Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«La curiosidad mató al gato.»
Word for word
Curiosity killed the cat.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Curiosity killed the cat.
A warning that prying into things that don’t concern you can end badly.
Hear it in a sentence
Quiso leer los mensajes de su compañero y encontró algo que no le gustó: la curiosidad mató al gato.
He went snooping through his colleague’s messages and found something he didn’t like — curiosity killed the cat.
More Spanish sayings
- A la cama no te irás sin saber una cosa más. — You should learn something new every day.
- Paciencia y barajar. — Patience and shuffle the cards.
- Lo que no mata, engorda. — What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
- Cuando el gato no está, los ratones bailan. — When the cat's away, the mice will play.
- Quien mal anda, mal acaba. — Those who go astray come to a bad end.
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.