Dicho español · Spanish proverb

«Dime de qué presumes y te diré de qué careces.»

Word for word

Tell me what you boast about and I will tell you what you lack.

What it really means

The closest English equivalent: Tell me what you boast about and I'll tell you what you lack.

Used to point out that people often brag about what they secretly lack; common in conversations about habits and character.

Hear it in a sentence

Siempre presume de dinero, y dime de qué presumes y te diré de qué careces.

He always brags about money, and tell me what you boast about and I'll tell you what you lack.

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.

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