Ch 51 · Lesson 17Spanish · Chapter 51 · Lesson 17 · Grammar primer
Refranes: a quien madruga, and saying only half
A madruga, ; abarca ; and why people say only the first half and let you finish it.
The short version
Half a refrán is enough
madruga .
Why?Hide
Because everyone knows them, Spanish speakers routinely say only the first half of a proverb and let it hang, exactly as an English speaker mutters 'when in Rome' and stops. Catching the point before the sentence finishes is a real marker of fluency. Learn each one whole, like a song lyric, and never tidy up the old grammar inside it.
People and habits
The rest give advice about how people behave:
| Means | Refrán | English twin |
|---|---|---|
| appearances deceive | reluce. | all that glitters is not gold |
| don't overreach | abarca . | don't bite off more than you can chew |
| speak up | mama. | the squeaky wheel gets the grease |
| don't put it off | . | don't put off till tomorrow... |
| too much closeness | , . | familiarity breeds contempt |
: mama.- Ask for more money: if you don't ask, you don't get. (literally, the one who doesn't cry doesn't get fed)
Mama here is the verb mamar, to suckle, not the word for mum.
Saying only half
Because everyone knows the ending, people often say the first half and stop. The listener finishes it in their head, exactly as you do with when in Rome...
| Known as | Said aloud | Left unsaid |
|---|---|---|
| early bird | madruga... | |
| least said | ... | |
| overreaching | abarca... | |
| your friends | ... | |
¿ ? madruga...- Getting up at twelve? The early bird, remember...
The half-said version is often a gentle dig: hearing ... is a hint to stop talking.
The old grammar inside
Refranes keep shapes everyday Spanish would not choose. Do not modernise them:
| What is odd | Refrán | Everyday order |
|---|---|---|
| no verb | ladrador, mordedor. | ladra . |
| , first | abarca . | abarca . |
| object first, | madruga, . | a madruga. |
Some grammar is ordinary but easy to get wrong. After no ... (there is no ... that), the verb is subjunctive:
.- Every cloud has a silver lining. (, not)
Mistakes English speakers make
| Wrong | Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
. | the wording is fixed | |
| no | . | subjunctive after no |
| reluce | reluce | : all that |
| con | . | a hidden question: accent |
madruga, . | use the Spanish twin |
Going further: Spanish refranes at a glance and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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