when pigs fly

English

Alternative forms

when pigs can fly

Etymology

Referencing the unlikelihood that pigs will ever evolve wings.

Adverb

when pigs fly

(idiomatic) never

Translations

never, expressed by an idiom

Afrikaans: as die perde horings kry (af) (literally “if the horses get horns”)
Arabic:
Egyptian Arabic: فِي الْمِشْمِش‎ (fī l-mišmiš, literally “in the apricot [season]”)

Gulf Arabic: إِذَا حَجَّتِ الْبَقَرَة عَلَى قُرُونِهَا‎ (ʾiḏā ḥajjati l-baqara ʿalā qurūnihā, literally “when the cow goes on pilgrimage on its horns”)

Palestinian Arabic: لَمَّا يَنْوَر اَلْمِلْح‎ (lammā yanwar al-milḥ, literally “when salt blossoms”)
Armenian: երբ խոզը բարձրանա ծառը (erb xozə barjrana caṙə, literally “when the pig climbs up the tree”)
Azerbaijani: dəvənin quyruğu yerə dəyəndə
Breton: kentre ma moc'h kelieno
Bulgarian: на куково лято (na kukovo ljato, literally “in a cuckoo’s summer”)
Catalan: quan les vaques volin (literally “when cows fly”)
Chinese:
Cantonese: 豬乸都會上樹 (zyu¹ naa² dou¹ wui⁵ soeng⁶ syu⁶, literally “when pigs climb up the tree”)

Mandarin: 除非太陽從西邊出來, 除非太阳从西边出来 (chúfēi tàiyáng cóng xībiān chūlái, literally “unless the sun rises in the west”)
Czech: až kohout vejce snese (literally “when roosters lay eggs”) (rare), až naprší a uschne (cs), na svatého Dyndy (cs), až půjde žid z pouti (cs)
Dutch: wanneer Pasen en Pinksteren op één dag vallen (literally “when Easter and Pentecost fall on the same day”), met sint-juttemis (literally “on Saint Judith[’s day]”)
Esperanto: kiam la ratoj seksumos kun la musoj (literally “when rats embrace mice”), en la tago de Sankta Neniamo (literally “on Saint Never’s day”)
Finnish: kun lehmät lentävät (literally “when cows fly”)
French: quand les poules auront des dents (fr) (literally “when chickens have teeth”), aux calendes grecques (fr) (literally “on the Greek calends”), à la Saint Glinglin (literally “on Saint Glinglin’s day”), la semaine des quatre jeudis (fr) (literally “the week with four Thursdays”), à Pâques ou à la Trinité (fr) (literally “on Easter or on Trinity [Sunday]”)
Georgian: როცა ვირი ხეზე ავა (roca viri xeze ava)
German: am Sankt-Nimmerleins-Tag (de) (literally “on Saint Never’s day”), wenn Ostern und Pfingsten auf einen Tag fallen (de) (literally “when Easter and Pentecost fall on the same day”)
Greek: του αγίου ποτέ (tou agíou poté)
Hebrew: כשחזירים יעופו‎ (k'shekhazirím ya'úfu, literally “when pigs fly”)
Hindi: सूरज पश्चिम से उगेगा (sūraj paścim se ugegā, literally “when the sun rises in the west”)

Hungarian: majd ha fagy (literally “when it will be freezing”), holnapután kiskedden, majd ha piros hó esik (literally “if snow falls in red”), majd ha cigánygyerekek potyognak az égből, sohanapján
Inuktitut: ᑐᓗᒃᑲᑦ ᖃᑯᖅᓯᒃᐸᑕ (tulukkat qakuqsikpata, literally “when the ravens turn white”)
Irish: lá Philib an Chleite, lá Thaidhg na dTadhgann
Italian: quando gli asini voleranno (literally “when donkeys fly”), alle calende greche (literally “on the Greek calends”)
Japanese: 枯れ木に花咲く (kareki ni hana saku, literally “dead trees blossom”)
Latin: ad kalendas Graecas (literally “on the Greek calends”), cum mula peperit
Latvian: kad cūkas lidos, kad pūcei aste ziedēs
Malayalam: കാക്ക മലന്നു പറക്കും (kākka malannu paṟakkuṃ, literally “the crow will fly upside down”)
Persian: وقت گل نی‎ (vaght e gol e ney, literally “when the reed plant blossoms”)
Polish: na świętego nigdy (literally “on Saint Never[’s day]”)
Portuguese: quando os porcos voarem (literally “when pigs fly”), no Dia de São Nunca (literally “on Saint Never’s day”), no Dia de São Nunca à tarde (literally “on Saint Never’s day’s evening”)
Romanian: când o zbura porcul (literally “when pigs fly”), când va face plopul pere (literally “when the poplar makes pears”), la paștele cailor (literally “at the horse’s Easter”), când mi-oi vedea ceafa (literally “when I see my nape”), la Sfîntu-așteaptă (literally “on Saint-Wait’s day”), când o zbura trabantu' (literally “when trabants fly”)
Russian: когда́ рак на горе́ сви́стнет (ru) (kogdá rak na goré svístnet, literally “when a crayfish whistles on the mountain”), по́сле до́ждичка в четве́рг (ru) (pósle dóždička v četvérg, literally “after a small rain on Thursday”)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: кад на врби роди грожђе (literally “when grapes grow on willows”)

Roman: kad na vrbi rodi grožđe (literally “when grapes grow on willows”)
Spanish: el día que las vacas vuelen (literally “the day that cows fly”), cuando las ranas críen pelo (es) (literally “when frogs grow hair”), cuando San Juan agache el dedo (literally “when Saint John bends his finger”)
Swedish: när grisar flyger (literally “when pigs fly”)
Tagalog: sa pagputi ng uwak (literally “when the crow turns white”), sa pag-itim ng tagak (literally “when the heron turns black”)
Turkish: ^{(please verify)} balık kavağa çıkınca (tr) (literally “when fish climb poplars”), ^{(please verify)} çıkmaz ayın son çarşambası (tr) (literally “on the last Wednesday in Never-month”)
Ukrainian: коли рак на горі свисне (koly rak na hori svysne), не бачити як свого носа (ne bačyty jak svoho nosa), коли на долоні волосся виросте (koly na doloni volossja vyroste)
Urdu: جب زمین اور آسمان ایک ہونگے‎ (jab zamīn aur āsmān ek hōngē, literally “when the sky and the Earth meet”)
West Frisian: as de keallen op it iis dûnsje (literally “if the calves dance on the ice”)

when pigs fly

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Adverb

Translations

See also