/ˈno benˈdeɾ la ˈpjel del ˈoso ˈantes de kaˈθaɾlo/ lit. ‘don’t sell the bear’s skin before hunting it’
Spanish idiom, everyday. Don’t count on a good result before it has actually happened.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Spanish speaker.
How do people use No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
?
A proverb, so people mostly use it as advice, either as a command (“no vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo”) or as a general rule (“no hay que vender...”). You can also use just the core of it to criticize someone: “está vendiendo la piel del oso” (he’s selling the bear’s skin). Fine in any register; it just sounds a little wise and old-fashioned.
Also said no vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo, no hay que vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
in real sentences
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No vendas la piel del oso antes de cazarlo.
Don’t sell the bear’s fur before hunting it.
Tatoeba, sentence by Shishir, translation by al_ex_an_der, CC BY 2.0 FR
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No hay que vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo.
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Tatoeba, sentence by wallebot, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
come from?
The same proverb exists in French, “il ne faut pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué”, which French Wiktionary lists as the source of the shorter French idiom. We found no date or source for the Spanish wording itself, so it’s not clear whether Spanish took it from French or both go back to an older saying.
Mistakes learners make with No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
Saying “antes de matarlo” (before killing it) because the French and English versions mention killing. Spanish says “cazarlo”, before hunting it.
Other Spanish idioms like No vender la piel del oso antes de cazarlo
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