Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Bicho malo nunca muere.»
Word for word
A bad bug never dies.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A bad penny always turns up.
Said half-jokingly about a tough or mischievous person who always seems to survive illness or trouble. Common in informal speech in Spain and Latin America.
Hear it in a sentence
Mi abuelo tiene noventa años y sigue fumando; bicho malo nunca muere.
My grandfather is ninety and still smoking; a bad bug never dies.
More Spanish sayings
- Hierba mala nunca muere. — Ill weeds grow apace.
- El que nace para tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas. — Some people are just born lucky.
- Con dinero baila el perro. — Money makes the world go round.
- A buen entendedor, pocas palabras bastan. — A word to the wise is enough.
- En martes, ni te cases ni te embarques. — Tuesday is unlucky: Spain's Friday the 13th.
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.