EVERY culture has its tradition of proverbs.

Spain is no exception.

Here are ten examples of proverbs that you are likely to hear every day. They embody folk wisdom – the accumulated experience of many generations, and they also have a whiff of poetry about them!

If you are learning Spanish, why not memorise one or two of them? When you drop them into the conversation, your Spanish friends will be deeply impressed! life – along with their meanings and a little context to help you use them like a local:

1. Los años no perdonen

“The years don’t forgive”. It’s a way of saying, no-one escapes the ageing process, and we’re better off growing old gracefully.

2. Te conozco, bacalao

The full saying is “te conozco, bacalao, aunque vengas disfrao”. (“I know you codfish, even though you’ve shown up in disguise.”) The meaning is, ‘I can see through your pretence’.

3. No hay dos, sin tres

There aren’t two, without three. It’s a bit like the English saying, “troubles always come in threes”, but it applies the ‘rule of three’ to good things, too.

4. Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo

“Sayo” is an old word, meaning “costume”. And the fortieth of May clearly doesn’t exist. What it means is, “Don’t cast aside your warm clothing until the ninth of June.”

5. No hay quinto malo

In a bullfight, there are traditionally six bulls. Fans of the spectacle say, the fifth bull is always good – “there is no bad fifth”. The great matador of Ronda, Antonio Ordóñez, liked a drink. He adapted this saying to “no hay tinto malo” – “There’s no red wine that’s unpalatable”.

6. En la viña del Señor, hay de todo

“In God’s vineyard, there are all types.” We need to allow for the eccentricity of others. It wouldn’t do if we were all the same.

7. A donde te quieran mucho, no vayas a menudo

“Where you are deeply loved, don’t go often.” That is to say, you will wear out your welcome if you show up all the time. Maintain your mystique by appearing sparingly.

8. Cuando hay hambre, no hay mal pan

“When there is hunger, there’s no such thing as bad bread.” If people are in need, they stop being fussy.

9. No hay mal que dure cien años

“There is no problem which lasts a hundred years.” You may be going through a time of troubles, but it will end.

10. Del dicho al hecho, hay mucho trecho

“Between the word and the deed, there’s quite a space.” Anyone can talk big: it’s more impressive if you can back up your claims with action.

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Click here to read more La Cultura News from The Olive Press.

Accent
Unlike French, which has four or five squiggles that drastically change pronunciation, Spanish has just one – the tilde (~). It simply tells you to stress that syllable. The ene (ñ) is actually a seperate letter.
Example: Cádiz is pronounced CA-diz, not ca-DIZ. Miguelón (“Big Mike”) has the emphasis on the last syllable.

Busco
Means “I’m looking for”. Useful in shops: Busco sal = “I’m looking for salt.”

Clarita
Shandy. Ask for cerveza clarita. Spaniards don’t say “lemonade” – they call sweet fizzy water clara.
If you order a tinto de verano (red wine served summer-style), they’ll ask if you want it mixed with lemon or clara.

Demasiado
Too much. If someone says Cuánto tiempo sin verte (“Long time no see”), you can reply with Demasiado – “Too long!”

Eso es lo que hay
“That’s just the way it is.”

Feria
Every town in Andalucía, from Sevilla to the tiniest hamlet, has a feria – a yearly street party lasting 3 or 4 days.

Gucha
The Andalucían version of Escúchame (“listen to me”) is ¡Guchame!
Likewise, instead of Espera (“wait”), they’ll say ’Perate!

Hay
Means “there is” or “there are”.
A shop sign saying Hay pan means they have bread.
Remember: the h is always silent, so hay sounds like “eye”.

Inma
Short for the common girl’s name Inmaculada.
Full name: María la Inmaculada – but everyone just says Inma to avoid confusion with all the Marías.

Jota
The letter j (pronounced like an English h) is called jota.
The popular restaurant chain Cinco Jotas means “Five Js”.

Kindelán
You’ll rarely see the letter k in Spanish – but one exception is Alfredo Kindelán, a close ally of Franco.

Luego
Later. Hasta luego = “See you later.”

Mariquita
Careful here! It means ladybird, but also refers to an effeminate man – and can be offensive.

N and Ñ
Spanish has both n and a separate letter ñ (called “enye”), pronounced like “ny”.
Example: mañana (“tomorrow”).

¡Ojalá!
“I wish!” Likely a remnant from Arabic influence in Spanish.

Piropo
A compliment. If someone says you’re guapo or guapa (good-looking), you can say: ¡Qué piropo!

¡Que va!
“No way!” A polite way to disagree in conversation.

Rincón
An internal corner (like in a room).
An esquina is an external corner – e.g. “I’ll meet you on the esquina.”

Susto
Shock or fright. If someone startles you: ¡Qué susto!

Tururú!
“Get lost!” A mild and playful way to disagree or dismiss something.

Usuario
Literally “user”. In online contexts, it has come to mean your username or password.

¡Vaya!
“On your bike!” or “Yeah, right!”
Used jokingly when you don’t believe someone’s tall tale.

W
Spanish has many words for toilets: aseos, servicios, etc.
You’ll also see WC – but it’s pronounced vaysay.

X
Pronounced ekis. So X-rays = rayos ekis.

Yemas
These sugary cakes are made by nuns in Ronda. Made from egg yolks and sugar – not great for your waistline!
Yema = “yolk”.

Zambomba
A traditional musical instrument used at Christmas, especially by Andalucían gypsies.
It’s a drum with a stick through the membrane that creates a droning sound.
Zambomba also refers to a Christmas concert.

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