How do you say “Cry over spilt milk” in German?

English relies heavily on the domestic imagery of 'spilt milk' to counsel someone against dwelling on minor or irreversible mistakes. German, by contrast, has no universally natural native equivalent using the same kitchen-accident metaphor. Instead, German speakers lean into blunt, pragmatic reality checks like 'Jetzt hilft kein Jammern mehr' (whining won't help now) or the stoic observation 'Was geschehen ist, ist geschehen' (what's done is done).

Learners and translators frequently fall into the trap of using 'über verschüttete (or vergossene) Milch weinen'. While native speakers will understand what you mean due to decades of exposure to English-language pop culture, it strikes most Germans as artificial 'Synchrondeutsch' (dubbing German). In natural, spontaneous speech, a German would urge you to cut your losses and look ahead rather than talk about milk.