B1 · Refranes
Sayings people actually use
Spanish leans on proverbs far more than English does, and using one at the right moment lands better than any perfect sentence. These are the ones you will actually hear, with what they mean and when they get said. Several hide a grammar point worth knowing.
Comfort and perspective
No hay mal que por bien no venga.
Every cloud has a silver lining.
Said to someone after bad news. Note the double negative and the subjunctive after que — the whole saying is a grammar lesson.
Más vale tarde que nunca.
Better late than never.
Más vale is the standard way to say it is better to. Also heard when someone finally shows up.
No es tan fiero el león como lo pintan.
It is not as bad as they make out.
Tan… como is the equal comparison. Said before something you are dreading.
Mañana será otro día.
Tomorrow is another day.
The everyday way to close a bad day.
Warnings
No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy.
Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
A negative command plus a subjunctive after lo que. Parents say this one a lot.
Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres.
You are known by the company you keep.
Two imperatives and a future. Often said as a judgement about someone's friends.
En boca cerrada no entran moscas.
Better to keep your mouth shut.
Said to someone about to say something unwise, or afterwards.
Camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente.
Snooze and you lose.
Very common across Latin America. Dormirse is the moment of falling asleep, not sleeping.
About people
Cada quien con su cada cual.Peruvian
To each their own.
El que mucho abarca poco aprieta.
Do not spread yourself too thin.
El que means the one who. Said about someone taking on too much.
Genio y figura hasta la sepultura.
A leopard cannot change its spots.
Said with resignation about someone who never changes.
Al mal tiempo, buena cara.
Put on a brave face.
Mal tiempo is bad weather and also a bad patch. The saying uses both.
Everyday judgements
Poco a poco se anda lejos.
Slow and steady gets you far.
Encouragement for anyone learning anything, including a language.
Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente.
What you do not know cannot hurt you.
Two relative clauses with que. Said about something better left unexamined.
Barriga llena, corazón contento.Peruvian
A full belly makes a happy heart.
Heard constantly after a big meal, and it fits a Peruvian lunch perfectly.
Cuando el río suena, piedras trae.
Where there is smoke there is fire.
Said when a rumour is probably true.
16 expressions in this pack