What does “Chi dorme non piglia pesci” mean?
Chi dorme non piglia pesci
Word for word
He who sleeps doesn't catch fish
What it really means
If you don't move, you get nothing. The proverb aimed at anyone waiting for things to fall into their lap.
How we say it in English
The early bird catches the worm
Want to see this idiom used in a sentence, and where it comes from?
Create a free account to see “Chi dorme non piglia pesci” in a real sentence (with audio), where it comes from, and to share the card. No card required.
Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
Toccare ferro
To knock on wood — but note Italians reach for iron, not wood
Acqua in bocca!
Mum's the word! — or keep it under your hat
Fare le ore piccole
To stay up into the small hours — English uses the very same phrase for those hours
Cercare il pelo nell'uovo
To split hairs — English lands on the same hair, from the other direction
Fare il finto tonto
To play dumb
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"