Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Donde fueres, haz lo que vieres.»
Word for word
Wherever you may go, do what you may see.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Adapt to local customs when you travel. It preserves the old Spanish future subjunctive — you’ll only ever hear that tense here.
Also said as
- Allá donde fueres, haz lo que vieres.
Hear it in a sentence
En Japón todos se quitan los zapatos al entrar, así que yo también: donde fueres, haz lo que vieres.
In Japan everyone takes their shoes off at the door, so I do too — when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
More Spanish sayings
- Se dice el pecado, pero no el pecador. — Name the sin, not the sinner.
- Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña. — If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.
- Nunca digas de esta agua no beberé. — Never say never.
- Quien a todos quiere agradar, a nadie agrada. — Pleasing everyone pleases no one.
- No hay peor sordo que el que no quiere oír. — None so deaf as those who will not hear.
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.