Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es rey.»
Word for word
In the country of the blind, the one-eyed is king.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
Used to describe situations where someone with limited ability stands out because everyone else is even less capable. Common in commentary on mediocrity or relative advantage.
Hear it in a sentence
En esa oficina nadie sabe usar Excel; en el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es rey.
In that office nobody knows how to use Excel; in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
More Spanish sayings
- Del árbol caído todos hacen leña. — Everyone kicks a man when he's down.
- El que no sabe es como el que no ve. — The ignorant are like the blind.
- Lo cortés no quita lo valiente. — Being polite doesn't make you any less brave.
- A quien madruga, Dios le ayuda. — The early bird catches the worm.
- Nadie es profeta en su tierra. — No one is a prophet in their own land.
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.