Traditions

Tangible & Intangible Heritage

Oral tradition: idioms and sayings

PROVERBS are a short popular saying that expresses effectively a useful thought : Rome wasn't built in a day means that "you will have to work hard to achieve your goal"

IDIOMS or idiomatic expressions are fun, because they don't make any sense if you think only in the words they contain. The phrase as a whole has a meaning that you can never deduce from the meaning of the individual words: It is a piece of cake doesn't mean "es un trozo de pastel", it means it is easy.

We explained some of our idioms and proverbs to our partners and they came out with the idiomatic expression they use in their language.

It is raining cats & dogs

Spanish:

Llueve a cantaros

French:

Il pleut de cordes

Greek:

βρέχει πολύ / vréchei polý

Portuguese:

Chuve agua que Deus a manda

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

Spanish:

Ojo por ojo, diente por diente

French:

Greek:

Portuguese:

Olho por olho dente por dente

His bark is worse than his bite

Spanish:

Perro ladrador poco mordedor

French:

Chien qui aboie ne mord pas

Greek:

Portuguese:

Diz que faz mal a todos mas nāo faz mal a uma mosca

Like father like son

Spanish:

De tal palo tal astilla

French:

Telle mére telle fille

Tel père tel fils

Greek:

σαν πατέρας σαν γιος /san patéras san gios.

Portuguese:

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Spanish:

Más vale pájaro en mano que ciento volando

French:

Greek:

Ένα πουλί στο χέρι αξίζει δύο στον θάμνο/ Éna poulí sto chéri axízei dýo ston thámno

Portuguese:

Mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois a voar

Crack up

Spanish:

Morir de risa

French:

Mourir de rire

Greek:

πεθάνει από τα γέλια / pethánei apó ta gélia.

Portuguese:

Be slower than a snail

Spanish:

Ser más lento que un caracol

French:

Tu es lent comme un escargot

Greek:

Portuguese:

No pain, no gain

Spanish:

El que no arriesga, no gana.

French:

Greek:

αυτός που δεν ρισκάρει δεν κερδίζει/ aftós pou den riskárei den kerdízei.

Portuguese:

Better late than never

Spanish:

Más vale tarde que nunca

French:

Greek:

κάλλιο αργά παρά ποτέ/ kállio argá pará poté.

Portuguese:

Antes tarde do que nunca

Don´t bite more than you can chew

Spanish:

No llenes el ojo antes que la tripa

French:

Greek:

Portuguese:

Ter mais olhos que barriga

There's none so blind as he who will not see

Spanish:

No hay peor ciego que el que no quiere ver

French:

Greek:

Portuguese:

O pior cego é aquele

que nāo que ver