Dichos, refranes y expresiones

Marianopolita

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Do you use a lot of expressions when you speak Spanish? Just to clarify I don’t mean slang. This thread is not about slang. It is about using dichos, refranes, idioms or even slogans when you speak and write in Spanish.

Yesterday, I was in an amazing atmosphere -Latin music, food, dance and I saw many people wearing their Panamanian soccer jerseys in support of Panama and a Panamanian band that was about to play.

I looked up the cost of the jersey today and in the description of the jersey it says the slogan is printed on the inside of it and it is Alcanzamos por fin la victoria. I thought wow that is so powerful and made me realize they came a long way to just even qualify for the World Cup.


I use a lot expressions when I speak but I think it’s because people around me since I was a child did so it became part of my speech.

What expressions do you use in Spanish? Where did you learn them or hear them?



-MP.
 
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2dlight

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Jun 3, 2004
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I rarely use dichos, refranes and idioms because until a year ago my written and verbal communication was entirely in English. However, I do hear quite few of them daily living full-time in Santo Domingo. Two that I remember from my grandmother's time are, "Una cosa piensa el burro, otra quien lo esta' aparenjando" and "El que tiene mas saliva come mas ojadra"
 

Matilda

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Tu estas sangriando de tu nariz - your flies are open
La chiva esta amarada - all is sorted
Estoy feliz como un lombri - happy as a pig in sh*t

Matilda
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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I rarely use dichos, refranes and idioms because until a year ago my written and verbal communication was entirely in English. However, I do hear quite few of them daily living full-time in Santo Domingo. Two that I remember from my grandmother's time are, "Una cosa piensa el burro, otra quien lo esta' aparenjando" and "El que tiene mas saliva come mas ojadra"


Yes, it’s all about exposure. However, you probably know more than you realize. As well, some sayings are local and others are very universal in the Spanish-speaking 🌍.




-MP.
 

Marianopolita

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Dec 26, 2003
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Tu estas sangriando de tu nariz - your flies are open
La chiva esta amarada - all is sorted
Estoy feliz como un lombri - happy as a pig in sh*t

Matilda


Those are quite local except the last one.


BTW- the verb is sangrar and gerund is sangrando. As well, it’s una lombriz although in the DR vernacular you will hear otherwise.



-MP.
 
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Marianopolita

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Ones I use on a regular basis I guess because the scenario fits are:


Ojos que no ven corazón que no siente

Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando

Ver es creer

Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas pelar pon las tuyas a remojar

Trata a los demás como quieres que te traten a ti

El que ríe ultimo ríe mejor


.....almost daily I say these refranes.


-MP.
 
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dv8

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one i absolutely love and use daily is "lo barato sale caro". very relevant in dominican living, i think. sometimes it is better to pay for something a lot of money once rather than repeat smaller payments indefinitely because it is badly done.

i also like "eso no tiene madre", something i hear often now. i first saw it on hipolito's presidential propaganda posters. once when miesposo was talking about the government of hipolito i responded with sarcastic: "no tiramos piedras al pasado" which caused him to laugh like a maniac.

years ago there were huge posters all over puerto plata saying "el gobierno trabajando, puerto plata progresando". "pero lento", someone added below in black spray paint, ha ha ha.

another one i use often is "cuando el gato no esta, los ratones hacen fiesta" (very universal across languages).

very dominican expression that i use every weekend is "hoy se bebe". i do not even drink but i like to see the reaction in otherwise professional environment when i say it. for example yesterday i had to go to the emergency to get a tetanus shot and upon leaving i said "gracias, pasa buen fin de semana, hoy se bebe" and it put a huge smile on everyone's face.

i always enjoy political season because the slogans can be quite unintentionally puckish. there was testicles montas (yes, i know his name is temistocles but just look at his face) with his "TEMO PRESIDENTE" and one guy in santiago with a slogan "PARA GANAR" which always made me giggle.
 

Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Camaron que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente - equivalent to "the early bird catches the worm"
Es más la sal que el chivo - something like "it's not worth it" or "more trouble than it's worth"
Cría cuervos y te sacarán los ojos - reminds me of "how sharper than a serpent's tooth it is to have a thankless child" in King Lear. Cría cuervos is also the title of a classic Spanish film from the 1970s.
No hay mal que dure cien años - nothing lasts forever
Bicho malo nunca muere/hierba mala nunca muere - sort of like "only the good die young"
Como el primer guandul - similar to "full of beans"

We made a couple of lists of specifically food-related expressions in Spanish for the cooking blog:
https://www.dominicancooking.com/18125-food-related-expressions-in-spanish.html
https://www.dominicancooking.com/18556-15-more-food-related-expressions-in-spanish.html
 

dv8

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new phrase i saw last week in local media: "más ebrio que una uva". new for me, that is.
 

Chirimoya

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dv8 said:
new phrase i saw last week in local media: "más ebrio que una uva". new for me, that is.

Translation: "P!ssed as a newt".

En casa de herrero cuchillo de palo - equivalent to "the shoemaker's son always goes barefoot"
 

dv8

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la bruja se esta casando - (the witch is getting married) when it rains and sun shines at the same time
 

Marianopolita

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Dv8 and Chiri,


Those are great. I agree. These sayings can give you a good laugh but there is so much truth to them. What I find interesting from a language perspective is sometimes I don’t remember the equivalent in the other language just depending on which language I use it in most. For example, I say lo barato sale caro a lot but I just blanked out on the English as I responded to the post. I remember it now.

One I like too is ponemos candado y no nos han robado. Another one also that makes me laugh is hablan inglés de muelle y no saben el castellano.

I am sure I will remember some more.


-MP.
 
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dv8

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regarding political slogans, i really loved hipolito's "llegó papá". social media immediately transformed it into "llegó papyaso" - pretty neat conversion. then it was adopted for margarita as "llegó mamá", another smart move.
then recently, in response to hipolito's reflection that leonel is dead fernandez responded with a campaign "vivito y coleando". funny and smart use of a known phrase.
 

cavok

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I like learning new ones and use them often. Some of the one's I can think of right now"

"De tal palo, tal astilla" - like father, like son

"Cuidate que el tiro no sale por la culata" - be careful your plan doesn't backfire on you.

"A donde fueres, haz lo que vieres" - When in Rome, do as the Romans

"Al hierro caliente, batir de repetente" - Strike while the iron is hot

"Antes de que cases, mira lo que haces" - Look before you leap

"Caras vemos, corazones no sabemos" - You can't tell a book by it's cover.

"Si esta vibora te pica, no hay remedio en la botica" - You're playing with fire

"Entrada de caballo y salida de burro" - Don't start something you can't finish

"No sabes en que palo te trepas" - You don't know what you're getting into


"De dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho" - Easier said than done.
 
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cavok

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One more: "al hecho - pecho" Own up to what what you've done. Accept what happened as a result of your actions, decision, or mistake.
 

dv8

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one more i heard recently: la operacion fue un exito pero paciente fracaso (the surgery was a success but the patient died). this is an interesting saying, i knew it in polish from good old communist days and i thought it wasn't universal across languages but there we have it.
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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one more i heard recently: la operacion fue un exito pero paciente fracaso (the surgery was a success but the patient died). this is an interesting saying, i knew it in polish from good old communist days and i thought it wasn't universal across languages but there we have it.


I have not heard this one but it makes sense just reading it the first time.


Btw- I think it is:

La operación fue un éxito pero EL paciente fracasó .


You need the EL in that phrase.



-MP.
 

Marianopolita

Former Spanish forum Mod 2010-2021
Dec 26, 2003
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Another version:

No hay mal que dure cien años, ni cuerpo que lo resista.

But, más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.


I prefer No hay mal que dure cien años ni cuerpo que lo aguante. I guess I listen to too much Celia Cruz.


Adding one more that I use from time to time:


Llover sobre mojado


-MP.