Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«El que la hace, la paga.»
Word for word
He who does it, pays for it.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: You reap what you sow.
Used to say that people will eventually face consequences for their wrongdoings. Common in everyday speech across Spain and Latin America, often said with a tone of justice or warning.
Hear it in a sentence
No te preocupes, tarde o temprano el que la hace, la paga.
Don't worry, sooner or later, you reap what you sow.
More Spanish sayings
- El que siembra vientos, recoge tempestades. — Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.
- Cada quien cosecha lo que siembra. — You reap what you sow.
- Hijo eres, padre serás, lo que hiciste pagarás. — You reap what you sow with your children.
- A lo hecho, pecho. — What's done is done.
- Todos los caminos llevan a Roma. — All roads lead to Rome.
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.