Kilo Lingo
Spanish grammar Part of Chapter 51

CEFR B2

3 min read

Test yourself (21 questions)

Spanish Proverbs (Refranes): 15 Sayings Everyone Knows

By Michael McGettrick and Sergio Linares-HernandesUpdated 12 October 2026

A refrán is a traditional proverb: a short, fixed sentence with a moral. Spanish speakers use them constantly, and the wording never changes:

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the word that breaks the refrán.

the fixed frameWhat do the colours mean?
  • . - Better late than never.
  • madruga, . - The early bird catches the worm. (God helps the one who gets up early)

Spanish refranes at a glance

Eight you will hear in your first month in a Spanish-speaking country:

English twinRefránLiterally
better late .late is worth more than never
early bird madruga, .God helps the early riser
silver lining .no bad thing without some good
least said .flies don't get into a shut mouth
out of sight , .eyes that don't see, a heart that doesn't feel
bark and bite ladrador, mordedor.a barking dog bites little
gift horse .don't check a gift horse's teeth
company you keep .tell me your friends, I'll tell you who you are
  • mouthmouth
  • flyfly

They are anonymous, mostly centuries old, and built on rhythm and rhyme so they stick.

Más vale ... que: better ... than

the fixed frameWhat do the colours mean?

Three of the commonest share one frame: X Y, X is worth more than Y.

English twinRefránLiterally
better late .late is worth more than never
prevention .preventing is worth more than curing
bird in the hand .a bird in the hand beats a hundred flying

Spanish has a hundred birds where English has two in the bush. And is also common, beside :

  • , . - You' , but better late than never.

The same frame works outside proverbs, as ordinary advice:

  • . - It's better to ring first.

Animals and the body

the fixed frameWhat do the colours mean?

Many refranes are pictures from village life: a dog, a horse, a shut mouth.

MeansRefránEnglish twin
threats, no action ladrador, mordedor.his bark is worse than his bite
a gift is a gift .don't look a gift horse in the mouth
keep quiet .least said, soonest mended
not knowing , .what the eye doesn't see...
  • , ladrador, mordedor. - Your boss shouts a lot, but his bark is worse than his bite.

ladrador, mordedor has no verb at all: the noun and two -dor words (ladrador, barking; mordedor, biting), set side by side.

People and habits

the fixed frameWhat do the colours mean?

The rest give advice about how people behave:

MeansRefránEnglish 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

what people saywhat everyone fills inWhat do the colours mean?

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 asSaid aloudLeft 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 oddRefránEveryday 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

WrongRightWhy
.the wording is fixed
no .subjunctive after no
reluce reluce : all that
con .a hidden question: accent
madruga, .use the Spanish twin

What to do next

  1. Learn the eight at the top as whole sentences, and recognise each from its first three words.
  2. Keep a notebook page of the refranes you actually hear.
  3. Then Spanish idioms and fixed similes.

Practise: test yourself

Complete the story

0/4

Choose the word that completes each refrán.

Marta's bad morning

Marta llega tarde a clase. El profesor sonríe: más vale tarde que . Marta no dice nada, porque en boca cerrada no entran . Después pierde el tren, pero no hay mal que por no venga: en la estación encuentra a una vieja amiga. Mañana se levanta a las seis, porque a quien madruga, Dios le .

Gap 1 of 4

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the refrán in order.

  1. Better late than never.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. Least said, soonest mended.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/4

Tap the word that breaks the refrán.

Pick the right one

0/5

Choose the English twin of each refrán.

  1. Perro ladrador, poco mordedor.

  2. A caballo regalado no le mires el diente.

  3. Quien mucho abarca poco aprieta.

  4. Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente.

  5. Más vale prevenir que curar.

Fill in the blank

0/6

Complete each refrán with the missing word.

  1. Más vale que nunca. (the opposite of early)

  2. No hay mal que por no venga. (the opposite of mal)

  3. En boca cerrada no entran . (small flying insects)

  4. Más vale pájaro en que ciento volando. (what you hold a pen with)

  5. No es todo lo que reluce. (the precious yellow metal)

  6. No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer . (the opposite of tomorrow)

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Frequently asked questions

What exactly is a refrán?
A traditional proverb: a short, fixed, usually anonymous saying with a moral, often built on rhythm or rhyme so it sticks. (better late than never) and reluce (all that glitters is not gold) are classics. A refrán is a whole little sentence with a lesson, which is what sets it apart from an idiom such as (to be daydreaming).
Why do Spanish speakers only say half the proverb?
Because everyone knows the rest. Someone who oversleeps hears a madruga... and supplies the unspoken for themselves. It works like an English speaker saying when in Rome... and stopping. Recognising a refrán from its first half is one of the clearest signs that you are following real conversation.
Why is the grammar in refranes sometimes strange?
Because proverbs are old and built for rhythm. abarca puts and before their verbs, and ladrador, mordedor has no verb at all. Do not tidy them up: the fixed wording is what makes them refranes.
What is the Spanish for the early bird catches the worm?
A madruga, : God helps the one who gets up early. Spanish proverbs rarely translate word for word, so learn the Spanish twin rather than translating the English. would be understood, but only as a translation of the English, not as a Spanish proverb.
How do I learn refranes so they stick?
Keep a notebook page for them, one per line, with the literal wording, the meaning and the English twin side by side. Add the ones you actually hear rather than a list of a hundred. Aim first to recognise them, then to use one or two in conversation, sparingly.