Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo.»
¿Cómo se dice «Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo» en inglés? Don't cast a clout till May is out.
Word for word
Until the fortieth of May, don't take off your cloak.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Don't cast a clout till May is out.
Said in spring to warn people not to put away warm clothes too soon, because cold weather can still return. It's a practical weather-related caution widely used in Spain.
Learning Spanish? Get one saying like this every morning, next to real news written at your level.
Hear it in a sentence
Hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo, que todavía pueden venir días fríos.
Don't put away your coat until mid-May, because cold days can still come.
More Spanish sayings
- La mentira tiene patas cortas. — Lies have short legs.
- Ande yo caliente, ríase la gente. — I don't care what people say as long as I'm comfortable.
- Marzo ventoso y abril lluvioso sacan a mayo florido y hermoso. — Windy March and rainy April bring beautiful May flowers.
- Cuando el grajo vuela bajo, hace un frío del carajo. — When birds fly low, bitter cold is on the way.
- El hábito no hace al monje. — Clothes don’t make the man.
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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.