Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Lo que no mata, engorda.»
Word for word
What does not kill, fattens.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Used humorously or stoically to shrug off a setback, hardship, or unappetizing food, implying that if it didn't harm you, it must have done you some good. Common in casual conversation across Spain and Latin America.
Hear it in a sentence
Perdí el trabajo, pero bueno, lo que no mata, engorda.
I lost my job, but oh well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
More Spanish sayings
- Éramos pocos y parió la abuela. — As if we didn't have enough problems already.
- Barriga llena, corazón contento. — A full belly makes a happy heart.
- Del dicho al hecho hay mucho trecho. — Easier said than done.
- A lo hecho, pecho. — What's done is done.
- Para muestra, un botón. — A single example is enough to prove the point.
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.