Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.»
¿Cómo se dice «El que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija» en inglés? He who leans on a good tree gets good shade.
Word for word
He who to a good tree leans, good shade shelters him.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: He who leans on a good tree gets good shade.
Used to advise choosing good company, mentors, or environments because they will benefit you; common in advice about friendships and habits.
Learning Spanish? Get one saying like this every morning, next to real news written at your level.
Also said as
- Quien a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
- Al que buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
Hear it in a sentence
Junta con gente estudiosa, que el que a buen árbol se arrima, buena sombra le cobija.
Hang out with studious people, because he who leans on a good tree gets good shade.
More Spanish sayings
- Más vale solo que mal acompañado. — Better alone than in bad company.
- El que con lobos anda, a aullar se enseña. — He who keeps company with wolves will learn to howl.
- Cuentas claras, amistades largas. — Clear accounts keep friendships long.
- Árbol que crece torcido, jamás su tronco endereza. — As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.
- Más vale un toma que dos te daré. — A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Test your Spanish
- Free Spanish level test — find your CEFR level in about two minutes
- Por vs para quiz — with an explanation for every answer
- Learn Spanish by reading the news — guide
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.