Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«A buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan.»
Word for word
To a good understander, few words suffice.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A word to the wise is enough.
Used when a brief hint is enough for a clever person to grasp the full meaning, often to cut a conversation short. Common in Spain and Latin America in both formal and informal speech.
Hear it in a sentence
No hace falta que te lo explique todo; a buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan.
I don't need to explain everything to you; a word to the wise is enough.
More Spanish sayings
- Para muestra, un botón. — A single example is enough to prove the point.
- Todos los caminos llevan a Roma. — All roads lead to Rome.
- Bicho malo nunca muere. — A bad penny always turns up.
- La mentira tiene patas cortas. — Lies have short legs.
- Con dinero baila el perro. — Money makes the world go round.
Why learn dichos?
Proverbs like this one are everywhere in spoken Spanish — dropped mid-conversation, usually just the first half, with the rest left for you to complete. Recognizing them is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and follow real speech. Every Lingocito edition signs off with the dicho del día, so you meet one a day next to news written at your level.