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#44336 - 10/02/03 06:19 AM Spanish sayings - translation please
rboltze Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 4
Loc: Madrid
I thought it would be easy to translate the popular Spanish sayings below into the equivalent English sayings but I realise that is not the case..... frown If anyone would like to lend me a hand.... please smile

Ládreme el perro, y no me muerda
A buen entendedor, pocas palabras
A caballo regalado, no le mires el diente
Agua passada no mueve molino
Al pan, pan, y al vino, vino
Aquí te pillo, aquí te mato
Bicho malo numca muere
El bien viene andando; el mal, volando
Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan
Cuando el río suena, agua lleva
Cuando marzo mayea, mayo marcea
Cuanto más viejo, más pellejo
Cuanto más veo, más mal veo
Culo veo, culo quiero
desgraciado en el juego, afortunado en amores
Donde las dan, las toman
En boca cerrada no entran moscas
Gato escaldado, del agua fría huye
Hombre prevenido vale por dos
Ladreme el perro, y no me muerda
lo que no aprieta, no sujeta
mala hierba nunca muere
Mucho ruido y pocas nueces
Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando
Mientras hay vida, hay esperanza
No dejes para mañana lo que puedas hacer hoy
no es oro todo lo que reluce
no hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oir
no todo el monte es oregano
Ojo por ojo, diente por diente
Ojos que no ven, corazón que no siente
Piensa el ladrón que todos son de su condición
Que no llora, no mama
Que busca, halla
Quien dice lo que quiere, oye lo que no quiere
Al que primero gana, el diablo le engaña
Quien guarda, halla
Quien se fue a Sevilla, perdió su Silla
Santa Rita, Santa Rita, lo que se da, no se quita
Quien madruga, Dios ayuda
Por tan temprano madrugar, amanece más temprano

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#44337 - 10/02/03 07:25 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
deibid Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 345
Loc: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid
Wow! what a hard work. I'll try... so you don't understand ANY of them?

Ládreme el perro, y no me muerda

this is not correct, it's "perro ladrador poco mordedor" " a dog that barks too much doesn't bite too much" --> i.e, a person that looks like is allways angry but at the end is a nice and polite person.

A buen entendedor, pocas palabras BASTAN.

"For a good understander a few words are enough", that's for laconic speakers.

A caballo regalado, no le mires el diente
"don't look the tooth of a horse that's a present"
Well, if they give you a present, don't comment about its quality, it's a present!

Agua passada no mueve molino... too difficult for me!

Al pan, pan, y al vino, vino
"To bread, bread, to wine, wine"-->"name things as you should, don't be so euphemistic"

Aquí te pillo, aquí te mato
"Here I get you, here I kill you" he he... good one "I make it at the same moment I think it". Used widely refering to...emm, SEX!.

bicho malo numca muere
"bad beast never dies". use this for criminals, politicians and anyone who everyone would agree that is 'bad'

El bien viene andando; el mal, volando
"Good comes walking, bad flying"
Well, the good things allways come too late and bad things too soon. A bit pesimistic, isn't it?

Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan
"When the cat is out the mice dance"
I.e, if your boss is missing and you are partying because he is out.

Cuando el río suena, agua lleva
"When the river sounds,it carries water"
You couldn't figure this out... it means that if you hear rumors, it's because there is some truth in them.

Cuando marzo mayea, mayo marcea
"When March is like May, May is like March"
IT'S TRUE, pure spanish meteo, some years march is hot and sunny, and then NOOOOO may is chilling and windy. Even snowy!

END OF PART 1
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#44338 - 10/02/03 07:45 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
rboltze Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 4
Loc: Madrid
Hi, thanks for your efforts.

I know that in English the same sayings do exist, but often in a different form. However, I am not sure about the exact wording of the English sayings.

For instants the saying :
"Cuando el río suena, agua lleva"

translates to "
Where there is smoke there is fire" (Thats what I believe, but I am not completely sure)

Althought I apreciate your translations which are very helpfull indeed, I still would love to see equivalent English expressions for these Spanish sayings.

Thanks again

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#44339 - 10/02/03 07:50 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
deibid Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 345
Loc: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid
Cuanto más viejo, más pellejo
"when you get older, you get uglier" pure truth, again.

Cuanto más veo, más mal veo
"The more I see, the more evil things I see". Again pesimistic. Pesimist thinking is a constant in Spain's history.

Culo veo, culo quiero
"I see a butt and I want that butt"="I feel envy"

desgraciado en el juego, afortunado en amores
"unlucky in game, lucky in love" It seems like if you loose in a game, you are loved. I use to say this when I loose playing cards.

Donde las dan, las toman
"Where they give them, they take them"="Ojo por ojo..."=Thalion law.
END OF PART 2
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#44340 - 10/02/03 08:15 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
miche_dup1 Offline
Member

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 181
Hiya,

Ladreme el perro y no me muerde
- All bark and no bite

Mas vale un pajaro en mano que ciento volando
- A bird in hand is worth two in the bush

No dejes para manana lo que puedas hacer hoy
- Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today

Ojo por ojo, diente por diente
- (literally) eye for an eye,....

ojos que no ven, corazon no se siente
- eyes sees not, the heart rues not,(I'm sure there is a modern one but i can't remember it)

Quien se madruga, dios le ayuda
two possible usages;
'Early bird gets the worm' &
'Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise'.

I'm not sure all of the ones listed at the beginning have the English equivalent, certainly someone else can help you with a few more as these are the only ones I know.
This is fun.

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#44341 - 10/02/03 08:27 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
miche_dup1 Offline
Member

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 181
'Desgraciado en el juego, afortunado en amores'

It seems the equivalent is

'Unlucky in love, lucky at play' but seems to be used more by just saying,
'Lucky in love' when you lose.

It's more that you can't have luck in both love and gamble, it's one or the other. I'm afraid though that it is not the case that if you lose you are loved more. There is a slight difference.

My husband used to be an excellent poker
player laugh laugh

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#44342 - 10/02/03 09:18 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
deibid Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 345
Loc: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid
Ooops!
Understood.
I see what you wanted, I'm sorry but I can't help you with that...
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#44343 - 10/02/03 10:57 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
miche_dup1 Offline
Member

Registered: 04/08/02
Posts: 181
excuse me once again,
Deibid, any chance you could translate a few more?
Perhaps the last few like Sevilla y silla etc, i don't understand those ones.
:-)

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#44344 - 10/02/03 11:16 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
deibid Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 345
Loc: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid
Sure, miche!
"el que se fue a Sevilla perdió su silla" is really a funny rhyme that we use whenever someone leaves the place he was sitting on and you go and sit there.
In english it doesn't rhyme, of course, so it looses all sense
"The one who went to Seville lost his chair"
So, you know, if your buddy is compfortably watching a movie in the sofa and then he goes for a drink and you sit in the same place, when he returns you can say "el que se fue a Sevilla perdió su silla".
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#44345 - 10/02/03 11:22 AM Re: Spanish sayings - translation please
deibid Offline
Executive Member

Registered: 10/02/03
Posts: 345
Loc: Colmenar Viejo, Madrid
"Santa Rita , lo que se da no se quita"
Another one that has no equal in english (as far aas I know, that is little)
It's like Sevilla, a rhyme used when someone gives you something as a gift and then you want it back.
In english again it does not make sense nor rhymes at all:
"st. Rita, what is given is not retrieved"
So... if your buddy says: "hey, take my sunglasses, I don't need them anymore..." and then he regrets it you can say him
"Santa Rita, lo que se da no se quita"
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