Echar las campanas al vuelo
To send the bells into flight.
to celebrate too soon; **to celebrate too soon**; **to count one's chickens before they hatch**; **to declare victory too early**; **to get carried away**; **to jump the gun**
Echar las campanas al vuelo means to celebrate too soon, to declare victory prematurely, to get carried away by good news, or to announce success before it is certain.
Todavía no eches las campanas al vuelo.
Don't celebrate too soon.
Ganamos el primer partido, pero no hay que echar las campanas al vuelo.
We won the first match, but we shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch.
Se apresuró a echar las campanas al vuelo.
He declared victory far too early.
Es demasiado pronto para echar las campanas al vuelo.
It's still too early to get carried away.
It often carries the warning that enthusiasm may be premature.
- celebrates before the result is confirmed
- becomes overconfident too early
- announces success prematurely
- assumes that everything will end well before knowing the outcome
The expression comes from the traditional custom of ringing church bells to announce important celebrations such as victories, royal births, religious festivals or other joyful events.
To echar las campanas al vuelo meant ringing the bells publicly so that everyone would know about the good news.
The idiom later acquired its modern figurative meaning of celebrating before success is fully assured.
The expression often carries a tone of caution.
Someone who says no eches las campanas al vuelo is advising patience and reminding others that circumstances may still change.
It is particularly common in sports, elections, business and examinations.
Church bells have inspired many Spanish idioms:
- Echar las campanas al vuelo → to celebrate too soon.
- Oír campanas y no saber dónde → to have heard something without really understanding it.
- Tocar a rebato → to raise the alarm.
Among them, echar las campanas al vuelo is one of the most common because it reflects the traditional role of church bells as public announcements of joyful events while warning against excessive optimism before success is guaranteed.
Do not translate the expression literally.
English speakers would never say:
Don't send the bells into flight.
Instead, use expressions such as:
- Don't celebrate too soon.
- Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
- Don't declare victory yet.
- Don't get carried away.
Choose the translation according to the context.
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