Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Éramos pocos y parió la abuela.»
Word for word
We were few and the grandmother gave birth.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: As if we didn't have enough problems already.
Said sarcastically when a new problem or complication is added to an already difficult situation. Very common in colloquial Spanish in Spain and Latin America.
Hear it in a sentence
Se averió el coche y encima empezó a llover; éramos pocos y parió la abuela.
The car broke down and on top of that it started raining; as if we didn't have enough problems already.
More Spanish sayings
- No hay que buscarle tres pies al gato. — Don't overcomplicate things.
- Para muestra, un botón. — A single example is enough to prove the point.
- De grano en grano, llena la gallina el buche. — Little by little, one goes far.
- Miente más que habla. — He lies more than he talks.
- Lo que no mata, engorda. — What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
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.