Refranes..

Question

I found this list of Spanish sayings. Not all of them are easy to understand and I suspect some of them are more nuanced, more subtle than they may seem. Plenty of vocabulary and nuances here! Enjoy

......................................> refranes

¡Muchas gracias por poner el vínculo aquí, Birdland! Me gustan mucho las refranes . . . . - Ingeteacher, Sep 18, 2011

¡Tambien, te lo agradezco! Es un buen sitio. - 002262dd, Sep 18, 2011

Answer 1

Hi Birdy,

I love Spanish refranes, and there are a lot of great collections. Thanks for posting this one. It contains a version of one of my favorites:

Cuando el río suena, agua lleva.

I know this as: Cuando el río suena, piedras trae.

When the river makes a lot of noise, the water flows / it carries rocks.

The meaning is: If everybody is saying something, it's probably true.

In English, "Where there's smoke, there's fire."

One thing I have noticed (and you, too, I see) about Spanish proverbs compared to English, they are more subtle, nuanced, and metaphoric. One of the things I love about the Spanish language.

Answer 2

Love these...thanks!