Dicho español · Spanish proverb

«Las cosas de palacio van despacio.»

Word for word

Palace matters go slowly.

What it really means

The closest English equivalent: Official matters move slowly.

Used to explain why bureaucratic or official processes take so long. Very common when dealing with government offices or paperwork.

Hear it in a sentence

No te impacientes con el trámite; ya sabes que las cosas de palacio van despacio.

Don't get impatient with the paperwork; you know that palace matters go slowly.

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.

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