Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes.»
Word for word
God gives bread to whom has no teeth.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Luck comes to those who can't use it.
Used to express irony when someone receives something they cannot use or enjoy, often about undeserved fortune. Common in everyday commentary on life's unfairness.
Hear it in a sentence
Le regalaron un piano y no sabe tocar; Dios da pan a quien no tiene dientes.
They gave him a piano and he can't play; God gives bread to those with no teeth.
More Spanish sayings
- El que nace para maceta, del corredor no pasa. — You can't escape your destiny.
- Vivir para ver. — You live and learn.
- El dinero llama al dinero. — Money attracts money.
- A río revuelto, ganancia de pescadores. — There is opportunity in troubled waters.
- Al que no quiere caldo, tres tazas. — What you dread comes in double helpings.
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.