Example: No cabe esperar que llueva hoy con este cielo azul.
Definition
"No cabe esperar que" is a Spanish expression used to indicate that it is not reasonable or possible to expect something to happen. It conveys a sense of improbability or unlikelihood, as in the phrase "No cabe esperar que llueva hoy con este cielo azul," meaning it is unlikely to rain today given the clear blue sky.
Translations
one cannot expect that
men kan niet verwachten dat
no es pot esperar que
on ne peut pas s'attendre à ce que
man kann nicht erwarten dass
Etymology
The expression "no cabe esperar que" comes from the combination of Spanish words: 'no' meaning 'not,' 'caber' meaning 'to fit' or 'to be possible,' and 'esperar' meaning 'to expect.' Literally, it translates to 'it does not fit to expect,' implying that expecting something is not feasible. This phrase reflects a logical way of stating improbability in Spanish.
Learn to use this expression actively
"No cabe esperar que" appears in the Vocaplus list "Spanish - General - Modismos y refranes - (B2) - parte 1", containing 105 commonly used expressions.
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one cannot expect that