Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Más vale prevenir que curar.»
Word for word
Preventing is worth more than curing.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Better safe than sorry.
Take precautions now rather than fix damage later — the proverb behind every umbrella in a backpack.
Hear it in a sentence
Lleva siempre un paraguas en la mochila: más vale prevenir que curar.
She always keeps an umbrella in her backpack — better safe than sorry.
More Spanish sayings
- Barriga llena, corazón contento. — A full belly makes a happy heart.
- Cuando el río suena, agua lleva. — Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
- Pan para hoy, hambre para mañana. — A quick fix today, a bigger problem tomorrow.
- Nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena. — Better late than never when the outcome is good.
- El tiempo lo cura todo. — Time heals all wounds.
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.