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Informal French Expression
| Meaning | when pigs fly | |
| Literally | when hens have teeth | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[ka(n) lay pool (z)o ro(n) day da(n)] |
| IPA | [kã le pul (z)o rɔ̃ de dã] | |
| (optional liaison between poules and auront) | ||
Usage notes: The French expression quand les poules auront des dents is a colorful way of saying “not a chance!” or “it’ll never happen!” The equivalent English barnyard expression is “when pigs fly,” but there are other possible translations, including “when hell freezes over” and “never in a month of Sundays.”
Par exemple…
| Il m’a demandé s’il pouvait emprunter mon mobile, et j’ai répondu : « Oui, bien sûr … quand les poules auront des dents ! » | He asked if he could borrow my cellphone, and I responded, "Yes, of course… when pigs fly!" | |
| – Quand vas-tu venir avec nous à l’opéra ? – Quand les poules auront des dents ! |
– When are you going to come with us to the opera? – When hell freezes over! |
Grammar question: Why isn’t avoir in the present tense? See the note "Futuristic conjunctions" in my French future lesson.
Synonymous, informal expressions
- Ã la Saint-Glinglin
- ce n’est pas demain la veille
Despite a couple of similarities, this expression isn’t the same thing as "rare as hen’s teeth," which describes something that is very difficult to find – but not impossible. Quand les poules auront des dents means something is impossible.
Related lessons
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