How do you say “Once in a blue moon” in German?
The closest natural German equivalent is Alle Jubeljahre (einmal), which literally means “Every jubilee year (once)”. English speakers use once in a blue moon to mean very rarely. A real, well-known German idiom with the same light, slightly wry tone. It is informal and common in everyday German.
Closest natural German
Alle Jubeljahre (einmal)
/ˈalə ˈjuːbəljaːʁə/
- Literal meaning
- “Every jubilee year (once)”
- Register
- informal
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
90 out of 100
What a native German speaker would actually say
"Alle Jubeljahre" refers to the jubilee year of the church calendar, which came round rarely, the same idea of a long interval between events.
Both phrases mean "very seldom", not "never", and both are conversational rather than formal.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context4 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in German?
So gut wie nie
Literally: “As good as never”
Plain and neutral, fine in writing.
Alle heiligen Zeiten
Literally: “Every holy times”
Regional, mainly southern Germany and Austria.
Einmal im Jahrhundert
Literally: “Once a century”
Stronger exaggeration.
Don't translate it literally
Einmal in einem blauen Mond
German does not use the blue moon image. The literal version sounds like a poem, not a frequency.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in German, not as expressions.
In context
English
We only meet once in a blue moon.
German
Wir sehen uns nur alle Jubeljahre.
English
He calls once in a blue moon.
German
Er ruft so gut wie nie an.
Related expressions
- What “Once in a blue moon” means in English
- Miss the boat, To be too late for an opportunity.
Last reviewed 2026-09-11