Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Tanto va el cántaro a la fuente, que al final se rompe.»
Word for word
So much does the pitcher go to the fountain, that in the end it breaks.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: The pitcher goes to the well so often that it breaks at last.
Warns that repeated risk-taking or abuse eventually leads to disaster. Used as a cautionary remark when someone keeps pushing their luck.
Hear it in a sentence
Llevas meses llegando tarde; tanto va el cántaro a la fuente, que al final se rompe.
You've been arriving late for months; the pitcher goes to the well so often that it breaks at last.
More Spanish sayings
- No hay que tentar al diablo. — Don't tempt fate.
- La codicia rompe el saco. — Greed overreaches and loses everything.
- Quien hace un cesto, hace ciento. — Do it once and you'll do it again.
- Caras vemos, corazones no sabemos. — You can't judge a book by its cover.
- El que mucho abarca, poco aprieta. — Don’t bite off more than you can chew.
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.