Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.»
Word for word
Where there was fire, ashes remain.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Old flames die hard.
Used to say that past love or passion never completely disappears, often when former lovers reunite or old feelings resurface. Common in romantic and gossip contexts.
Hear it in a sentence
Se reencontraron después de años y volvieron; donde hubo fuego, cenizas quedan.
They met again after years and got back together; old flames die hard.
More Spanish sayings
- La cabra siempre tira al monte. — Old habits die hard.
- El amor todo lo puede. — Love conquers all.
- Agua pasada no mueve molino. — It's water under the bridge.
- Caras vemos, corazones no sabemos. — You can't judge a book by its cover.
- El amor es ciego. — Love is blind.
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.