El que nada no se ahoga

[JennieNYC]

I just started studying Spanish about a year ago, and I need somebody's help here to help me figure out what it could mean.

I have been going out with a guy from Spain. We met on a dating site.
Then he stopped calling me and I see him on the same dating site all the time.
I asked him a question: "Back to fishing?" (I was upset obviously, and was being sarcastic)
He said: "What?"
I replied: "Nada."
That's what he replied to me: "el que nada no se ahoga"

What would that mean? Word for word it sounds like: "Nothing that doesn't drown." Does he mean that he wants me to leave him alone, so to say - to drown?
Thank you guys so much for any input you could give me.

[ookami]

No, maybe it was just a cliché, or maybe not. But the meaning "nada" has in that sentence has nothing to do with "nothing".

That "nada" is the present tense of the verb "nadar"(to swim) for the third person.
"The one who swims doesn't drown"

Now I hope you can take your own conclusion

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

If you wouldn't explain or say more about what you meant, he just replied with a play on words, as it's been said, between "nada" (nothing) and the verb "nadar" conjugated in present, third person of singular.
There is no second meaning that I can see in that answer.

[irmamar]

That's very common in Spain to answer "el que nada no se ahoga" after somebody has told you "nada". You can answer him: "el que no se ahoga es porque flota". That comes from a strange pun (to exercise one's memory):

¿En qué se parece un ratón a las ancas de rana?

Al ratón le gusta el queso. El queso sale de la leche. La leche sale de la vaca. La vaca es un animal. Un animal es un bruto. Bruto mató a César. Cesar es no hacer nada. El que nada no se ahoga. El que no se ahoga es porque flota. Una flota es una escuadra. Escuadra se parece a cuadra. En la cuadra hay toros. Toro es un pueblo de Zamora. Zamora era un futbolista. Futbolista tiene la palabra lista. Lista es una calle de Madrid. Madrid es un periódico de La Habana. La Habana es la capital de Cuba. En las cubas se guarda el vino. El que no bebe vino es un primo. Tengo un primo en Lebrija. En Lebrija se hacen botijos. El botijo rezuma. Rezuma se parece a Moctezuma. Moctezuma era un rey inca. Inca se parece a anca. Y las ancas son de rana.

[ROBINDESBOIS]

I wouldn´t worry about the meaning of the sentence, it´s just a way of retaking "nada" with no meaning at all. It´s just a filler. Nothing to do with your relationship for sure.

[poli]

Originally Posted by irmamar

That's very common in Spain to answer "el que nada no se ahoga" after somebody has told you "nada". You can answer him: "el que no se ahoga es porque flota". That comes from a strange pun (to exercise one's memory):

¿En qué se parece un ratón a las ancas de rana?

Al ratón le gusta el queso. El queso sale de la leche. La leche sale de la vaca. La vaca es un animal. Un animal es un bruto. Bruto mató a César. Cesar es no hacer nada. El que nada no se ahoga. El que no se ahoga es porque flota. Una flota es una escuadra. Escuadra se parece a cuadra. En la cuadra hay toros. Toro es un pueblo de Zamora. Zamora era un futbolista. Futbolista tiene la palabra lista. Lista es una calle de Madrid. Madrid es un periódico de La Habana. La Habana es la capital de Cuba. En las cubas se guarda el vino. El que no bebe vino es un primo. Tengo un primo en Lebrija. En Lebrija se hacen botijos. El botijo rezuma. Rezuma se parece a Moctezuma. Moctezuma era un rey inca. Inca se parece a anca. Y las ancas son de rana.

Wow! Lo único es que Moctezuma no era Inca. Vas a tener que inventar
un retruécano con Atahualpa.

[JennieNYC]

Thank you, guys, so much for your replies! I think I need to read more in Spanish. It's a beautiful language, but I get confused sometimes, like now, on a play of words.
Muchas Gracias!

[irmamar]

Originally Posted by poli

Wow! Lo único es que Moctezuma no era Inca. Vas a tener que inventar
un retruécano con Atahualpa.

Well, I didn't know , but I didn't invent, either. I invented another one but starting from "nada", since here saying "el que nada no se ahoga" is very common (to answer someone's "nada" as an answer):

El que nada no se ahoga. Y el que no se ahoga es porque flota. Y una flota es una escuadra. Con una escuadra haces rayas. Una raya es un pez. El pez nada. El que nada no se ahoga (etc.).

Me gustan los bucles.