Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Cuando el hambre entra, el amor sale.»
Word for word
When hunger enters, love leaves.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: You can't love on an empty stomach.
Used to say that basic needs come before romantic feelings. Common in conversations about poverty and relationships.
Hear it in a sentence
Cuando el hambre entra, el amor sale; primero hay que resolver la comida.
You can't love on an empty stomach; first you have to sort out food.
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 exact level.