Signification
Something that will never happen.
Contexte culturel
The Bosphorus currents are so strong that fish 'climbing' toward the Kavak districts was seen as a feat of strength, which eventually turned into a metaphor for impossibility. Turkish people love using absurd imagery in their jokes. The idea of a fish in a tree is a classic example of 'Nasreddin Hodja' style humor where the logic is turned upside down. Poplar trees (kavak) are common in Anatolia and are often associated with being tall but 'fruitless' or 'useless' in folk songs, adding to the irony of the fish choosing such a tree. In the age of memes, 'balık kavağa çıkınca' is often accompanied by photoshopped images of fish in trees to mock tech billionaires or politicians.
Use it for Sarcasm
This is your best tool for sounding like a local when you want to be funny and skeptical.
Don't use with your Boss
Unless you have a very close relationship, this is too informal and dismissive for the workplace.
Signification
Something that will never happen.
Use it for Sarcasm
This is your best tool for sounding like a local when you want to be funny and skeptical.
Don't use with your Boss
Unless you have a very close relationship, this is too informal and dismissive for the workplace.
Master the '-ınca' suffix
Once you learn this phrase, try making your own sentences with '-ınca' to describe timing.
Teste-toi
Which of the following is the correct meaning of 'balık kavağa çıkınca'?
Arkadaşın 'Borcumu balık kavağa çıkınca öderim' dedi. Ne demek istedi?
The phrase is a sarcastic way to say 'never'.
Fill in the missing word to complete the idiom.
Balık ______ çıkınca bu iş olur.
'Kavak' (poplar) is the specific tree used in this proverb.
Match the response to the situation.
Situation: Someone asks for a 90% discount on a new car.
An unrealistic request deserves a sarcastic 'never' response.
Complete the dialogue naturally.
Ali: Sence bu sınavdan herkes geçer mi? Veli: ________.
Veli is being cynical about the difficulty of the exam.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Impossibility Idioms Across Languages
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesArkadaşın 'Borcumu balık kavağa çıkınca öderim' dedi. Ne demek istedi?
The phrase is a sarcastic way to say 'never'.
Balık ______ çıkınca bu iş olur.
'Kavak' (poplar) is the specific tree used in this proverb.
Situation: Someone asks for a 90% discount on a new car.
An unrealistic request deserves a sarcastic 'never' response.
Ali: Sence bu sınavdan herkes geçer mi? Veli: ________.
Veli is being cynical about the difficulty of the exam.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt's not 'bad language,' but it is dismissive. Use it with friends, not strangers.
People will understand you, but it's not the standard idiom. Stick to 'kavağa'.
The closest is 'When pigs fly'.
Yes, it's a poplar tree, but it's also the name of two districts in Istanbul.
Don't pronounce it as a 'g'. Just make the 'a' sound longer: ka-vaa.
Only in very casual office environments or in creative writing.
No, it's usually reserved for things that are 100% impossible.
Poplars are very tall and smooth, making them the most 'unclimbable' tree for a fish.
Sometimes people just say 'Balık kavağa çıkınca...' and leave the rest of the sentence to the imagination.
No, it's almost always used for future impossibilities.
Expressions liées
Çıkmaz ayın son çarşambası
synonymThe last Wednesday of the month that never comes.
Kırmızı kar yağınca
synonymWhen red snow falls.
Abbas yolcu
contrastAbbas is a traveler (meaning: it's time to go/it's over).
İğneyle kuyu kazmak
similarTo dig a well with a needle.
