Phrase · 🧩 Idioms in everyday speech
Primero me despidieron y ahora esto: llueve sobre mojado.
First I got fired and now this: it never rains but it pours.
C2complaining about bad luckcolloquialAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Primeroadverbfirstme2object pronounmeyo · 1st sing. · direct objectdespidieron2verbthey fireddespedir · past · 3rd pl.yconjunctionandahoraadverbnowestopronounthiseste:llueve1verbit rainsllover · present · 3rd sing.sobre1prepositiononmojado1adjectivewet (ground)masc. · sing..
- llueve → mojado: llover sobre mojado: trouble on trouble
- me → despidieron: me: the person fired
- Primero → ahora: primero … ahora: sequence
Word for word: “First they dismissed me and now this: it rains on wet ground.”
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1llover sobre mojado = one problem on top of another (lit. rain on wet ground): it never rains but it pours.
- 2despidieron: despedir = to fire (despedirse = to say goodbye). Third person plural, no subject = "they" in general; e → i. Preterite II: irregular stems and -ir stem changes →
Variations
- Primero me despidieron y ahora esto: siempre llueve sobre mojado.
- Primero me despidieron y ahora esto: es una desgracia tras otra.
- Me echaron del trabajo y ahora esto: llueve sobre mojado.