French Expression of the Day: Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille

Why do I need to know avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille?

Because every so often we all have outlandish things to say.

What does it mean?

Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille - roughly pronounced ah-veck day see ohn met-tray Par-ee ahn boo-tie - translates as ‘with ifs we could put Paris in a bottle’. 

As you might’ve guessed, this French expression is not a literal one. In reality, avec des si… is more of a proverb than something you would say in everyday conversation, though don't be surprised if an older French person uses it to temper your expectations.

People have been speaking this French phrase since at least the 18th century, and it is meant to be a warning against unnecessary or irrelevant speculation and doubt. 

The expression basically means if the impossible were possible (e.g. putting the entire city of Paris into a bottle), then reality would be different, but there is no point in worrying or fantasising about unrealistic things.

A similar English expression might be “if ‘its’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, it would be Christmas every day”.

You might use this French expression if your friend has a habit of imagining the worst case scenario all the time.

Someone might also add it after describing an unlikely hypothetical situation - for example ‘if I were president…’ or ‘if I were the wealthiest person in the world…’

Use it like this

Si je dirigeais le monde, je mettrais fin à la faim dans le monde, mais avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille. - If I ruled the world, then I’d end global hunger, but no point in fantasising about the impossible.

Si j'étais maire de Paris, j'exigerais que tous les habitants nettoient les déjections de leurs chiens, mais bon. Avec des si on mettrait Paris en bouteille. - If I was the mayor of Paris, I’d make everyone clean up after their dogs, but whatever. That’s a pipe dream.