{"id":9733,"date":"2016-05-25T17:33:21","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T21:33:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/?p=9733"},"modified":"2016-05-25T17:33:21","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T21:33:21","slug":"spanish-proverbs-los-refranes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/spanish\/spanish-proverbs-los-refranes\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish proverbs: Los refranes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Popular wisdom usually takes the form of a proverb. All languages have them, and sometimes proverbs\u00a0combine knowledge on a topic, with puns\u00a0and rhythm. In Spain, there is a tradition of proverbs that go back to the epic poem Mio Cid<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Let’s start with a proverb we use in English, “Spain is different<\/strong>“, coined by Franco’s minister of Industry during the dictatorship (1939-1975). People still use it when they try to explain what’s wrong with the country. In this link <\/a>you have a list of slogans used by Spanish Tourist Agencies since the 1930s.<\/p>\n

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\"Spain<\/a><\/p>\n

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To\u00a0this self-satisfied version of themselves, we can oppose “\u00c1frica empieza en los Pirineos<\/strong>“, which\u00a0basically means Spain is not in Europe (and,therefore, does not follow European standards, does not have European wages or employment rates, nor European\u00a0work ethics or even timetables).<\/p>\n

For people who succeed outside their country, we we have another proverb: “Nadie es profeta en su tierra<\/strong>“, which has biblical origins and exists in almost all European languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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These two are my best friend’s favourites: “Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda<\/strong>“.\u00a0As you may know, madrugar <\/em>means to get up early in the morning. The first proverb implies that doing so is rewarded by God, which could also be a metaphor for “trying to think ahead and being innovative can lead to success in plans and projects”.<\/p>\n

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\"al<\/a><\/p>\n

There is a large list of synonyms for this proverb, meaning more or less the same:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“<\/b>M\u00e1s ayuda la ma\u00f1ana que prima ni hermana<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

“Quien madruga, halla el p\u00e1jaro en el nido, y quien se duerme, h\u00e1llalo vac\u00edo<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

“Pide a Dios y a los santos, pero echa abono en tus campos<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

“Si quieres tener buena fama, que no te halle el sol en la cama<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

On the contrary, “No por mucho madrugar se amanece m\u00e1s temprano<\/strong>” implies that it doesn’t\u00a0matter if you\u00a0get up the earliest: dawn will still take place at the same time, nature follows its own course. This proverb is less popular than the previous one, and certainly has less synonyms, but I find it more suggestive and intriguing.<\/p>\n

Do you know any other proverbs in Spanish? They are a good resource to learn the language<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Popular wisdom usually takes the form of a proverb. All languages have them, and sometimes proverbs\u00a0combine knowledge on a topic, with puns\u00a0and rhythm. In Spain, there is a tradition of proverbs that go back to the epic poem Mio Cid.\u00a0 Let’s start with a proverb we use in English, “Spain is different“, coined by Franco’s…<\/p>\n

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