/non ˈdire ˈɡatto se non tʃe ˈlai nel ˈsakko/ lit. ‘don’t say cat until it’s in the sack’
Italian idiom, everyday. Don’t count on a good result before it has actually happened.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco
?
A proverb, used as advice or a warning, usually to someone who’s already celebrating. It’s addressed to “tu”, so it stays fixed as a saying. People often cut it to just “non dire gatto” and let the listener finish it.
Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco
in real sentences
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Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco.
Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, translation by CK, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco
come from?
We found no recorded origin. The picture is someone trying to catch a cat who announces it before the cat is actually in the bag, so the boast comes too soon. English Wiktionary gives only the literal meaning; the bear proverb, its closest synonym, is a calque from French.
Mistakes learners make with Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco
Dropping the ce: “se non l’hai nel sacco” sounds clumsy. With avere for possession, spoken Italian adds ce before lo/la, so it’s “ce l’hai”.
Other Italian idioms like Non dire gatto se non ce l’hai nel sacco
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