How do you say “Cry over spilt milk” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Llorar sobre la leche derramada, which literally means “To cry over the spilled milk”. English speakers use cry over spilt milk to mean to waste time feeling sad about a bad event that has already happened and cannot be changed. A recognisable expression, often used after no sirve de nada or no vale la pena. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Llorar sobre la leche derramada
/ʝoˈɾaɾ ˈsoβɾe la ˈletʃe deraˈmada/
- Literal meaning
- “To cry over the spilled milk”
- Register
- neutral, informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
98 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Both languages picture milk that cannot be put back after it spills. The message is to stop dwelling on a loss that cannot be undone.
Both can be practical reassurance, but can also sound dismissive when someone is still upset. The Spanish alternative “a lo hecho, pecho” is firmer.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity5 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Lamentarse por lo que ya pasó
Literally: “To lament what already happened”
A plain description of dwelling on the past.
A lo hecho, pecho
Literally: “To what is done, chest”
A firmer saying about facing what has already happened.
Common translation traps
Llorar por la leche estropeada
Estropeada means spoiled; the expression is about spilled milk that cannot be recovered.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
There is no use crying over spilt milk.
Spanish
No sirve de nada llorar sobre la leche derramada.
English
We cannot change it, so let us stop crying over spilt milk.
Spanish
No podemos cambiarlo, así que dejemos de llorar sobre la leche derramada.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13