Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Las penas con pan son menos.»
Word for word
Sorrows with bread are fewer.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Troubles are lighter on a full stomach.
Said to comfort someone going through hard times, reminding them that eating and sharing a meal eases grief. Very common in Spain and Latin America as a warm, homey consolation.
Hear it in a sentence
No te preocupes tanto, mujer; las penas con pan son menos, vamos a comer algo.
Don't worry so much, woman; sorrows with bread are fewer, let's go eat something.
More Spanish sayings
- No hay mal que dure cien años. — Troubles don't last forever.
- Siempre que llueve, escampa. — This too shall pass.
- Después de la tormenta, viene la calma. — After the storm comes the calm.
- Desayuna como rey, come como príncipe y cena como mendigo. — Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dine like a pauper.
- Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga. — God tests us but never gives us more than we can bear.
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.