Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas.»
¿Cómo se dice «Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas» en inglés? Nobody gives something for nothing.
Word for word
Nobody gives duros for four pesetas.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Nobody gives something for nothing.
Used to warn that an offer that seems too good is probably a scam or has hidden costs. Common in Spain and understood across the Spanish-speaking world.
Learning Spanish? Get one saying like this every morning, next to real news written at your level.
Hear it in a sentence
Ese precio es demasiado bajo; nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas.
That price is too low; nobody gives something for nothing.
More Spanish sayings
- No es tan fiero el león como lo pintan. — The devil is not as black as he is painted.
- Dios aprieta, pero no ahoga. — God tests us but never gives us more than we can bear.
- Cuando el diablo no tiene qué hacer, con el rabo mata moscas. — Idle hands are the devil's workshop.
- Quien tiene boca se equivoca. — To err is human.
- Quien no arriesga, no gana. — Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
More: Spanish sayings about money and work
Test your Spanish
- Free Spanish level test — find your CEFR level in about two minutes
- Ser vs estar quiz — with an explanation for every answer
- Learn Spanish by reading the news — guide
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.