Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando.»
Word for word
A bird in the hand is worth more than a hundred flying.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Advice to keep the sure thing instead of gambling on a bigger but uncertain prize.
Also said as
- Más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando.
Hear it in a sentence
Acepta la oferta segura en vez de esperar algo mejor: más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando.
Take the sure offer instead of waiting for something better — a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
More Spanish sayings
- Más vale un toma que dos te daré. — A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
- Dos cabezas piensan mejor que una. — Two heads are better than one.
- Hombre precavido vale por dos. — A cautious man is worth two.
- Mientras hay vida, hay esperanza. — While there's life, there's hope.
- A palabras necias, oídos sordos. — Turn a deaf ear to foolish words.
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.