Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Cuando las ranas críen pelo.»
Word for word
When frogs grow hair.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: When pigs fly.
A sarcastic way of saying something will never happen. Very common in Spain and Latin America as a humorous refusal or dismissal.
Hear it in a sentence
¿Que me preste su coche? Cuando las ranas críen pelo.
He'll lend me his car? When pigs fly.
More Spanish sayings
- Más vale tarde que nunca. — Better late than never.
- A la tercera va la vencida. — Third time's the charm.
- Nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena. — Better late than never when the outcome is good.
- Cuando el grajo vuela bajo, hace un frío del carajo. — When birds fly low, bitter cold is on the way.
- A lo hecho, pecho. — What's done is done.
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.