Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Escarmentar en cabeza ajena.»
¿Cómo se dice «Escarmentar en cabeza ajena» en inglés? Learn from others' mistakes.
Word for word
To learn a lesson in someone else's head.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Learn from others' mistakes.
Used when someone learns a lesson by watching another person's failure rather than experiencing it themselves. It praises wisdom gained without personal cost.
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Hear it in a sentence
No repitas el error de tu hermano; hay que escarmentar en cabeza ajena.
Don't repeat your brother's mistake; you should learn from others' mistakes.
More Spanish sayings
- De los errores se aprende. — You learn from your mistakes.
- Quien no arriesga, no gana. — Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
- El que tiene un amigo, tiene un tesoro. — A friend is a treasure.
- El tiempo no pasa en balde. — Time doesn't pass in vain.
- Cuando las barbas de tu vecino veas cortar, pon las tuyas a remojar. — Learn from others' mistakes before they happen to you.
More: Spanish sayings about life and wisdom
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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.