Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Quien mal habla, mal acaba.»
Word for word
He who speaks badly, ends badly.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: Those who speak ill end badly.
Used as a warning that gossiping or speaking badly about others will eventually backfire. It's common when someone is caught spreading rumors.
Hear it in a sentence
Quien mal habla, mal acaba; ya verás cómo se le regresa todo lo que dice de los demás.
Those who speak ill end badly; you'll see how everything she says about others comes back to her.
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.