How do you say “Rain on someone’s parade” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is aguarle la fiesta a alguien, which literally means “to water down someone’s party”. English speakers use rain on someone’s parade to mean to spoil someone’s pleasure, excitement or plans. A close Spanish idiom for spoiling someone’s enjoyment. There need not be a real party. Register: informal. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
aguarle la fiesta a alguien
/aˈɣwaɾle la ˈfjesta a ˈalɣjen/
- Literal meaning
- “to water down someone’s party”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
97 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
“No quiero aguarte la fiesta, pero…” is useful before an unwelcome fact. Like the English, it acknowledges that the news may dampen someone’s excitement.
Use the person’s pronoun: “me aguó la fiesta” means it spoiled things for me. The party can be a plan or a happy moment.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity4 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
I don’t want to rain on your parade, but that concert is already sold out.
Spanish
No quiero aguarte la fiesta, pero las entradas para ese concierto ya están agotadas.
English
She rained on my parade by pointing out how much the trip would cost.
Spanish
Me aguó la fiesta al señalar cuánto costaría el viaje.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-13