A la fuerza ahorcan
By force, they hang you.
Necessity is the mother of invention.; **Necessity is the mother of invention.**; **Needs must.**; **When you have no choice, you have to do it.**; **Necessity forces you to adapt.**; **Needs must when the devil drives.** — an old-fashioned but very close proverb.
A la fuerza ahorcan means necessity forces you to do things, or when you have no choice, you eventually do what is necessary.
Nunca había cocinado, pero desde que vive solo ha tenido que aprender. A la fuerza ahorcan.
He'd never cooked before, but he's had to learn since he started living on his own. When you have no choice, you have to do it.
No quería aprender inglés, pero para conseguir el trabajo no le quedó más remedio. A la fuerza ahorcan.
He didn't want to learn English, but he had no choice if he wanted the job. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Al final tendrás que aprender a usar el programa. A la fuerza ahorcan.
You'll have to learn how to use the program eventually. Needs must.
Yo tampoco sé arreglarlo, pero a la fuerza ahorcan.
I don't know how to fix it either, but we'll have to figure it out somehow.
It is commonly used when someone initially refuses or avoids doing something but is eventually forced by circumstances to accept it or learn how to do it.
A natural English equivalent is:
Necessity is the mother of invention.
or, depending on context:
When you have no choice, you have to do it.
- someone has been forced to learn or do something
- circumstances leave no alternative
- necessity makes someone overcome their reluctance
- someone eventually accepts something they initially resisted
- difficult circumstances force someone to adapt
The expression literally refers to being hanged by force:
A la fuerza ahorcan.
The violent image is deliberately exaggerated. Its figurative meaning is that when circumstances become sufficiently pressing, resistance is no longer possible.
It belongs to the traditional Spanish family of sayings that express the idea that necessity forces people to act.
The expression is usually not meant literally and is often used humorously.
For example, if someone who has always relied on others suddenly has to cook, repair something or learn a computer program, someone might say:
A la fuerza ahorcan.
The underlying message is:
"You didn't want to do it, but circumstances have forced you to learn."
It therefore often contains a mixture of resignation and practical acceptance.
A very close Spanish proverb is:
La necesidad agudiza el ingenio.
→ Necessity sharpens the wits.
The two expressions describe slightly different consequences of necessity:
A la fuerza ahorcan.
→ Circumstances force you to do something.
La necesidad agudiza el ingenio.
→ Circumstances make you find a solution.
Both express the idea that people often discover abilities and solutions when they have no other choice.
There is an important difference between this expression and por la fuerza.
Por la fuerza
means by force, literally or figuratively.
A la fuerza ahorcan
is a proverb meaning that necessity eventually forces people to do what they would otherwise avoid.
It is therefore closer to:
Needs must.
than to the literal:
They hang you by force.
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