Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«De tal palo, tal astilla.»
Word for word
From such a stick, such a splinter.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A chip off the old block.
Said when a child clearly takes after a parent, in talent or in temperament.
Hear it in a sentence
Su madre es pintora y la niña dibuja todo el día: de tal palo, tal astilla.
Her mother is a painter and the girl draws all day — a chip off the old block.
More Spanish sayings
- El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta. — Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
- Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres. — You are known by the company you keep.
- Un clavo saca otro clavo. — One nail drives out another.
- Los niños y los borrachos siempre dicen la verdad. — Children and drunkards always tell the truth.
- Haz el bien y no mires a quién. — Do good without expecting anything in return.
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.