Dicho español · Spanish proverb
«Un clavo saca otro clavo.»
Word for word
One nail takes out another nail.
What it really means
The closest English equivalent: One nail drives out another.
Typically said to console someone after a breakup, meaning a new love or distraction helps forget the old one. Widely used across the Spanish-speaking world.
Hear it in a sentence
Olvídala, ya verás que un clavo saca otro clavo.
Forget her, you'll see that one nail drives out another.
More Spanish sayings
- Quien canta, sus males espanta. — Singing drives away your troubles.
- A Dios rogando y con el mazo dando. — Pray to God but keep rowing to shore.
- Cuando una puerta se cierra, otra se abre. — When one door closes, another opens.
- Los trapos sucios se lavan en casa. — Don't air your dirty laundry in public.
- Dios los cría y ellos se juntan. — Birds of a feather flock together.
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.