Contra viento y marea
backAgainst wind and tide.
against all odds; **against all odds**; **against all the odds**; **come hell or high water**; **through thick and thin**; **despite everything**; **in spite of all the difficulties**; **against the tide**
Contra viento y marea means against all the odds, despite every difficulty, or in spite of all obstacles.
Siguió adelante contra viento y marea.
He carried on against all odds.
Contra viento y marea, consiguió terminar sus estudios.
Against all odds, she managed to finish her studies.
Han mantenido su relación contra viento y marea.
They stayed together through thick and thin.
El proyecto salió adelante contra viento y marea.
The project went ahead despite all the difficulties.
Luchó contra viento y marea para sacar adelante a su familia.
She fought against all the odds to support her family.
It describes someone who continues pursuing something despite strong opposition, problems or adverse circumstances.
It often conveys determination, perseverance and resilience.
A very common construction is:
Seguir adelante contra viento y marea.
→ To carry on despite all the difficulties.
- persists despite serious difficulties
- continues with a project despite opposition
- maintains a relationship despite problems
- achieves something despite adverse circumstances
- refuses to give up
- continues moving forward despite setbacks
The expression has a clear nautical origin.
A ship sailing against the wind and against the tide has to overcome two natural forces working against its progress.
Viento represents the wind and marea the movement of the sea.
The nautical image was extended metaphorically to situations in which a person has to fight against circumstances that make progress difficult.
The expression normally has a positive connotation of perseverance.
Consiguió su objetivo contra viento y marea.
presents the person as determined and resilient.
It can, however, also be used ironically:
Siguió adelante contra viento y marea, aunque nadie se lo había pedido.
Here the expression can suggest that someone persisted stubbornly despite circumstances that perhaps justified giving up.
The expression is particularly vivid because wind and tide can work together to prevent a ship from reaching its destination.
This makes the metaphor stronger than simply saying "despite difficulties": it evokes someone who has to fight against powerful external forces just to keep moving towards the goal.
Do not translate:
Siguió adelante contra viento y marea.
only as:
He went on against wind and tide.
Although understandable, this sounds less natural in English.
Better translations are:
He carried on against all odds.
He persevered despite everything.
He carried on come hell or high water.
There are five hundred more.
The complete collection — no ads, on paper or Kindle.
Get the book on Amazon