Languages › French Impossible N'est Pas Français Share Flipboard Email Print Bernard Jaubert/Getty Images French Vocabulary Pronunciation & Conversation Grammar Resources For Teachers By ThoughtCo Team Updated on February 20, 2019 The French expression impossible n'est pas français is actually a proverb, equivalent to "there's no such thing as can't" or simply "nothing is impossible." In French, you should never say that something is impossible, because, according to the proverb, impossible isn't even a French word. Likewise, in English, you should never say that you "can't" do something because the concept of "can't" doesn't exist. In other words, nothing is impossible and there isn't anything you can't do. It would make a good motivational poster in either language (if you're into that kind of thing). Expression: Impossible n'est pas français Pronunciation: eh(n) puh seebl nay pa fra(n) say Meaning: There's no such thing as can't Literal translation: Impossible isn't French Register: normal Example Tout le monde m'avait dit que c'était impossible ; moi, je leur ai répondu qu'« impossible n'est pas français » et puis je l'ai fait. Everyone told me "you can't do that"; I told them that there's no such thing as can't and then I did it. Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Team, ThoughtCo. "Impossible N'est Pas Français." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/impossible-nest-pas-francais-1371316. Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). Impossible N'est Pas Français. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/impossible-nest-pas-francais-1371316 Team, ThoughtCo. "Impossible N'est Pas Français." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/impossible-nest-pas-francais-1371316 (accessed June 6, 2023). copy citation Featured Video