# Expression about appreciating gifts [using gift/given horse]



## Lopes

Hi there, 

In Dutch we have the saying "je moet een gegeven paard nooit in de bek kijken", which literary means "you must never look a given horse in the mouth", and means that you should be happy with a present and not complain about it. A Polish friend of mine said that in Poland they say something like "you should never look at a given horses teeth", which has the same meaning.
How is the expression in other languages? Also with horses and mouths/teeth?


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## Lello4ever

In Italian we say for that
"A caval donato non si guarda in bocca"


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## Whodunit

In *German*, the saying is the same as in Dutch:

Einem geschenkten Gaul schaut man nicht ins Maul.
_literally: One doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth._


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## Nizo

Hi! In English, we say, "Never look a gift horse in the mouth."

In French, "A cheval donné on ne regarde pas la bride." (One doesn't look at the bridle of a gift horse)

In Spanish, "A caballo regalado no le mires el diente," or "A caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes." (Don't look a gift horse in the teeth)

In Russian, "Дарёному коню в зубы не смотрят." (Don't look a gift horse in the teeth)


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## Anakin59

Hello 
In Spanish we also have the same saying:
"a caballo regalado no se le miran los dientes"
The meaning, I believe, is that as you can tell a horse's age through its teeth, you shoudn't look into its mouth to see how old it is, because it's a gift.


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## Nizo

One more!  In *Esperanto*:  _Al ĉevalo donacita, oni buŝon ne esploras.  _(One doesn't examine the mouth of a gift horse)


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## lazarus1907

The Spanish version in Spain is slightly different from the one in Argentina, although the meaning and key words are the same: A caballo regalado no le mires el diente.


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## deine

Lithuanian:

Dovanotam arkliui į dantis nežiūrima (One doesn't look at a given horses teeth)


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## Etcetera

I'll mark the stresses to the Russian version.



Nizo said:


> In Russian, "Дар*ё*ному к*о*ню в з*у*бы не см*о*трят." (Don't look a gift horse in the teeth)


Transliteration:
Dar*yo*nomu k*o*nyu v z*u*by ne sm*o*tryat.


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## barbiegood

In Hungarian:

Ajándék lónak ne nézd a fogát.  - You shouldn´t look at the tooth of a given horse.


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## Lopes

Thanks all! Interesting that they are all more or less the same (be it "mouth" or "teeth". Wonder where it comes from..


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## Maja

Same in Serbian: "poklonjenom konju se u zube ne gleda". Its short version  often used nowadays is "poklonu se u zube ne gleda".


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## suslik

In Estonian: *"Kingitud hobuse suhu ei vaadata."*   It means 'One shouldn't look at the given horse's mouth'


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## sakvaka

*Finnish.* _Lahjahevosen suuhun ei ole katsomista._

There's no looking (= you must not) to the mouth of a gift horse.


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## ilocas2

Czech:

Darovanému koni na zuby nehleď / nekoukej.

To-gift-horse-on-teeth-don't-look !


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## Saluton

Etcetera said:


> I'll mark the stresses to the Russian version.
> 
> 
> Transliteration:
> Dar*yo*nomu k*o*nyu v z*u*by ne sm*o*tryat.


It's кон*ю* (kon*yu*).


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## Favara

*Catalan*
_A cavall regalat no li mires el dentat ->_ Don't look at the gift horse's teeth.
_A cavall regalat no li mires el pèl_ -> Don't look at the gift horse's hair.


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## Havfruen

Danish:

*Man skal ikke skue given hest i munden.* One should not look given horse in mouth-the.


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## mataripis

Tagalog: kaluguran ko ang mga binigay mo.


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

«Του χαρίζαν' άλογο και το κοίταγε στο στόμα»
/tu xa'rizan 'aloɣo ce to 'citaje sto 'stoma/
lit. "they gave him a horse and he looked at its teeth"


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## Fericire

In Portuguese:

"A cavalo dado não se olham os dentes",
lit. "By given horse (you shall) not look its teeth".


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## Arath

Bulgarian:

На харизан кон зъбите не се гледат.
Na harizan kon zǎbite ne se gledat.
A gift horse's teeth are not to be looked at.


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## mataripis

Tagalog: _Malaking pasalamat dahil sa pagkakaloob mo/nyo. ( i am really grateful for your kindness)_


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