Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Agua pasada no mueve molino.»
Word for word
Past water does not move the mill.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: It's water under the bridge.
Said to let go of past events that can no longer affect the present, often to stop someone dwelling on old grievances. Common in Spain and Latin America.
Hear it in a sentence
Ya no discutamos por eso; agua pasada no mueve molino.
Let's not argue about that anymore; past water doesn't move the mill.
More Spanish sayings
- Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan. — Old flames die hard.
- El que avisa no es traidor. — Fair warning is no betrayal.
- Borrón y cuenta nueva. — Let bygones be bygones.
- No hay que buscarle tres pies al gato. — Don't overcomplicate things.
- A buen hambre no hay pan duro. — Hunger is the best sauce.
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.