Phrase guide

you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink

proverb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

proverb

Meaning 1

You can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: bir atı suya apara bilərsiniz, amma ona zorla su içirdə bilməzsiniz. — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Catalan: ja pots xiular si l'ase no vol beure — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Cebuano: madala nimo ang baka sa suba apan dili nimo mainom — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Danish: man kan tvinge hesten til truget, men man kan ikke tvinge den til at drikke — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Dutch: met onwillige honden is het slecht hazen vangen — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Finnish: voit viedä hevosen veden ääreen, mutta et voi pakottaa sitä juomaan — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • French: on ne saurait faire boire un âne qui n'a pas soif — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • German: man kann den Gaul zur Tränke führen, aber saufen muss er selber — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Hindi: हम किसी को कुछ करने का अवसर दे सकते पर उनपर उसे करने के लिए दबाव नहीं बना सकते (ham kisī ko kuch karne kā avsar de sakte par unapar use karne ke lie dabāv nahī̃ banā sakte) — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Italian: puoi portare un cavallo all'acqua ma non puoi farlo bere — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Japanese: 馬を水辺に導く事は出来るが馬に水を飲ませる事は出来ない (uma o mizube ni michibikukoto wa dekiru ga uma ni mizu o nomaserukoto-wa dekinai) — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Norwegian Bokmål: du kan lede en hest til vannet, men du kan ikke tvinge den til å drikke — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Polish: możesz konia doprowadzić do wodopoju, lecz pić za niego się nie da — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Portuguese: você pode levar um cavalo até a água, mas não pode fazê-lo beber — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Russian: мо́жно привести́ ло́шадь к воде́, но нельзя́ заста́вить её пить (móžno privestí lóšadʹ k vodé, no nelʹzjá zastávitʹ jejó pitʹ) — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Scottish Gaelic: ged a bheirte a' bhó dhan doras mhór rachadh i fhéin dhan bhàthaich — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it
  • Telugu: గుర్రాన్ని చెరువుదాకా లాక్కెళ్ళవచ్చు గాని, దానిచేత నీళ్ళు తాగించలేము (gurrānni ceruvudākā lākkeḷḷavaccu gāni, dānicēta nīḷḷu tāgiñcalēmu) — you can show someone how to do something, but you can't make them do it