les si n'aiment pas les rais

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /le si n‿ɛm pa le ʁɛ/, /le si n‿ɛm pɑ le ʁɛ/

Phrase

les si n’aiment pas les rais

1. (idiomatic) A mnemonic device meant to discourage people from using the conditional mood after the conjunction si, which is ungrammatical in standard French. The use of the idiom rai refers to the repetitive sound-alike nature of four endings of the conditional tense: the first, second and third person singular as well as the third person plural (-rais/-rais/-rait/-raient), thus a recognizable trait.

   Si je serais grand... — Les si n’aiment pas les rais!

   If I was a grown-up... – It's "if I were a grown-up"!

   (This is not an exact equivalent: si je serais is more frowned upon than if I was.)