they got what they paid for

Spanish translation: Lo barato sale caro.

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:they got what they paid for
Spanish translation:Lo barato sale caro.
Entered by: Paul García

04:33 Nov 10, 2007
English to Spanish translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Idioms / Maxims / Sayings / contracts
English term or phrase: they got what they paid for
el dicho en inglés: "You get what you pay for."
Paul García
United States
Local time: 14:54
Lo barato sale caro.
Explanation:
My answer is based on the idea that you buy something for a cheap price and then it breaks or doesn't work. (That's how I use this expression anyway.) If that's the context, this would be the equivalent expression.
Hope it helps!

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Note added at 2 horas (2007-11-10 07:20:51 GMT)
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Maybe for your frase: Lo barato les salieron caro.

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Note added at 9 horas (2007-11-10 14:23:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops, sería "salió" caro.
Selected response from:

John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 20:54
Grading comment
gracias
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +6Lo barato sale caro.
John Cutler
4 +3cosechas lo que siembras
Rafael Molina Pulgar
5 +1No recibieron más de lo que habían pagado/gastado
Rocío Silveira de Andrade
4Obtuvieron lo que se merecían
Emi Charles


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


41 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +1
No recibieron más de lo que habían pagado/gastado


Explanation:
"No recibieron más de lo que habían pagado/gastado".
"Obtuvieron/consiguieron/recibieron justo lo que pagaron/gastaron".
"Lo que recibieron fue justo lo que gastaron".

Algunas ideas.

Rocío Silveira de Andrade
Argentina
Local time: 15:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Daniel Burns (X): Much better to get just what you paid for than just what you've got coming.
1 hr
  -> Thanks, Daniel.
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
Obtuvieron lo que se merecían


Explanation:
At least in Mexico, the equivalent phrase used in the same context is:

"You get what you pay for"

with the same meaning as

"Obtienes lo que te mereces"

Emi Charles
Local time: 12:54
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
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7 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
cosechas lo que siembras


Explanation:
Tú cosechas lo que siembras - WordReference Forums
Tú cosechas lo que siembras General Vocabulary / Vocabulario General.
forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=59356

Cosechas Lo Que Siembras Cosechas Lo Que Siembras Cosechas Lo Que ...
Cosechas Lo Que Siembras. EN c 2004 John Wiessinger. The Electronic Naturalist @
http://www.enaturalist.org. Las almejas de agua dulce tienen una forma ...
www.enaturalist.org/units/91/ pdf/reap_what_ye_sow-sp-fr.pdf

Otro día más en este gran mundo azul: Cosechas lo que siembras.
Cosechas lo que siembras. Vaya vaya... Pensaba mientras comía un pedazo de pollo
asado con ensaladas y esas cosas, con ocación de mi cumpleaños número 26 ...
solo-kaworu.blogspot.com/2006/ 06/cosechas-lo-que-siembras.html


Rafael Molina Pulgar
Mexico
Local time: 12:54
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish
PRO pts in category: 54

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Agustina Bello
3 hrs
  -> Gracias, Agustina.

agree  MarinaM
8 hrs
  -> Gracias, Marina.

agree  Ximena P. Aguilar
8 hrs
  -> Gracias, Ximena.

neutral  Mara Lazcano: En inglés existe un refrán que se ajusta más a esta opción: "you reap what you saw".
9 hrs
  -> Paul tendría que ver si mi solución se adapta o no a su contexto.
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +6
Lo barato sale caro.


Explanation:
My answer is based on the idea that you buy something for a cheap price and then it breaks or doesn't work. (That's how I use this expression anyway.) If that's the context, this would be the equivalent expression.
Hope it helps!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 horas (2007-11-10 07:20:51 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Maybe for your frase: Lo barato les salieron caro.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 9 horas (2007-11-10 14:23:25 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Oops, sería "salió" caro.

John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 20:54
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
gracias

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rocio Barrientos: cuesta caro, decimos por aquí
5 hrs
  -> Gracias

agree  Agustina Bello
7 hrs
  -> Gracias

agree  Lara Galgani: "sale caro" también en México
8 hrs
  -> Gracias, Yo pensaba que era una frase universal en español. Veo por el comentario de Rocio que hay variaciones.

agree  jacana54 (X)
13 hrs
  -> Gracias

agree  Mara Lazcano: Brilliant!
14 hrs
  -> Gracias

agree  Christian [email protected]
22 hrs
  -> Gracias
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