Paraguay Proverbs (49)

Ahata roha'ârô, he'i karumbe.

“"I'll go on ahead and wait for you," said the turtle.”

Gentle irony about someone notoriously slow claiming they will be the one left waiting for others.

Che ndaka'úi, he'i oka'úva.

“"I'm not drunk," said the drunkard.”

People rarely admit their own obvious faults, denying what everyone else can plainly see.

Japu ha monda oñopariénte.

“Lying and stealing are relatives.”

Dishonesty tends to travel in pairs; one deception often keeps company with another.

Gállo tuja reíma repói riñahápe.

“An old rooster is no longer fit for the fight.”

Strength and daring fade with age; every fighter eventually gives way to younger ones.

Tanimbuguýpe opyta tata.

“Under the ashes, the fire still remains.”

Old passions or grudges can smolder quietly long after they appear to have died out.

Aháta aju, he'i osóva.

“"I'll go and come right back," said the one who was leaving for good.”

A wry comment on empty promises to return, spoken about farewells that turn out to be final.

Aikoko, he'i ovendeséva coco.

“"I have coconut!" said the one eager to sell coconut.”

A pointed joke about sellers who loudly praise whatever they happen to be selling.

Algo es algo, he'i toro Kandil okarneva'ekue.

“"Something is something," they said of the bull Kandil after it was slaughtered.”

Even a small or partial gain is better than nothing at all.

Añeha'ãmbaitétako, he'i ilápiz mbykýva.

“"I will do my very best," said the one with the short pencil.”

Even with limited means or tools, a person can still commit to doing their best.

Menosprecio ha tatatigui revánte va'erã.

“Do not let contempt or smoke affect you — simply step away, for both will pass.”

Scorn, like smoke, is best left alone; it fades on its own if you do not react to it.

Ichukove ype ra'y canástogui.

“More colorful than a basket full of baby ducklings.”

A playful comparison used to describe someone or something unusually lively and eye-catching.

Ndovaléi jajodesprecia, entero ñamano va'erã.

“We must not despise one another, for we all must die alike.”

Death makes everyone equal in the end, so no one has the right to look down on another.

Lo mismo tiene ritmo, he'i la propaganda ojerokýva'ekue.

“"It still has rhythm all the same," said the one who danced to a commercial jingle.”

A wry joke about finding merit, or at least a silver lining, in something lesser than what one truly wanted.

El Paraguay es una isla rodeada de tierra.

“Paraguay is an island surrounded by land.”

Paraguay's landlocked geography and centuries of political isolation left it as cut off from the world as any island, despite having no coastline at all.

Ouvaívape ouvaípa.

“Misfortune piles onto the one who is already unlucky.”

Hard luck tends to compound itself — troubles rarely arrive alone for someone already struggling.

Siempre se agarran a trompadas, he'i elefante.

“"They're always throwing punches," said the elephant.”

A playful jab at how something can look like constant conflict from the outside, poking fun at appearances.

No hay vueltas que dar, he'i muralla ári okeva'ekue.

“"There's no way around it," said the one who slept on top of the wall.”

When there is truly no alternative path, the only way forward is straight ahead — like someone perched on a wall who can only fall one way or the other.

Iñe'êngatuetéva ojavy heta.

“Whoever talks too much makes many mistakes.”

Excessive talking increases the chances of saying something wrong; restraint in speech avoids error.

Ijargélva opyta ha'eño.

“The quarrelsome person ends up alone.”

Those who are constantly disagreeable and difficult eventually drive everyone else away.

Ména celoso ha jagua ruguái koli ndahorykuaái.

“The jealous husband and the dog without a tail cannot show their joy.”

Jealousy blocks a person from ever openly showing happiness or trust, the way a tailless dog cannot wag its tail to show joy.

Ivai la cuadro, he'i kururu oma'ẽramo espéhope.

“"That's an ugly sight," said the toad looking at itself in the mirror.”

A self-deprecating joke about pointing out an unflattering truth that reflects on the speaker too — akin to "the pot calling the kettle black."

Sangre de mi sangre, he'i kure ho'úvo mbusia.

“"Blood of my blood," said the pig eating blood sausage.”

Dark irony about unknowingly consuming or being complicit in the fate of one's own kind.

Anichéne, he'íje imemby tie'ỹva.

“"God forbid," said the one whose child turned out to be a liar.”

A wry comment on a parent hoping against an unwelcome truth already staring them in the face.

Araka'e guarãiko che, he'i tren auxilio.

“"Someday it will be my turn," said the rescue train.”

About patiently waiting for the moment one is finally needed or gets one's due.

Avy'a ha ndavy'ái avei, he'íje iména manóva.

“"I'm glad, and not glad either," said the widow.”

Captures the mixed, contradictory feelings — relief tangled with grief — that can follow a loss.

Hay tiempo para llorar, he'i karáû.

“"There is a time to cry," said the carau bird.”

References the carau, a nocturnal bird of Guaraní legend whose mournful cry recalls a woman who wept without end; used about grief that has its proper season.

Eheja che cárgope, he'íje sargento rembireko.

“"Leave it in my charge," said the sergeant's wife.”

Pokes fun at someone who claims authority or responsibility only through their relationship to a powerful person.

Imba'énte ñame'ẽ chupe, he'i vakápe ome'ẽva'ekue kesu.

“"We're only giving him what's his," said of the cow that was given cheese.”

Wry irony about "generously" giving someone something that already came from them in the first place.

Kóa ipukúta, he'íje riel oñepyrûva oheréi.

“"This is going to be long," said the train track as it began.”

Said of any task or situation that promises to stretch on and on before it is finished.

Tuicha rejavy, he'i hetyma yvyráva oisu'úrõ chupe jagua.

“"You've got it very wrong," said the wooden leg when the dog bit it.”

About being wrong in an attack or accusation — like a dog that bites assuming flesh, only to find there was nothing there to hurt.

El único que me queda bien, he'i ijao peteĩva.

“"It's the only one that fits me well," said the man who owned only one suit.”

About having no real choice, so the single option available is praised as if it were the best.

Acá hay gato encerrado, he'i mbarakaja hyeguasúrõ.

“"There's a cat hidden here," said the pregnant cat.”

Ironic wordplay on the Spanish idiom for hidden truth — spoken by the very cat that is "hiding" something (her own litter).

Adiós mundo cruel, he'i ju'i ojepoírõ pósope.

“"Goodbye, cruel world," said the frog as it jumped into the well.”

A mock-dramatic exit line used whenever someone makes a small decision sound like a tragic, final farewell.

A su orden, he'i sepulturéro ipióla pyahúva.

“"At your service," said the gravedigger with his new rope.”

Dark, deadpan humor about being oddly well-prepared — even eagerly so — to serve in a grim role.

Con qué, che, he'i komisário rembireko.

“"Even me?" said the commissioner's wife.”

Pokes fun at someone surprised to be held to the same rule as everyone else, or who assumes special treatment through a powerful spouse.

Al pelo, he'i ky.

“"Just right," said the louse.”

A pun on the Spanish idiom "al pelo" ("just right," literally "to the hair") spoken by a louse — a creature that famously lives in hair.

Enseguida, he'i otereréva.

“"Right away," said the one drinking tereré.”

Ironic understatement about a leisurely tereré session — famous for stretching on for hours — being called "quick."

Ikavaju kyra.

“"That one has got himself a fat horse."”

A metaphor that goes far beyond a literally fat horse — used to describe someone with abundant economic resources and/or powerful political connections.

Amandáu ho'árõ ndovelavéima.

“When hail falls, there will be no more frost that year.”

A traditional rural weather-lore belief passed down about how one season's hailfall signals the end of frost danger.

Ao hekoviátaguinte remonde ipy gotyo.

“When you put your clothes on inside-out by accident, new clothes are coming.”

A widespread folk superstition — also found in many other cultures — that an accidental wardrobe mishap is a sign of good fortune to come.

Amor ha kuarahy'ã ováva voi.

“Love, like a shadow, is always shifting.”

A poetic maxim comparing the changeability of love to the way a shadow moves and changes shape through the day.

Aguapyhápe voi aju.

“"I come already seated," said the toad.”

A gently mocking line about someone who shows up already settled in and comfortable, expecting to be waited on.

Aháma.

“"I'm off now," said the one who lost at truco.”

About giving up and leaving as soon as things stop going one's way — named for the popular Paraguayan card game truco.

Aprobado.

“"Approved," said the ignorant congressman.”

A satirical jab at low standards among politicians who rubber-stamp things they do not understand.

Esto es vida.

“"This is the life," said the toad traveling by airplane.”

An absurd, exaggerated image used to poke fun at someone enjoying an unexpected stroke of luxury or luck.

Ya está.

“"It's already done," said the snail.”

Ironic humor about someone naturally slow claiming instant completion.

Por las dudas, he'i ména celoso.

“"Just in case," said the jealous husband.”

Pokes fun at a jealous person's habit of taking needless precautions "just in case," even without real reason.

Aikuaapáma hína, he'i kuña celosa.

“"I already know everything," said the jealous woman.”

A wry line about someone who insists they have already figured everything out — usually right before being proven wrong.

Mávapiko péa, he'íje aipo icelosova.

“"And who is that?" asked the jealous one.”

Captures the reflexive suspicion of a jealous person, always questioning who else is involved.