Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«A falta de pan, buenas son tortas.»
Word for word
In the absence of bread, flatbreads are good.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Beggars can’t be choosers.
Said when you make do with a decent substitute because the first choice isn’t available.
Hear it in a sentence
No quedaba café en casa, así que tomamos té: a falta de pan, buenas son tortas.
There was no coffee left at home, so we had tea — beggars can’t be choosers.
More Spanish sayings
- Una golondrina no hace verano. — One swallow doesn’t make a summer.
- No todo el monte es orégano. — Life isn't a bed of roses.
- Más vale ser cabeza de ratón que cola de león. — Better to be first in a village than second in Rome.
- El hábito no hace al monje. — Clothes don’t make the man.
- El dinero llama al dinero. — Money attracts money.
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.