How do you say “Burn your bridges” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Cerrarse puertas, which literally means “To close doors on oneself”. English speakers use burn your bridges to mean to destroy a relationship or opportunity so thoroughly that you cannot return to it. A natural warning about damaging future opportunities. It is broader than permanently destroying a particular relationship. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Cerrarse puertas
/seˈraɾse ˈpweɾtas/
- Literal meaning
- “To close doors on oneself”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Close equivalent
88 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
English destroys a bridge back to a person or place. Spanish closes doors to future opportunities.
The Spanish need not imply that recovery is impossible. “Quemar las naves” makes the lack of retreat clearer, but can praise a bold commitment rather than warn against damaged relationships.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Romper relaciones
Literally: “To break relations”
Use when the relationship itself is being ended.
Quemar las naves
Literally: “To burn the ships”
Emphasises removing a route of retreat, often as a determined commitment rather than a mistake.
Common translation traps
Quemar tus puentes
The image is understandable, but cerrarte puertas is a more natural warning about harming future prospects.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
Do not burn your bridges when you leave the company.
Spanish
No te cierres puertas al irte de la empresa.
English
That angry email could burn your bridges.
Spanish
Ese correo lleno de rabia podría cerrarte puertas.
Related expressions
- What “Burn your bridges” means in English
- Water under the bridge, A past problem that no longer matters.
- Call it a day, To stop for the day, or stop altogether.
Last updated 2026-09-13