Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«El que avisa no es traidor.»
Word for word
The one who warns is not a traitor.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Fair warning is no betrayal.
Said when giving someone a heads-up or warning before doing something that might affect them, to make clear there's no bad intent. Common in Spain and Latin America in both serious and playful contexts.
Hear it in a sentence
Te dije que llegaría tarde, y el que avisa no es traidor.
I told you I'd arrive late, and the one who warns is not a traitor.
More Spanish sayings
- Lo prometido es deuda. — A promise is a promise.
- A grandes males, grandes remedios. — Desperate times call for desperate measures.
- Para muestra, un botón. — A single example is enough to prove the point.
- Antes que te cases, mira lo que haces. — Look before you leap.
- Nunca digas de esta agua no beberé. — Never say never.
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.