Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«De noche, todos los gatos son pardos.»
Word for word
At night, all cats are brownish-grey.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: All cats are grey in the dark.
Said to mean that in the dark or in certain circumstances, differences become indistinguishable. Sometimes used with a suggestive or humorous tone about romantic encounters at night.
Hear it in a sentence
No te fijes tanto en los detalles; de noche, todos los gatos son pardos.
Don't pay so much attention to details; at night, all cats are grey.
More Spanish sayings
- Quien con niños se acuesta, mojado amanece. — Lie down with dogs, wake up with fleas.
- El que guarda su boca, guarda su alma. — Watch your mouth, protect yourself.
- El amor todo lo puede. — Love conquers all.
- Cuando las ranas críen pelo. — When pigs fly.
- Nunca digas de esta agua no beberé. — Never say never.
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.