How do you say “A taste of your own medicine” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Recibir una dosis de su propia medicina, which literally means “To receive a dose of one’s own medicine”. English speakers use a taste of your own medicine to mean this means experiencing the same bad or unfair treatment that you have given to others. An established equivalent for receiving the same unpleasant treatment one has given others. Change su to tu, mi or nuestra to suit the person. Register: neutral, informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Recibir una dosis de su propia medicina
/resiˈβiɾ ˈuna ˈdosis de su ˈpɾopja mediˈsina/
- Literal meaning
- “To receive a dose of one’s own medicine”
- 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 give someone the medicine they have been handing out to others. Spanish commonly measures it as a dose.
Both suggest that the unpleasant treatment is deserved. The coin alternative changes the viewpoint to the person returning the treatment.
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?
Recibir el mismo trato
Literally: “To receive the same treatment”
Neutral wording; context must show that the treatment is bad.
Pagarle a alguien con la misma moneda
Literally: “To pay someone with the same coin”
Describes giving the treatment back, rather than receiving it.
Common translation traps
Probar tu medicamento
Without the possessive emphasis and context, this sounds like testing or tasting actual medicine.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
He finally got a taste of his own medicine.
Spanish
Por fin recibió una dosis de su propia medicina.
English
You interrupt everyone, and now you are getting a taste of your own medicine.
Spanish
Interrumpes a todo el mundo y ahora estás recibiendo una dosis de tu propia medicina.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13