Spanish is one of the richest languages on the planet. It is a language full of verb tenses and has a large vocabulary. But it also has a series of proverbs and idioms that are used to describe everyday situations that provide advice or a lesson. ‘Por la boca muere el pez’ is one of the most popular proverbs. Knowing phrases like this will help you understand Spaniards better and using it you will definitely sound like a local. 

What does ‘por la boca muere el pez’ mean?

This saying is related to the mistakes that are made when talking about any subject and expressing something that can have negative consequences. We say ‘por la boca muere el pez’ when a secret that should not be told is revealed or when a promise is not fulfilled. It is a saying that serves to lower the expectations expressed verbally by someone.

What is the origin of the expression por la boca muere el pez?

The expression ‘por la boca muere el pez’ comes from the seafaring language. Spain is a country with more than 8,000 kilometres of coastline and fishing activity is constant in ports and beaches on the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Cantabrian coasts. Fishermen were the first to use this saying.

For them, the fact that a fish opens its mouth wider than it should, endangers its life because by opening its mouth it is exposed to the risk of taking the bait. This circumstance inspired them to create this saying, which is currently one of the most widely used in the Spanish language.

The metaphor behind the origin of this expression is that opening your mouth more than you should is always dangerous. That is why one should think about the consequences of what they are going to say.

Example of the use of the expression ‘por la boca por la boca muere el pez’.

One of the clearest examples of the use of this expression is when a person promises to help someone with a task by contributing all their knowledge and experience. Moreover, they promise to do so as soon as possible. 

After a few days or weeks, this person does not carry out the work they promised to do. This is the moment when the expression ‘por la boca muere el pez’ is used, indicating that the person did not fulfil what was announced when speaking and, as a consequence, their credibility was damaged. 

Knowing and what’s more important using this type of sayings and expressions will make your Spanish sound much more advanced. 

Dencanto Community offers all kinds of Spanish courses for different levels. Sign up for one of them and learn Spanish with all its nuances.

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