Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Los amigos se cuentan con los dedos de la mano.»
Word for word
Friends are counted with the fingers of the hand.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: True friends are few and precious.
Said to emphasize that real friends are few. Used when distinguishing true friends from casual acquaintances.
Hear it in a sentence
Los amigos se cuentan con los dedos de la mano, pero esos pocos valen oro.
True friends can be counted on one hand, but those few are worth gold.
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.