Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«En todas partes cuecen habas.»
Word for word
In all places they cook broad beans.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: It happens everywhere; nobody's perfect.
Used to point out that problems, faults, or difficulties exist everywhere, not just in one place. Often said to console someone or to relativize a complaint about a particular place or group.
Hear it in a sentence
No creas que en ese país todo es perfecto; en todas partes cuecen habas.
Don't think everything is perfect in that country; it happens everywhere.
More Spanish sayings
- Quien a todos quiere agradar, a nadie agrada. — Pleasing everyone pleases no one.
- Si la montaña no va a Mahoma, Mahoma va a la montaña. — If the mountain won't come to Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.
- La práctica hace al maestro. — Practice makes perfect.
- Dime de qué presumes y te diré de qué careces. — Tell me what you boast about and I'll tell you what you lack.
- Bien está lo que bien acaba. — All's well that ends well.
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.