Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Cuando menos te lo esperas, salta la liebre.»
¿Cómo se dice «Cuando menos te lo esperas, salta la liebre» en inglés? Opportunity comes when you least expect it.
Word for word
When you least expect it, the hare jumps out.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Opportunity comes when you least expect it.
Used when something unexpected—often good—happens suddenly. It reminds people that surprises come without warning.
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Also said as
- Donde menos se espera, salta la liebre.
Hear it in a sentence
Cuando menos te lo esperas, salta la liebre, y hoy me llamaron con una oferta de trabajo.
Opportunity comes when you least expect it, and today they called me with a job offer.
More Spanish sayings
- Vivir para ver. — You live and learn.
- No hay dos sin tres. — Things come in threes.
- Nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena. — Better late than never when the outcome is good.
- Haz el bien y no mires a quién. — Do good without expecting anything in return.
- Quien no arriesga, no gana. — Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Test your Spanish
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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.