser un pringao
To be a dipper
Ser un capullo
To be a bud
Ser un lince
To be a Lynx
Ser más simple que el mecanismo de un cubo
To be more simple than a bucket's mechanism
Ser un calzonazos
To be a big pants
Ser un piernas
To be one legs
Ser un pinta
To be a pint
Ser la Biblia en verso
To be the Bible in verse
Ser un pelagatos
To be a cat peeler
Ser un primo
To be a cousin
Ser más corto que las mangas de un chaleco
To be as short as a waistcoats sleeves
Ser un pelagatos
To be a cat peeler
Ser un turrón
To be a nougat
Siempre tienes potra
You always have filly
Siempre tengo que pagar el pato yo
I always have to pay the duck
Sin ton ni son
Without ton nor sound
Sin arte ni parte
Without art nor part
Sólo tengo calerilla
I only have little boiler
Ser un bombón
To be a chocolate
Ser un feto
To be a fetus
wT_Estar fuera de peligro
Someone is not out of the woods yet. Someone's problems are not yet
over.
Salí anoche y no vendí una escoba
I went out last night and I didnt sell a broom
Salir rana
To come off frog
Sangre, Sudor y Lágrimas
Blood, Sweat and Tears.
Se pasa el día venga a meter la gamba
He passes the day come to insert the prawn
Se lo sabe de pe a pa
He knows it from p to pa
Se parece a su padre como.
She looks like her father like.
Se te ve el plumero
We can see your feather duster
Ser un berzas
To be a cabbage
Ser un carroza
To be a carriage
Soplagaitas
Pipeblower
Ser un farolero
To be a lamplighter
Ser más corto que el rabo de una boina
To be as short as a beret's tail
Ser un culo de mal asiento
To be a bad seat ass
Ser un callo
To be a corn
Ser más bueno que el pan
To be as good as bread
Ser de cajón
To be of drawer
Ser más marica que un palomo cojo
To be as queer as a crippled pigeon
Ser un viva la virgen
To be an up with the virgin
Sé donde me aprieta el zapato
I know where the shoe tightens
Tus quesos huelen mal
Your cheeses stink
Tierramadera
Timberland.
Tirar la casa por la ventana
To throw the house by the window
Tirarse un farol
To throw a lamp
Tocar las narices
To uch the noses
Tontolaba
Sillybean
Traer al fresco
To bring to the fresh
Tragar
Swallow
Trasconejarse
To transrabbit
Sólo le importan los cuartos
He only cares about the quarters
Tronqui
Little trunk
Tiene mal la azotea
He's got a bad penthouse
Un voltio y medio y medio
A volt and half
Un pelín borde
A little hair edge
Vacas flacas
Thin cows
Vámonos, macho
Let's go male
Venga tío, retrátate
Come on uncle photograph
Venir al pelo
To come to the hair
Vérsele a uno el plumero
To see the feather duster
Sacar tajada
To gest slice
Tronqui
Little trunk
Tener cocodrilos en los bolsillos
To have crocodiles in the pockets
Vivir como un cura
To live lile a priest
Te tengo en el bote, mona
I have you in the can, female monkey
Te apuesto pollos contra pajaritos
Te voy a meter un paquete que te vas a enterar
I'm going to give you a pack that you are going to find out
Tener mono de.
To have monkey of.
Tener flojo el fuelle
To have a weak blower
Tener ideas de bombero
To have fireman ideas
Tener la sartén por el mango
To have the pan by the handle
Tiene mucho coco
He has a lot of coconut
Tener mala uva
To have bad grape
Tiene entradas
He has entrances
Tener manga ancha
To have wide sleeve
Tener virutón
To have supershavings
Tener en el bote
To have in the can
Tener más capas que una cebolla
To have more leyers than an onion.
Tener manga ancha
To have wide sleeve
Tenerlos de corbata
To have them as a tie
Teta pura
Pure tit
Tiene mal la azotea
He's got a bad penthouse
Sólo tengo calderilla
I only have little boiler
Tener mala sombra
To have bad shadow
Más chulo que un ocho
As showy as an eight
Jarabe de palo
Stick syrup
Mala baba
Bad spittle
Mala uva
Bad grape
Mala sangre
Bad blood
Mamonazo
Big suckling
Manolo dos con leche y uno solo
Malone two with milk and one aloneand uan aloun).
Marchando una de.
Marching one of.
Marear la perdiz
To make the partridge sick
Macho, no te columpies
Male, don't swing yourself
Más tonto que Abundio
Sillier than Abundio
Macho, ¡qué vacaciones!, no dí ni clavo
Male, what holidays!, I didn't give a nail
Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando
Better bird in hand than thousand flying.
Más bonito que un San Luis
As nice as a Saint Louis
Más contento que un tonto con una tiza
As happy as a silly with a chalk
Más largo que un día sin pan
Longer than a breadless day
Más viejo que Carracuca
Older than Carracuca
Más raro que un perro verde
As funny as a green dog
Me ha costado un pico
It cost me a peak.
Me cae gordo
He falls me fat
Marica playa
Beach queer
Ligas menos que el chofer del Papa
You tie less than the Pope's driver
Lento pero seguro
Slow but sure and Slowly but surely. Slow but unstoppable.
La fila de los mancos
The row of the one-handed
La ocasión la pintan calva
They paint the occasion bald
La alegría de la huerta
The joy of the vegetable garden
La movida
The move
La ley del embudo, 'pa' tí lo ancho y 'pa' mí lo estrecho.
The funnel's law for you the wide and for me the La ley del embudo
La marimorena
The marysuntan
La cabra siempre tira al monte
The goat always pulls to the mountain
Mal de muchos consuelo de tontos
Bad of many confort for the sillyde seli
Ligar bronce
To pick up bronze
Me voy al sobre
I'm going to the envelope
Limpio de polvo y paja
Clean from dust and straw
Llegar y besar el santo
To arrive and kiss the saint
Llevaba una mamada
He carried a suck
Llevarse el gato al agua
To take the cat to the water
Lo hizo a mala uva
He did it on bad grape
Lo comido por lo servido
The eaten for the served
Lo hago en dos patadas
I do it in two kicks
Macho, vives como un cura
Male, you live like a priest
Las cosas de palacio van despacio
Palace things go slowly
Con el fuego no se juega
Fire is a good servant but a bad master. You must be careful to keep fire
under control so that it will not hurt you.
La experiencia es la madre de la ciencia
Experience is the best teacher. You will learn more from things that
happen to you than you will from hearning about things that happen to
other people.
Se predica con el ejemplo
Example is better than precept. You will teach people more effectively
by being a good example than you will by telling them what to do.
Cada palo que aguante su vela
Every tub must stand on its own bottom. And Let every tub stand on its
own bottom. Everyone must support himself or herself; people should
be independent.
Sobre gustos no hay nada escrito
Every man to his taste. Everyone likes something different, and you
should not condemn anyone for liking what he or she likes. (Can be
used to remark that someone's tastes are different from yours, as in the
first example.
Cada hombre construye su propio destino
Every man is the architect of his own fortune. Your own decisions and
your own actions determine what your life will be like.
Todos tenemos un precio
Every man has his price. It is possible to bribe anyone as long as you
know what. to bribe him or her with.
Todos tenemos nuestra media naranja
Every Jack has his Jill. Every man will eventually find a woman to be his
romantic partner.
ÍTodo el mundo piensa que lo suyo es lo peor
Every horse thinks its own pack heaviest. Everyone thinks he or she has
the hardest work to do or the most difficult problems to overcome.
Me cayó el gordo
I got the fat one
La primera impresión es la que cuenta
First impressions are the most lasting. People will remember the way
you appear when you first meet them, so it is important to be your best
when you meet someone for the first time.
A caballo regalado no le mires el dientado
Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Do not look for defects in a gift.
¿Para qué nos ha dado Dios los dedos?
Fingers were made before forks. It is all right to eat with one's fingers
because people had to eat somehow before there were forks. (You can
use this to justify eating something with your fingers.
Obras son amores y no buenas razones
Fine words butter no parsnips. Just because someone promises
something does not guarantee that he or she will do it. (Can be used as
a rebuke, implying that the person you are addressing is promising
something he or she will not do, as in the second example.
Las paredes oyen
Fields have eyes, and woods have ears. Even though you are outside in
an apparently empty landscape, someone may be eavesdroping on you.
Presentir
Feel something in one's bones. To intuit something.
!Donde hay confianza, da asco!
Familiarity breeds contempt.
People do not respect someone they know well enough to know his or
her faults.
öQuedarse sin el pan y sin la torta
Fall between two stools. To fail because you cannot decide between two
choices; for someone or something to be difficult to classify because the
entity is not clearly one thing or another.
Dar hasta a la novia
Give the shirt off one's back. To be extremely generous; to give
anything that is asked for, even when you do not have very much to
give.
Dar a alguien el beneficio de la duda
Give someone the benefit of the doubt. To assume that someone is
acting in good faith even though it is possible that he or she is being
dishonest.
No hay nada más atrevido que la ignorancia
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. Foolish people usually do not
understand when a situation is dangerous, so they are not afraid to do
things that would frighten more sensible people.
Ni hablar del peluquín
Nor speak about the toupée
Irse al cuerno
To go to the horn
Menganito es un lince
Menganeeto is one lynx.
Meter un paquete
To give a pack
Meter la gamba
To insert the prawn
Meterla doblada
To place it folded
Mi gozo en un pozo
My joy in a well
Mírale, la alegría de la huerta
Look at him, they joy of the vegetable garden
Mis hijos, ya sabes, a la sopa boba
My sons, you know, to the silly soup
El mundo es de los audaces
Faint heart never won fair lady. A timid suitor never won his lady. (Used
to encourage boys or men to be bold in courting women.
Nadie te ha dado vela en este entierro
Nobody gave you a candle in this burial
La fe mueve montañas
Faith will move mountains. If you believe in what you are doing, you can
overcome any obstacle.
Ni borracho de Casera
Not even drunk with 'Landlady'
A cada santo le llega su día
Every dog has his day. Everyone will be fortunate at least once;
everyone will have at least a brief opportunity to be in power.
No hay mal que por bien no venga
Every cloud has a silver lining. You can derive some benefit from every
bad thing that happens to you. (You can also refer to the silver lining of
a particular cloud, the benefit you can derive from a particular
misfortune.
ŸEscapar por los pelos
Escape by the skin of one's teeth. Just barely escape. (Also the cliché:
by the skin of one's teeth, just barely.
Quien escucha, su mal oye
Eavesdroppers never hear any good of themselves. And Listeners never
hear any good of themselves. If you eavesdrop on people who are
talking about you, chances are that you will hear them say unfavorable
things about you. (Implies that you should not eavesdrop.
Comer para vivir, no vivir para comer
Eat to live, not live to eat. Do not be gluttonous; eating should not be
your favorite activity, but something you do to maintain your health.
Dineros del sacristán, cantando vienen cantando van
Easy come, easy go. And Come easy, go easy. You will probably lose
anything that you get without effort; something that is come by with
little effort can be lost without much grief.
š{{Beber como un cosaco
Drink like a fish. To drink alcohol excessively; to be in the habit of
drinking alcohol excessively.
Me importa un pimiento
I dont care one pepper
Mosca cojonera
Balls fly
Estar de Rodríguez
To be of Mr. Smith
La peseta va de culo
The peseta goes ass first
Estar como un pan
To be like a bread
Estar frito
To be fried
Estar en sus trece
To be in your thirteen
Estar forrado
To be lined
Estar a dos velas
To be at two candles
Estar tieso
To be stiff.
Estar 'tocao'
To be touched
Estar con la mosca detrás de la oreja
To be with the fly behind the ear
Estar como un queso
To be like a cheese
Estar 'mamao'
To be sucked
Estar como una cabra
To be like a goat
Estar sin blanca
To be without white
Estar pez
To be fish
Estar más tieso que una escoba
To be more stiff than a broom
Estar macizo
To be solid
Estar más zumbao que el pecho de un gorila
To be more battered than a gorillas chest
Estar molido
To be ground
Estar más bueno que el pan
To be better than bread
Estar por uvas
To be for grapes
Ese es un ganso
This is a goose
Entre col y col lechuga
Between cabbage andcabbage a lettuce
Eres un plasta
You are a lump
Es más el ruido que las nueces
Is more the noise than the nuts
Es un calzonazos y un mamón
He is a big pants and a suckling.
Es un peñazo
Is a big boulder
Esa tía está muy bien
That auntie is very well
Esa señora raja un montón
That lady splits a pile
Ese tío está tompa
That uncle is horn
Estar 'p'allá'
To be over there
Ese tío sopla que no veas
This uncle blows that you don't see
Estar cañón
To be cannon
Eso pone verde a todo el mundo
This puts everybody green
Eso me trae al fresco
That brings me to the fresh
Esta tía es una lata
This auntie is a tin
Está como un turrón
She is like a nougat
Está siempre al loro
Is always to the parrot
Está chapando todo el día
He spends the whole day plating
Estaba de bote en bote
It was from can to can
Estamos en las vacas flacas
We are in the thin cows
Ese tío está como un pan
That uncle is like a bread
Hacer la rosca
To make the doughnut
Habas contadas
Numbered beans
Hablar en plata
To speak in silver
Hace la tira
Makes the strip
Hacer el avión
To make the plane
Hacer la carrera
To make the run
Hacer un gondolero
To make a gondolier
Hacer un 'favor'
To make a favour
Hacer seda
To make silk
Estar roto
To be broken
Hacer la pelota
To make the ball
Fulanito es un berzas
Foolaneeto is one cabbage.
Hacerla un bombo
To make her a drum
Hacerse el sueco
To make the swedish
Iba embalado el tío
The uncle was going packed
Ir de culo
To go bottom first
Ir de gorra
To go by the cap
Irse por los cerros de Ubeda
To go by Ubeda's hills
Irse al otro barrio
To go to the other quarter
Irse a hacer gárgaras
To go gargling
Hacer el ganso
To make the goose
Esto hay que mojarlo
We have to wet this one
Ir al grano
Get down to brass tacks. Do what everyone present has come together
to do.
Estar como un cencerro
To be like a cowbell
Estar como una regadera
To be like a sprinkler
Estar al loro
To be to the parrot
Estar de mal café
To be of bad coffee
Estate al loro
Stay to the parrot
Este tronco es un borde
That trunk is one edge
Esto va a misa
This goes to mass
Gustarle el alpiste
To like the bird seed
Esto es de cajón
This is of drawer
Gritar como un descosido
To scream like a torn
Estoy que no veo tres en un burro
I am that I don't see three on a donkey
Estoy hasta el moño de.
I'm up to the bun of.
Estoy hecho una braga
Ifeel like panties
Estoy totalmente quedao
I'm totally remained
Estoy molido
Im ground
Estoy mosqueao
I'm full of flies
Flauta, prepararse o comerse una flauta
Flute prepare or eat a flute
Frío de bigote
Cold of moustache
Estar hasta el moño
To be up to the bun
Esto son habas contadas
This are numbered beans
Muchos pocos hacen un mucho
Many hands make light work. If everyone helps with a large task, it will
get done easily and quickly.
Confesarlo todo
Make a clean breast of it. To confess to something; to tell the truth.
Dejar escapar un secreto
Let the cat out of the bag. To tell a secret; to let something slip out that
you are not supposed to reveal.
Afortunado en el juego, desafortunado en amores
Lucky at cards, unlucky in love. If you frequently win at card games,
you will not have happy love affairs. (Can imply the converse, that if you
do not win a card games, you will have happy love affairs.
El amor mueve montañas
Love will find a way. People who are in love will overcome any obstacles
in order to be together. (Sometimes used ironically, to suggest that
someone is in love with whatever he or she is struggling to be near, as
in the second example.
Quien quiere a Beltrán, quiere a su can
Love me, love my dog. If you love someone, you should accept
everything and everyone that the person loves.
El amor hace que el mundo gire
Love makes the world go round. Life is more pleasant when people treat
each other lovingly.
El amor es ciego
Love is blind. If you love someone, you cannot see any faults in that
person.
Piensatelo dos veces
Look before you leap. Think carefully about what you are about to do
before you do it.
Lo pasado, pasado está
Let the dead bury the dead. Do not try no revive old grievances; forget
about past conflicts.
Hay moros en la costa
Little pitchers have big ears. Children like to listen to adult
conversations and can understand a lot of what they hear. (Use this to
warn another adult not to talk about something because there is a child
present.
La vida empieza a los cuarenta
Life begins at forty. By the time you are forty years old, you have
enough experience and skill to do what you want to do with your life.
Muchos son llamados, pero pocos los elegidos
Many are called but few are chosen. Many people may want something,
but only a few people get it.
El hombre propone y Dios dispone
Man proposes, God disposes. People may make plans, but they cannot
control the outcome of their plans.
úNo sólo de pan vive el hombre
Man does not live by bread alone. In order to survive, people need more
than physical things like food and shelter; they also need mental or
spiritual things like satisfaction and love.
ÏRevolverse en la tumba
Make one turn (over) in one's grave. Do something that would have
deeply offended someone who is now dead. (Often the dead person
referred to is someone famous.
Batir el hierro cuando está al rojo
Make hay while the sun shines. If you have an opportunity to do
something, do it before the opportunity expires.
Hacer de la necesidad, virtud
Make a virtue of necessity. To do what you have to do cheerfully or
willingly.
Hacer una montaña de un grano de arena
Make a mountain out of a molehill. To exaggerate something; to react to
a small problem as if it were a large problem.
Pagar a alguien con su misma moneda
Give someone a dose of his own medicine. To mistreat or annoy
someone in the same way that he or she mistreats or annoys other
people.
Quien a hierro mata a hierro muere
Live by the sword, die by the sword. If you use violence against other
people, you can expect to have violence used against you; or, you can
expect to become a victim of whatever means you use to get what you
want.
Como dos gotas de agua
Like two peas in a pod. Quite similar.
NööPresta dinero y perderás a un amigo
Leand your money and lose your friend. You should not lend money to
your friends; if you do, either you will have to bother your friend to
repay the loan, which will make your friend resent you, or your friend
will not repay the loan, which will make you resent your friend.
Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos
Give someone an inch and he'll take a yard. And Give someone an inch
and he'll take a mile. Be generous to someone and the person will
demand even more. (Describes someone who will take advantage of you
if you are even a little kind to him or her.
Quitarle a alguien las ganas de reír
Laugh out of the other side of one's mouth. To be upset when someone
gets revenge on you.
lóóSaber no ocupa lugar
Knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you can control.
ÊòòSaber lo que le conviene
Know which side one's bread is buttered on. To be aware of where your
money comes from; to be loyal to the person or thing that will benefit
you the most.
Conócete a tí mismo
Know thyself. Be aware of your own limitations; know what you are
capable of doing. (This was the motto inscribed on the temple of Apollo
at Delphi.
El peso de la ley
Kings have long arms. And Governments have long arms. Those who
are in power can always catch and punish people who have opposed
them, no matter how far away those opponents may go.
Matar dos pájaros de un tiro
Kill two birds with one stone. To accomplish two things with one action.
šúúPase lo que pase
Let the chips fall where they may. Let something happen regardless of
the consequences and no matter what happens.
Guardar las apariencias
Keep up with the Joneses. To have everything in the latest style.
En materia de dinero, ni prestes ni pidas prestado
Neither a borrower nor a lender be. It is difficult to be f')En materia de
dinero, ni prestes ni pidas prestado. Neither a borrower nor a lender be.
It is difficult to be friends with someone who owes you money or with
someone to whom you owe something, so it is better not to borrow or
lend in the first place.
De tal palo tal astilla
Like mother, like daughterDaughters reseTComo dos gotas de agua.
Like two peas in a pod. Quite similar.
De tal palo tal astilla
Like father, like sonFather and son resemble each other; sons tend to do
what their fathers did befores them.
De tal palo tal astilla
Like breeds like. People tend to raise children who are like them;
something tends to give rise to things that resemble it.
Como un elefante en una cacharrería
Like a bull in a china shop. Very clumsy in a delicate situation.
kComo alma que lleva el diablo
Like a bat out of hell. Extremely fast. (Very casual.
ŸÿÿLa vida no es un lecho de rosas
Life isn't all beer and skittles. Life is not pleasurable all the time; you
cannot always be having fun.
A vivir que son dos días
Life is short and time is swift. You should enjoy life as much as possible,
because it does not last very long.
úýýLa vida no es un camino de rosas
Life is just a bowl of cherries. Everything is going well; life is carefree.
(Often used ironically, as in the second example.
Matar a la gallina de los huevos de oro
Kill the goose that lays the golden egg(s)To destroy something that is
profitable to you.
ŠISNo mezclar churras con merinas
Separate the sheep from the goats. To distinguish the good from the
bad.
Resumiendo; en pocas palabras
Make a long story short. To sum up or come to the ponit of a story you
are telling.
š:Ni a sol ni a sombra
Not able to get something for love or money. Not able to get something
at any price; completely unable to get.
Sólo los valientes merecen la victoria
None but the brave deserve the fair. Only a courageous and gallant man
deserves a beautiful woman; only the best deserves the best.
Fue dicho y hecho
No sooner said than done. Something will be done right away.
Nada se consigue sin esfuerzo
No pain, no gain. If you want to improve, you must work so hard that it
hurts. Associated with sports and physical exercise.
Nadie es infalible
No one is infallible. Everyone makes mistakes.
Nadie es indispensable
No one is indispensable. Anyone may become unnecessary; anyone may
lose his or her job.
La mejor noticia es no tener noticias
No news is good news. If you do not hear from someone, assume that
all is well with him or her.
Ÿ>No hay donde revolverse
Not enough room to swing a cat. Very little room. (A way of describing a
cramped place, usually a room. Casual.
Nada mejor que un ladrón para atrapar a otro ladrón
Set a thief ÈÈÈÈÈKUNada mejor que un ladrón para atrapar a otro
ladrón. Set a thief to catch a thief. The best person to catch a thief is
another thief, because he or she knows how thieves think.
No es santo de mi devoción
Not one's cup of tea. Not one's choice or preference. (Used to describe
an activity you do not enjoy. Can sound somewhat affected.
òHRSer una verdadera prueba de fuego
Separate the men from the boys. To decide which people are strong and
capable and which are weak; to be a stringent test. (Frequently
paraphrased for females, as in the second example.
Coger el toro por los cuernos
Seize the bull by the horns. And Take the bull by the horns. Confront a
problem bodly and directly.
FPBusca y encontrarás
Seek and ye shall find. If you want something, you must look for it. Can
imply that the only thing you need to do get something is look for it.
Ver para creer
Seeing is believing. It is hard to believe something you have not seen.
(Implies that you will not believe the thing under discussion until you
have seen it.
Ahorrar para el día de mañana
Save for a rainy day.
To save something, usually money, for a time when you need it.
Desnudar a un santo para vestir a otro
Rob Peter to pay Paul. To take from one person to give to another.
La venganza es dulce
Revenge is sweet. It is very pleasurable to revenge yourself on
someone.
ser como un libro abierto
Read someone like a(n open) book. To be able to tell what someone
desires or intends even though that person has not said anything. (It is
not polite to tell someone that you can read him or her like a book.
ï35No se puede estar en misa y repicando
No man can serve two masters. You cannot work for two different
people, organizations, or purposes in good faith, because you will end
up favoring one over the other.
s/1No te vayas de la lengua
Never tell tales out of school. Do not tell secrets; do not gossip.
La necesidad no sabe de leyes
Necessity knows no law. If you are desperate, you may have to do
illegal things.
La necesidad agudiza el ingenio
Necessity is the mother of invention. When people really need to do
something, they will figure out a way to do it.
Vísteme despacio, que tengo prisa
More haste, less speed. Do not do things in such a hurry that you make
mistakes. (Used to request someone to act less hurriedly.
El dinero no lo regalan/cuesta mucho ganarlo.
Money does not grow on trees. It is not easy to get money. Implies that
the person you are addressing spends money too easily.
Ü El dinero le quema en los bolsillos
Money burns a hole in someone's pocket. Someone is very eager to
spend his or her money; extra money in the possession of some people
almost demands to be spent.
qLos excesos son malos
Moderation in all things. Do not do anything too much or too little.
A„Desgracia compartida, menos sentida
Misery loves company. Unhappy people like other people to be unhappy
too.
r¡Métete en tus asuntos!
Mind your own business!. Do not pry into my affairs!. (Slightly rude.
No conseguir sacar nada en claro/no entender nada
Not able to make head or tail of something.
Not able to understand something at all.
Ù02No des el tiro antes de que salte la liebre
Never trouble trouble till trouble troubles you. If you think something
might cause trouble, leave it alone and wait until it actually causes
trouble.
Agua pasada no mueve molinoLet bygones be bygones
Forgive someone for something he or she did in the past.
Nunca hables mal de los muertos
Never speak ill of the dead. You should not say bad things about dead
people.
No te des por vencido
Never say die. Do not give up.
Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho
Never make a threat you cannot carry out. You should not threaten to
do something you cannot do; otherwise, people will not believe you are
serious when you threaten.
No cantes victoria antes de tiempo
Never halloo till you are out of the woods. Do not rejoice until you are
certain that your problems are over.
No pidas perdón antes de que te acusen
Never ask pardon before you are accused. Do not apologize for
something if nobody knows that you did it, because by apologizing, you
are admitting that you did it.
No hay un momento para el aburrimiento
Never a dull moment. Things are always exciting around here.
(Describes an exciting or hectic situation.
Leer entre líneas
Read between the lines. Understand what someone is implying.
llueve a cántaros
Rain cats and dogs. To rain extremely hard.
ý13Escoba nueva barre mejor
New brooms sweep clean. And A new broom sweepsclean. Someone
who is new in a particular job will do a very good job at first, to prove
how competent he or she is, but will eventually get more and more lax.
š®®¿Te ha comido la lengua un gato?(Has the) cat got your
tongue?Why are you not
Dejar las cosas como están. Let sleeping dogs lie. Do not instigate
trouble; leave something alone if it might cause trouble.
bm¡Qué se le va a hacer!
¡Así es la vida!. That's the way the ball bounces. And That's the way the
cookie crumbl—tLa excepción confirma la regla. The exception proves
the rule. Something that does not follow a rule shows that the rule
exists.
Tener un pie en la tumba
Have one foot in the grave. To be close to death; to be extremely ill.
(Blunt; not polite tó··Tener un pie en la tumba. Have one foot in the
grave. To be close to death; to be extremely ill. (Blunt; not polite to say
about the person you are addressing or someone who is important to
the person you are addressing.
jµµEstar loco
Have bats in the belfry. To be crazy. (Casual). Also bats, batty crazy.
Sacar el hacha de guerra
Have an axe to grind. To have a grievance that you constantly talk
about or act upon, even when it is inappropriate to do so.
Tener un as en la manga
Have an ace up one's sleeve. To have something concealed that will
ensure that you win.
q²²Ser/estar susceptible
Have a chip on one's shoulder. To be belligerent; eager for a fight.
Tener una cuenta pendiente
Have a bone to pick (with someone). To have a complaint; to have
something you want to argue about with someone.
Las cosas buenas en pequeños tarros se venden
The best things come in small packages. And Good things come in small
packages. Small packages often contain valuable things. (Sometimes
said os small people.
Vísteme despacio que tengo prisa
Haste makes waste. You do not save any time by working too fast;
hurrying will cause you to make mistakes, and you will have to take
extra time to do the job over again.
fqLas mejores satisfacciones no cuestan dinero
The best things in life are free. The most satisfying experiences do not
cost any money.
Feliz el país que no tiene historia
Happy is the country which has no history. Since history usually records
only violent, unfortunate, or tumultuous events, a country with no
history would be a country lucky enough to have no such unhappy
events to record.
No está el horno para bollos
Hoist your sail when the wind is fair. Begin a project when
circumstances are the most favorable.
hDar en el clavo
Hit the nail on the head. To discern and state the crucial point.
La historia se repite
History repeats itself. The same kinds of events seem to happen over
and over.
El que paga manda
He who pays the piper calls the tune. If you are paying for someone's
services, you can dictate exactly what you want that person to do.
El que ríe el último, ríe mejor
He who laughs last, laughs longest. And He who laughs last, laughs
best. If someone does something nasty to you, that person may feel
satisfaction, but you will feel even more satisfaction if you get revenge
on that person. (Also the cliché: to have the last laugh or get the last
laugh, to get revenge.
oõõRemovió Roma con Santiago
Leave no stone unturned. To search in every conceivable place.
ÿEl que mucho abarca, poco aprieta
He who begins many things, finishes but few. If you start a lot of
projects, you will not have time and energy to complete them all. (Can
be used to warn someone against starting too many projects.
h°°Tener una manía
Have a bee in one's bonnet. To have an obsession about something.
Caer en picado
Going to hell in a handbasket. Deteriorating fast; becoming extremely
bad.
El que siembra vientos recoge tempestades
Sow the wind and reap the whirlwing. To start some kind of trouble that
grows much larger than you planned.
La genialidad es un diez por ciento inspiración y un noventa por ciento
de trabajo
Genius is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. People
get brilliant results primarily by working hard, not because they have
special inborn powers. G
Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando
Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Enjoy yourself while you can, before
you lose the opportunity or before you become too old. (From Robert
Herrick's poem, (To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time.
Hombre prevenido vale por dos
Forewarned is forearmed. If you know about something beforehand, you
can prepare for it.
Las verdades a medias no son verdades
Half the truth is often a whole lie. If you do not tell the whole truth, you
can mislead people more than if you tell them an outright lie.
Más vale poco que nada
Half a loaf is better than none. Getting only part of what you want is
better than not getting anything.
Todo es bueno para el convento
Grist for the mill and Grist for someone's mill. Something useful or
needed.
Las grandes mentes piensan igual
Great minds think alike.
Very intelligent people tend to come up with the same ideas at the same
time.
La mejor defensa es un buen ataque
The best defense is a good offense. If you attack your opponents, they
will be so busy fighting off your attack that they will not be able to
attack you. (Often associated with sports. Pronunce defense with the
accent on the first syllable, so that it sounds similar to offense.
Gente no bienvenida cuanto más lejos más querida
Good riddance to bad rubbish!. Good to be rid of that person or thing!.
(Said when you hear that someone or something you think is bad has
been disposed of. Expresses your satisfaction that the bad thing is gone.
µEl que no sabe obedecer, no sabe mandar
He that cannot obey cannot command. If you want to become a leader,
you should first learn how to follow someone else.
Dios acoge antes a la gente que él ama más
God takes soonest those he loveth best. Good people often die young.
ÔA Dios rogando y con el mazo dando
God helps them that help themselves. And God helps those who help
themselves. You cannot rely on divine help, but must work yourself to
get what you want.
Mirar algo con lupa
Go over something with a fine-tooth comb. And Go through something
with a fine-tooth comb. To examine something very thoroughly.
Ir como el rayo
Go like the wind. To go very fast.
Ir de mal en peor
Go from bad to worse. To deteriorate; to get worse.
Cargar con las consecuencias
The chickens come home to roost.
You have to face the consequences of your mistakes or bad deeds.
ÍhsCuál de los dos sabe menos
The blind leading the blind. A case of someone who is not capable of
dealing with the situation guiding someone else who is not capable of
dealing with it.
Cuanto más alto se llegue, más dura será la caída
The bigger they are, the harder they fall. When prominent people fail,
their failure is dramatic.
Aquél que espera se verá recompensado
Good things come to him who waits. And Everything comes to him who
waits. You should be patient and wait for what you want.
ìêêAl mal tiempo buena cara
Keep a stiff upper lip. Act as though you are not upset; do not let
unpleasant things upset you. (English people are stereotypically
supposed to be very good at keeping a stiff upper lip.
El que se excusa, se acusa
He who excuses himself accuses himself. By apologizing for something,
you admit that you did it.
ííDe haberlo sabido no habría sucedido
It is easy to be wise after the event. After you see the consequences of
a decision, it is easy to tell if the decision was good, but it is also too
late, since the consequences have already happened.
Es más fácil destruir que construir
It is easier to tear down than to build up. Destroying things is easier
than building them.
Es mejor dar que recibir
It is better to give than to receive. And It is more blessed to give than
to receive. It is more virtuous to give things than to get them.
Hoy en día
In this day and age. Nowadays; in modern times.
No hay mal que cien años dure
It is a long lane that has no turning. Bad times cannot continue forever;
things will soon improve.
En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es el rey
In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. A person who is
not particularly capable can attain a powerful position if the people
around him or her are even less capable.
Entrar por un oído y salir por el otro
In (at) one ear and out (of) the other. Heard but not remembered.
(Used to describe something that someone does not listen to).
ÍááNunca es demasiado tarde para pedir perdón
It is never too late to mend. It is never too late to apologize for
something you have done or try to repair something you have done
wrong.
Quien guarda, halla
Keep a thing seven years and you'll (always) find a use for it. If you
keep a seemingly useless thing for seven years, you will supposedly
have some occasion to use it during that time.
Por preguntar no se pierde nada
It never hurts to ask. You do not risk anything by asking someone for a
favor. (Usually used to suggest asking a favor.
òééNo juzgues y no serás juzgado
Judge not, lest ye be judged. And Judge not, that ye be not judged. If
you condemn other people, then they will have the right to condemn
you, so it is best not to condemn them.
Lo mismo da una cosa que otra
It's six of one, half a dozen of another. Two options are equivalent as far
as you are concerned.
šççNo es el calor, es la humedad
It's not the heat, it's humidity. When the air is damp, hot days feel even
hotter and more miserable.
Al mal tiempo, buena cara
It's no use crying over spilled milk. And Don't cry over spilled milk. Do
not be upset about making a mistake that you cannot change.
ÒååNo hay mal que por bien no venga
It's an ill wind that blows nobody (any) good. Even misfortune can
benefit someone or something; a calamity for one person usually
benefits somebody else.
Me suena a chino
It's (all) Greek to me. Something is incomprehensible.
ÎããDos no discuten si uno no quiere
It takes two to make a quarrel. An argument is never only one person's
fault; if the other person refuses to participate, there cannot be an
argument.
Dinero llama a dinero
It takes money to make money. In order to make money, you must first
have some money to invest.
Trabajar con ahinco
Keep one's nose to the grindstone. To work hard and constantly.
La verdad por encima de todo
Honesty is the best policy. You should always tell the truth, even when it
seems as if it would be useful to tell a lie.
Tener muchas cosas entre manos
Have too many irons in the fire. To have too many commitments.
Estar pensando
Have second thoughts. To regret or reverse an earlier decision.
De hacer algo, hazlo bien
If a thing is worth doing, it's worth doing well. If you are going to do
something, do it as well as you possibly can.
La ociosidad es la madre de todos los males
Idleness is the root of all evil. If you have no useful work to do, you will
think of harmful things to do in order to amuse yourself.
¿Acaso soy yo el guardián de mi hermano?I am not my brothers keeper
And Am I my brother's keeper?You are not responsible for another
person's doings or whereabouts. Also, I am not someone's keeper.
A buen hambre no hay pan duro
Hunger is the best sauce. Everything tastes especially good when you
are hungry, because you are so eager to eat it.
¡Cómo caen los poderosos!
How the mighty have fallen. A jovial or mocking way of remarking that
someone is doing something that he or she used to consider very
demeaning.
La esperanza es lo último que se pierde
Hope springs eternal (in the human breast). People will continue to hope
even though they have evidence that things cannot possibly turn out the
way they want.
Nunca es tarde para aprender
It is never too late to learn. You can always learn something new.
El que espera, desespera
Hope deferred makes the heart sick. And Hope deferred maketh the
heart sick. If you have to wait a long time for something you want, you
will become despairing.
Quien da primero, da dos veces
He gives twice who gives quickly. When someone asks you for
something, it is more helpful to give something right away than to wait,
even if you might be able to give more if you waited.
Si quieres paz, tienes que estar preparado para la guerra
If you want peace, (you must) prepare for war. If a country is well
armed, its opponents will be less likely to attack it.
Quien con fuego juega, se quema
If you play with fire you get burned. If you do something dangerous,
you will get hurt. (Also the cliché: to play with fire, to do something
dangerous or risky.
Si no te gusta, te aguantas
If you don't like it, (you can) lump it. Things cannot be changed to suit
your preferences.
En el peor de los casos
If (the) worst comes to (the) worst. In the worst possible
circumstances; if the worst possible thing should happen.
Si se supiera la verdad
If the truth were known. If people knew how something really was,
instead of how it appears to be.
Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña
If the mountain will not come to Mahomet, Mahomet must go to the
mountain. If things do not change the way you want them to, you must
adjust to the way they are.
Si Dios no existiera tendríamos que inventarlo
If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him. People need a
deity to worship. (This is an English translation of a quote from Voltaire.
It is often parodied, using a person's name instead of God and implying
that the person is somehow necessary.
Espera lo mejor y prepárate para lo peor
Hope for the best and prepare for the worst. You should have a cheerful
attitude, but make sure you are ready for disaster.
A quien Dios no le dio hijos, el diablo le dio sobrinos.
Where God gives no children, the devil gives nephews.
El que no cojea, renquea.
Nobody's perfect.
He who doesn't limp, hobbles.
Si la envidia tiña fuera, qué de tiñosos hubiera.
Of envy were ringworm, the whole world would suffer it.
Casa cerrada, casa arruinada.
Closed house, ruined house.
