Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Hay que darle tiempo al tiempo.»
Word for word
You have to give time to time.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Give it time; be patient.
Said when someone is impatient about a process or outcome, encouraging them to wait calmly rather than rush things.
Hear it in a sentence
Sé que quieres respuestas ya, pero hay que darle tiempo al tiempo.
I know you want answers now, but you have to give it time.
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 exact level.