How do you say “Speak of the devil” in Spanish?
The closest natural Spanish equivalent is Hablando del rey de Roma, which literally means “Speaking of the king of Rome”. English speakers use speak of the devil to mean this phrase is said when a person unexpectedly arrives right as others are talking about them. Said when the person being discussed appears. The longer playful version continues “por la puerta asoma”. Register: informal, humorous. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural Spanish
Hablando del rey de Roma
/aˈblando del rei de ˈroma/
- Literal meaning
- “Speaking of the king of Rome”
- Register
- informal, humorous
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
95 out of 100
What a native Spanish speaker would actually say
Spanish replaces the devil with the king of Rome. The joke still depends on someone arriving just as their name comes up.
The phrase is playful rather than an insult. Its fixed wording can introduce a woman as well as a man; the person is not literally being called a king.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in Spanish?
Hablando de Roma
Literally: “Speaking of Rome”
A shorter variant whose familiarity varies between speakers.
Justo estábamos hablando de ti
Literally: “We were just speaking of you”
A clear greeting without a saying.
Common translation traps
Hablar del diablo
As a bare phrase this does not reliably signal the familiar greeting; use the established Spanish wording.
The notes above explain why these versions do not work in this context in Spanish.
In context
English
Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you.
Spanish
¡Hablando del rey de Roma! Justo estábamos hablando de ti.
English
Speaking of the devil, here comes Laura.
Spanish
Hablando del rey de Roma, ahí viene Laura.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-09-13