the early bird gets the worm

English

Alternative forms

• the early bird catches the worm

Proverb

the early bird gets the worm

1. Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success; some opportunities are only available to the first competitors.

Related terms

• early to bed, early to rise

Descendants

• → Chinese: 早起的鳥兒有蟲吃／早起的鸟儿有虫吃 (zǎoqǐ de niǎor yǒu chóng chī) (calque)

Translations

whoever arrives first has the best chance of success

• Arabic: مِنْ سَبَق أَكْل النَبْق (min sabaq ʔakl an-nabq), مِنْ سَبَقْ شَمْ الحَبْقْ (min sabaq šam al-ḥabq)

  Gulf Arabic: من سبق لبق

• Catalan: qui matina fa farina
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 早起的鳥兒有蟲吃／早起的鸟儿有虫吃 (zh) (zǎoqǐ de niǎor yǒu chóng chī), 早起的鸟儿有虫吃 (zǎoqǐ de niǎor yǒu chóng chī), 先下手為強／先下手为强 (zh) (xiān xiàshǒu wéi qiáng), 先下手为强 (zh) (xiān xiàshǒu wéi qiáng), 捷足先登 (zh) (jiézúxiāndēng), 近水樓台先得月 (jìnshuǐlóutái xiān dé yuè), 近水楼台先得月 (jìnshuǐlóutái xiān dé yuè), 先到先得 (zh) (xiāndàoxiāndé)

• Czech: ranní ptáče dál doskáče
• Dutch: wie het eerst komt, wie het eerst maalt
• Esperanto: unua venis, unua prenis (eo)
• Finnish: aikainen lintu madon nappaa
• French: l’avenir appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt (fr) (literally “the future is for those who get up early”), le monde appartient à ceux qui se lèvent tôt (fr), la vache la première au pré, lèche toute la rosée (literally “the first cow to the meadow licks up all the dew”)
• German: der frühe Vogel fängt den Wurm (de), Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund (de)
• Hebrew: הציפור המשכימה קום תופסת את התולעת, המשכים קום, אלוהים נותן לו שילום, כל הקודם זוכה (he)
• Hungarian: ki korán kel, aranyat lel (hu)
• Italian: chi primo arriva meglio alloggia (literally “he who arrives first, stays better”), chi dorme non piglia pesci (literally “he who sleeps catches no fish”), il mattino ha l'oro in bocca (literally “the morning has gold in its mouth”)
• Japanese: 早起きの鳥は虫を捕らえる (hayaoki no tori wa mushi o toraeru), 早起きは三文の徳 (ja) (hayaoki wa sanmon no toku)
• Korean: 일찍 일어나는 새가 벌레를 잡는다 (iljjik ireonaneun saega beollereul jamneunda)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Macedonian: кој рано рани, две среќи граби (koj rano rani, dve sreḱi grabi)
• Malay: siapa cepat dia dapat
• Navajo: hashkééł ndaakaiígíí ayóo baa daʼneedééh
• Norman: l'heûsi n'a janmais ieu à emprunter du tardi
• Norwegian: den som kommer først til mølla, får først malt, morgenstund har gull i munn (no)

  Bokmål: morgenstund har gull i munn (no)

• Polish: kto rano wstaje, temu Pan Bóg daje (pl)
• Portuguese: Deus ajuda quem cedo madruga
• Russian: кто ра́но встаёт, тому́ бог подаёт (kto ráno vstajót, tomú box podajót)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ко рано рани две среће граби, птица раноранилица прва црва нађе

  Roman: ko rano rani dve sreće grabi, ptica ranoranilica prva crva nađe

• Slovak: komu sa nelení, tomu sa zelení
• Spanish: a quien madruga, Dios le ayuda
• Swedish: först till kvarn får först mala (literally “first to the mill gets to grind first”), morgonstund har guld i mund, ^{(please verify)} den som sätter igång först når mest framgång
• Turkish: erken kalkan yol alır, erken kalktım işime, şeker kattım aşıma