Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Al que no quiere caldo, tres tazas.»
Word for word
To the one who doesn't want broth, three cups.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: What you dread comes in double helpings.
Used when someone who claims not to want something ends up receiving it in abundance, often ironically or as a mild punishment. Common in Spain and Latin America as a comment on stubbornness or reverse psychology.
Hear it in a sentence
Le dije que no tenía hambre, pero mi abuela me sirvió un plato enorme: al que no quiere caldo, tres tazas.
I told her I wasn't hungry, but my grandmother served me a huge plate: to the one who doesn't want broth, three cups.
More Spanish sayings
- Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes. — Luck comes to those who can't use it.
- Arrieros somos y en el camino nos encontraremos. — We'll meet again down the road.
- La fruta prohibida es la más apetecida. — Forbidden fruit is the sweetest.
- No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver. — None so blind as those who will not see.
- Al que le quede el saco, que se lo ponga. — If the shoe fits, wear it.
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.