Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«El que espera, desespera.»
¿Cómo se dice «El que espera, desespera» en inglés? Waiting drives you crazy.
Word for word
He who waits, despairs.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Waiting drives you crazy.
Used humorously or sympathetically when someone is tired of waiting for something. It acknowledges that waiting is frustrating.
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Also said as
- Quien espera, desespera.
Hear it in a sentence
Llevo tres horas en la sala de espera; el que espera, desespera.
I've been in the waiting room for three hours; he who waits, despairs.
More Spanish sayings
- El hombre propone y Dios dispone. — Man proposes, God disposes.
- Todo llega para quien sabe esperar. — Good things come to those who wait.
- Quien canta, sus males espanta. — Singing drives away your troubles.
- Un clavo saca otro clavo. — One nail drives out another.
- A su tiempo maduran las uvas. — Everything ripens in its own time.
More: Spanish sayings about time and patience
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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.