een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer

Dutch

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally, one swallow makes no summer, a calque of Ancient Greek μία χελιδὼν ἔαρ οὐ ποιεῖ (mía khelidṑn éar ou poieî, one swallow does not a spring make). The reference to summer instead of spring is shared across European languages; see the descendants at the Ancient Greek entry for more.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /eːn ˈzʋaːlyu̯ maːkt noːx ɣeːn ˈzoːmər/

Proverb

een zwaluw maakt nog geen zomer

  1. one swallow does not a summer make

Usage notes

  • Also often encountered with emphasis on the first word, then typically spelled with accents marked as één instead of een.

Synonyms