Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«A grandes males, grandes remedios.»
Word for word
To great evils, great remedies.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Used when a serious problem requires bold, drastic solutions rather than half-measures. Common in advice-giving contexts throughout the Spanish-speaking world.
Hear it in a sentence
La empresa está al borde de la quiebra, así que a grandes males, grandes remedios: hay que despedir personal.
The company is on the brink of bankruptcy, so desperate times call for desperate measures: we have to lay off staff.
More Spanish sayings
- Lo prometido es deuda. — A promise is a promise.
- El que siembra vientos, recoge tempestades. — Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.
- Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga. — God tests us but never gives us more than we can bear.
- Habla poco y bien, y serás tenido por alguien. — Speak little and well, and you'll be respected.
- Siempre que llueve, escampa. — This too shall pass.
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.