Are you ready to learn all the things you ever wanted to know about the funny idiom "Quand les poules auront des dents"? To be more specific, this includes a complete explanation of what it mean and how to use it in a conversation with an audio example. But wait, we also added some useful stuff like dialogue example, slow pronunciation audio, synonyms and more!
Translation : Never
Literal meaning : When chicken will have teeth
Register : Informal - Funny
Slow
Normal
IPA : / kɑ̃ le pul oʁɔ̃ de dɑ̃ /
It literally means:
The French expression "Quand les poules auront des dents" (When the hens will have teeth) is an absurd reference to a situation that will certainly never happen. We use it mostly ironically about something that we judge impossible.
You can for example say to someone: "Tu seras riche quand les poules auront des dents." (You will be rich when the hens will have teeth) a.k.a. never.
But few similar expressions exist, for example, if someone asks you when you will stop eating fast food, you can answer: "À la Saint-Glinglin" → During Saint-Glinglin's day (A day that doesn't exist) or "La semaine des quatre jeudis" (The week of the four Thursdays).
During the 19th century, another formulation was used: "Quand les poules pisseront" (When the hens will pee).
Dialogue
Qu'est-ce que tu veux pour Noël?
What do you want for Christmas?
Une Ferrari !
A Ferrari!
Tu l'auras, quand les poules auront des dents !
You'll have it, when chicken will have teeth!*
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