Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Quien no trabaja, no come.»
¿Cómo se dice «Quien no trabaja, no come» en inglés? He who doesn't work, doesn't eat.
Word for word
Who does not work, does not eat.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: He who doesn't work, doesn't eat.
Used to emphasize that effort is necessary to earn a living, often said to someone who is lazy or expects things for free.
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Hear it in a sentence
Quien no trabaja, no come, así que ponte a buscar empleo ya.
He who doesn't work, doesn't eat, so start looking for a job now.
More Spanish sayings
- El dinero no crece en los árboles. — Money doesn't grow on trees.
- Nunca es tarde si la dicha es buena. — Better late than never when the outcome is good.
- La unión hace la fuerza. — United we stand, divided we fall.
- En casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo. — The shoemaker’s children go barefoot.
- El que mucho corre, pronto para. — Haste makes waste.
More: Spanish sayings about money and work · Spanish sayings about food
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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.