Languages › French "You Never Know" in French Print Achim Sass / Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on March 04, 2019 Expression: On ne sait jamais - On sait jamais Pronunciation: [ o(n) n(eu) seh zha meh | o(n) seh zha meh] Meaning: you never know, you never can tell Literal translation: one never knows Register: normal Notes How to Use Jamais in French By Camille Chevalier-Karfis Read More The French expression on ne sait jamais means "you never know," where "you" refers to people in general. As in other French expressions, the indefinite subject "you" is expressed with the indefinite subject pronoun on. Remember that in informal speech, the negative word ne is usually dropped: On sait jamais. You can hear both versions pronounced in the sound file, above. Examples Amène un pull, on ne sait jamais. Bring a sweater, you never know. Tu as acheté un billet de loterie ? Oui, pourquoi pas ? On sait jamais! You bought a lottery ticket? Sure, why not? You never know! Related Expression On ne sait jamais avec lui si c'est du lard ou du cochon (informal) You never know where you are with him; literally, "One never knows with him if it's fat or pork" Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. ""You Never Know" in French." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/on-ne-sait-jamais-1371325. Team, ThoughtCo. (2021, December 6). "You Never Know" in French. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/on-ne-sait-jamais-1371325 Team, ThoughtCo. ""You Never Know" in French." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/on-ne-sait-jamais-1371325 (accessed March 28, 2024). copy citation