How do you say “Speak of the devil” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is Quand on parle du loup, which literally means “When one speaks of the wolf”. English speakers use speak of the devil to mean this phrase is said when a person unexpectedly arrives right as others are talking about them. This is the exact pragmatic equivalent used daily by native French speakers. It is almost always truncated to just this first clause when someone enters the room. It is informal, conversational and common in everyday French.
Closest natural French
Quand on parle du loup
/kɑ̃.t‿ɔ̃ paʁl dy lu/
- Literal meaning
- “When one speaks of the wolf”
- Register
- informal, conversational
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
98 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
Both expressions stem from medieval superstitions warning that invoking a malevolent entity will cause it to appear. While English summons the devil (shortened from "Speak of the devil and he shall appear"), French relies on centuries of rural folklore where the wolf was the ultimate feared predator lurking just outside the village.
In both languages, modern speakers use the phrase lightheartedly rather than with genuine dread. French speakers almost always truncate the full proverb ("Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue") to simply "Quand on parle du loup !" the moment the person walks in.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning5 out of 5
- Tone5 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity2 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
What are other ways to say it in French?
Quand on parle du loup, on en voit la queue
Literally: “When one speaks of the wolf, one sees its tail”
The full traditional proverb, though usually shortened in casual speech.
En parlant du loup...
Literally: “Speaking of the wolf...”
A conversational variant mirroring the participial English phrasing.
Don't translate it literally
Parle du diable
This is an unnatural, word-for-word calque of the English expression that sounds completely foreign to French speakers.
Word-for-word versions like these are understood as literal statements in French, not as expressions.
In context
English
Speak of the devil! We were just talking about your new job.
French
Quand on parle du loup ! On parlait justement de ton nouveau travail.
English
Ah, speak of the devil, here comes Marc.
French
Ah, quand on parle du loup, voilà Marc.
Related expressions
Last reviewed 2026-09-11