Balcones de Colombia - Dichos Colombianos

Los Dichos Colombianos - Colombian Sayings

1) "UNO ES CULANTRO PERO NO TANTO"
hard to translate but...
"ONE IS CULANTRO BUT NOT SO MUCH"

The translation is meaning less but what this means is like when someone keeps taking advantage of you, you get to the point that you say: "enough is enough" so one can be culantro no not as much.. like that is it!

2) "DIME CON QUIEN ANDAS Y TE DIRE QUIEN ERES"

" TELL ME WHO WHO HANG OUT WITH AND I WILL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE"

One of my mami's favorite ones whenever I had a friend that was not "de mi clase" or just simply a bad influence. Basically means that if you hang out with bad people you will become like them.

3) "MAS VALE PAJARO EN MANO QUE CIEN VOLANDO"

" BETTER TO HAVE ONE BIRD IN HAND THAN 100 FLYING"

This means that is better to have one thing for sure than 100 other things that are not for sure. Like you have a boyfriend for example who loves you and you have a good relationship is better to have him and be faithful than having like 10 guys you go out with but none of them are for sure. It can be used in many ways.

4) " EL QUE MUCHO ABARCA POCO APRIETA"

My mami again... everytime I tried to carry many things in my hand and drop them or when you try to do too much at once and you can't do it all right.. you are better off doing one thing at the time correctly than doing 10 things "half-ass".
5) An otro perro con ese hueso. (To another Dog with that Bone)
Means: If someone is telling you lies, you tell them go to someone else with those lies. Shakira uses it on her song:”La Tortura” because the guy is telling he is sorry for cheating and well, in English would be like: Bullshit someone else.

6) AL caído, caerle. (To the fallen, fall on him) I Never heard this one so I am not too sure what to make of it. But I think it may mean like if someone is already in a bad situtation you might as well hurt that person…

7) Al cura se le olvida que un día fue sacristán. ( The priest forgets he was an altar boy once) An example is like when let’s say you are new to a job and the trainer has no patience whatsoever and gets mad at you for not knowing what to do, they forget they were new once too.

8) Al pobre y al feo todo se les va en deseo. ( The poor and the Ugly everything goes on desire) Never heard this one but to me it means that usually ugly or poor people do anything to get what they desire even if they have to do it illegally.

9) Amor con hambre no dura. ( love with hunger doesn’t last) This one is used for like when you are going to marry someone poor, telling you that it won’t last because money is important for a marriage to work out.

10) Amor con oro, alcanzarlo todo.(Love with Gold, reaches everything) In the same context as the above dicho… refers to if a couple has lots of money they can get what they what and be happy.

11) Indio comido indio ido Very common dicho ( Indian eaten, Indian gone) In Colombia is very rude that you go to let’s say a party and just eat and leave so we say this to those people. Like they have no manners. We also add: “INDIO COMIDO, INDIO IDO, INDIO HIJUE…UTA MALAGRADECIDO” so remember don’t just go to someone’s house and eat and leave.

12) El que quiere marrones aguanta tirones ( the one who wants “curls” takes the pulling) My mom used this one a lot. Is used like when you want your hair done you need to not complain about all the hairpulling because you want your hair that way. It can be used for like when you want something you have to take the pain to get it.

13) Cuando el pobre va de culo no hay barranco que lo ataje ( When the poor person goes ass down there is no “barranco” that catches him) sorry not sure what Barranco is en English but basically it means when something bad happens to a poor person this person has less of a chance to survive.

Dichos posted by Desideria :

14) "El que peca y reza empata" (The one who sins and prays come out even)

15) "Al cada marrano le llega su San Martín" (This one may not be Colombian) the Colombia version is “ A cada marrano le llega su Diciembre”)(Each Pig has its December coming) which means that each person has its destiny. The origin of the Dicho is because on December is a tradition to kill and eat a pig.

16) "Mas sabe el Diablo por viejo que por diablo" (more knows the devil for old than for evil) This was used for me when I was a teenager and thought I knew it all…saying that even though teenagers do all kinds of stuff and feel they are living life and know…”one’s wisdom comes with age not for the bad things we do”

17) “En el pais de los ciegos el tuerto es el rey” (In the country of the blind people the One-eyed man is the king) I heard it this one referring one time to a man who became governor of a town and had really no business being governor but since he was the only one that was light skinned he was chosen.

Dichos posted by shirly1981

18). EL QUE TIENE TIENDA QUE LA ATIENDA (the one who owns a store needs to attend it) means “ if you have something you need to take care of it”.

19). AMIGO EL RATON DEL QUESO Y MUY BIEN QUE SE LO COME
(Friend is the mouse of the cheese and very well he eats it) This one is about friendship, meaning that even if someone is your friend, they can still stab you in the back.

20). PARA SER BELLA HAY QUE VER ESTRELLAS (to see stars you have to be beautiful) never heard this one and I can’t make sense out of it.

21). CASA DE HERRERO CUCHILLO DE PALO ( House of welder, wooden knife) You hear this one a lot. An example is my boyfriend is an accoutant and yet, I pay someone else to do my taxes. It’s like if you have someone with a profession at home you usually don’t use it at home but just for work.

22). SARNA CON GUSTO NO PICA Y SI PICA NO MORTIFICA
( Sarna with delight doesn’t itch and it it itches doesn’t hurt) Never heard it but Sarna is a disease on your skin that makes you itch a lot. I guess if you are doing something bad with pleasure it doesn’t bother you... Something like that.

23). DA QUE TE VIENEN DANDO ( Give that they are giving you) This one I heard it in a movie about sicarios. Like when you know someone is going to kill you, you might as well kill them first.

24). CUANDO EL HAMBRE ENTRA POR LA PUERTA EL AMOR SALE POR LA VENTANA (when hunger enter the door, loves escapes out of the window) another one about love ending because of being poor.

25). EL QUE RIE DE ULTIMO NO ENTENDIO EL CHISTE (the last one who laughed didn’t get the joke) I guess pretty self-explanatory.This one reminded me of one : EL QUE RIE DE ULTIMO, RIE MEJOR” ( the one who laughs last,laughs better) This one is used when people are being mean to you but at the end you win, you feel better.

26). ARBOL QUE NACE TORCIDO NO SE PUEDE ENDERESAR( tree that comes out crooked will never get straight) this one is used on a popular salsa song: Simon. The guy’s dad pressured him so much into being a macho man but he turned gay and well this means, he was born gay and will never turn straight. It can be used like when you are born being a certain way is impossible ( real hard) to change.

27). CUANDO EL RIO SUENA ES QUE SE AHOGO UNA ORQUESTA
(when the river makes noise, means that an orchestra drowned) never heard this one but it reminded me of another: “CUANDO EL RIO SUENA,PIEDRAS LLEVA” WHICH MEANS IF LIKE YOU HEAR SOMETHING ABOUT SOMEONE IS BECAUSE IT MUST HAVE SOME TRUTH IN IT.

Enjoy it!