Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Quien canta, sus males espanta.»
Word for word
Whoever sings, scares away their ills.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Singing drives away your troubles.
Used to encourage cheerfulness and singing as a way to lift one's spirits and forget problems. A well-known folk saying across the Spanish-speaking world.
Hear it in a sentence
Aunque estoy triste, pongo música porque quien canta, sus males espanta.
Even though I'm sad, I put on music because singing drives away your troubles.
More Spanish sayings
- Un clavo saca otro clavo. — One nail drives out another.
- Los niños y los borrachos siempre dicen la verdad. — Children and drunkards always tell the truth.
- Bien está lo que bien acaba. — All's well that ends well.
- Quien tiene boca se equivoca. — To err is human.
- Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres. — You are known by the company you keep.
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.