Once upon a time
Opening line of fairytales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380[1] in storytelling in the English language and has started many narratives since 1600. These stories sometimes end with "and they all lived happily ever after", or, originally, "happily until their deaths".
The phrase is common in fairy tales for younger children. It was used in the original translations of the stories of Charles Perrault as a translation for the French "il était une fois", of Hans Christian Andersen as a translation for the Danish "der var engang" (literally "there was once"), the Brothers Grimm as a translation for the German "es war einmal" (literally "it was once") and Joseph Jacobs in English translations and fairy tales.
In More English Fairy Tales, Joseph Jacobs notes that:
The opening formula are varied enough, but none of them has much play of fancy. 'Once upon a time and a very good time it was, though it wasn't in my time nor in your time nor in any one else's time.' is effective enough for a fairy epoch, and is common, according to Mayhew (London Labour, III), among tramps.[2]
The phrase is also used in retellings of myths, fables and folklore.[3]
Other languages
The "story-starting phrase" is a common feature of many languages.
| Language | Common beginning | Common beginning (English translation) | Common ending | Common ending (English translation) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albanian | Na ishte një herë... | Once there was... | Dhe ata jetuan lumtur pergjithmonë | And they lived happy forever | |
| Afrikaans | Eendag, lank gelede... | One day, a long time ago... | Fluit, fluit, die storie is uit | Whistle, whistle, the story is done | |
| Moroccan Arabic | Hajitek ma jitek (ØجÙت٠٠ا جÙتÙ) | I've told you what's coming | ÙخبÙرت٠٠شات Ù Ù Ùاد ÙÙاد ÙاÙا بÙÙت ٠ع اÙÙاس اÙجÙاد | And my tale went from valley to valley and I remained with the good people. | |
| Amharic | á áµá® ááá... | Once a long time ago... | á°á¨á´á ááá± á áá á á³á¦ á á¥á±:: | Return my story and feed me bread. (It is a way of saying tell me a story for the one I have told you.) | |
| Classical Arabic | kÄn yÄ mÄ kÄn, fÄ« qadÄ«mi-z-zamÄn, wa-salifi-l-âaá¹£ri wa-l-âawÄn... (Ùا٠Ùا ٠ا ÙاÙØÙÙ ÙدÙ٠اÙز٠اÙØ ÙساÙ٠اÙعصر ÙاÙØ£ÙاÙ) |
There was, oh what there was (or there wasn't) in the oldest of days and ages and times... | |||
| Armenian (Eastern) | Ô¼Õ«Õ¶Õ¸ÖÕ´ Õ§, Õ¹Õ« Õ¬Õ«Õ¶Õ¸ÖÕ´... (Linum e, chi linum) | There was, there was not...[4] | ÔµÖÕ¯Õ¶ÖÕ«Ö Õ¥ÖÕ¥Ö ÕÕ¶Õ±Õ¸Ö Õ§ Õ¨Õ¶Õ¯Õ¶Õ¸ÖÕ´Õ ÕÕ¥Õ¯Õ¨ Õ£ÖÕ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶, Õ´Õ¥Õ¯Õ¨ ÕºÕ¡Õ¿Õ´Õ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶, Õ´Õ¥Õ¯Õ¶ Õ§Õ¬ Õ¬Õ½Õ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶: (Yerknkits yereq khndzor e ynknum` Meky groxin, meky patmoxin, mekn el lsoxin) | 3 apples fall from the sky/heaven - one for the writer/author, one for the storyteller, one for the listener Note: (the three apples can "be given" to different people, when people tell stories they change the three to whatever they like. The version noted here is the most common/known) | |
| Armenian (Western) | Ô¿Õ¡Õµ Õ¸Ö Õ¹Õ¯Õ¡Õµ (Gar u chgar) | ÔµÖÕ¯Õ«Õ¶ÖÕ§Õ¶ Õ¥ÖÕ¥Ö ÕÕ¶Õ±Õ¸Ö Õ¯ÕÕ«ÕµÕ¶Õ¡ÕµÕ ÕÕ§Õ¯Õ¨ Õ£ÖÕ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶, Õ´Õ§Õ¯Õ¨ ÕºÕ¡Õ¿Õ´Õ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶, Õ´Õ§Õ¯Õ¶ Õ¡Õ¬ Õ¬Õ½Õ¸Õ²Õ«Õ¶: (Yerginken yerek khntsor giyna` Megu kroghin, megu badmoghin, megn al lsoghin) | |||
| Assamese | বহà§à¦¤ দিনৰ à¦à¦à¦¤... (Bahut dinor aagot...) | Long time ago... | Unknown | ||
| Asturian | Ello yera una vez... | There was once... | Y con esto acabóse'l cuentu. | And so the tale is finished. | |
| Azeri | Biri var idi, biri yox idi... | There was, (and) there was not... | Unknown | ||
| Basque | Bazen behin... | Once upon a time... | ...eta hala bazan ala ez bazan, sar dadila kalabazan eta atera dadila ...-ko plazan | ... and whether it were or it were not, may it [the story] come into the pumpkin and come out in the town square of... (name of a town). | |
| Bengali | à¦à¦ যৠà¦à¦¿à¦² রাà¦à¦¾... (Eka ye chila rÄjÄ...)
Ãk je chilo raja... |
Once there lived a king... | à¦à¦®à¦¾à¦° à¦à¦¥à¦¾à¦à¦¿ ফà§à¦°à§à¦²à§, নà¦à§ à¦à¦¾à¦à¦à¦¿ মà§à¦¡à¦¼à§à¦²à§à¥¤[5] (ÄmÄra kathÄá¹i phurolo, Naá¹e gÄchaá¹i muá¹olo) Amar kôthaá¹i phurolo, |
My story ends and the spinach is eaten by the goat. (cf A Goat eats the root of a herb unlike cows, so being consumed by goats figuratively means something being irreversibly ended.) | |
| à¦à¦ দà§à¦¶à§ à¦à¦¿à¦²... (Eka deÅe chila...)
Ãk deÅe chilo... |
In a country, there was... | ||||
| Breton | Ur wech e oa... | Once upon a time... | ...hag e vevjont eürus asambles hag o devoe kalz a vugale. | ...and they lived happily and had many children. | |
| Bulgarian | Ðмало едно вÑеме... (Imalo edno vreme...) |
There was, once upon a time... | ...и заживели ÑаÑÑливо до кÑÐ°Ñ Ð½Ð° дниÑе Ñи (...i zazhiveli shtastlivo do kraya na dnite si) | ...and they lived happily until the end of their days | |
| ...и ÑÑи дни Ñли, пили и Ñе веÑелили (...i tri dni yali, pili i se veselili) | ...and for three days they ate, drank and had fun. | ||||
| Catalan | Hi havia una vegada... | There was a time... | Vet aquà un gat, vet aquà un gos, aquest conte ja s'ha fos. I vet aquà un gos, vet aquà un gat, aquest conte s'ha acabat. | Here's a cat, here's a dog, this tale is already melted. And here's a dog, here's a cat, this tale is finished. | |
| Temps era temps... | Time was time... | I van ser feliços i van menjar anissos. | And they were happy and they ate candies. | ||
| Això era i no era... | This was and was not... | I conte contat, conte acabat | Tale told, tale finished | ||
| Això va anar i era... | This went and was... | I visqueren molts anys de molta felicitat. | And they lived many years of happiness. | ||
| Això va passar en aquells temps antics | This occurred in those ancient times | Van ser molt feliços, tingueren molts fills i encara viurien si no s'hagueren mort | They were very happy, had many children, and still would live if they had not died | ||
| Chinese (Mandarin) | T: å¾ä¹
å¾ä¹
以å S: å¾ä¹ å¾ä¹ 以å P: HÄnjiÇ hÄnjiÇ yÇqián å¾å ä»å Cóngqián | A very very long time ago... Once upon a time... |
T: å¾æ¤ï¼ä»åéè幸ç¦å¿«æ¨çæ¥å S: ä»æ¤ï¼ä»ä»¬è¿ç幸ç¦å¿«ä¹çæ¥å P: CóngcÇ, tÄmenguòzhe xìngfú kuà ilè de rìzi | ... and they lived a happy life | |
| Chinese (Classical) | æè
XÄ«zhÄ | Anciently... | |||
| Croatian | Bio jednom jedan... | There was once a... | ...i živjeli su sretno do kraja života. | ...and they lived happily until the end of their lives. | |
| Czech | Bylo nebylo, ... | There was, there was not... | ... a žili Å¡Å¥astnÄ až do smrti. | ...and they lived happily until they died. | |
| Byl jednou jeden... | There was once a ... | ...a jestli neumÅeli, žijà tam dodnes. | ...and if they have not died yet, they still live there today. | ||
| Za devatero horami, devatero Åekami a devatero lesy... | Beyond nine mountain ranges, nine rivers and nine woods... | Zazvonil zvonec a pohádky je konec. | A bell rang and the tale comes to its end. | ||
| Danish | Der var engang... | There was, once... | Og de levede lykkeligt til deres dages ende. | And they lived happily until the end of their days. | |
| Engang for længe siden... | Once a long time ago... | Og hvis de ikke er døde, lever de endnu. | And if they're not dead, they are still alive. | ||
| Dutch | Er was eens... | Once there was... | ... en ze leefden nog lang en gelukkig. | ...and they lived long and happily. | |
| En toen kwam er een olifant met een hele lange snuit en die blies het verhaaltje uit. | And then came an elephant with a very long snout, and it blew the story out (over). | ||||
| Esperanto | Iam estis... | Once there was... | La mizero finiÄis kaj ili Äoje vivis kune. | Their misery was ended and they lived together joyfully. | |
| En tempo jam de longe pasinta, kiam efikis ankoraÅ sorÄadoâ¦. | In a time already long past, when it was still of use to cast a spell... | Nenio mankis en ilia feliÄo Äis la morto. | Nothing was lacking to their happiness until their death. | ||
| Estonian | Elasid kord... | There once lived a... | ... ja nad elasid õnnelikult elu lõpuni. | ...and they lived happily until the end of their lives. | |
| Seitsme maa ja mere taga elas kord... | Behind seven lands and seas there lived a... | ...ja kui nad surnud ei ole, siis elavad nad õnnelikult edasi | ...and if they're not dead, they still live happily. | ||
| Faroese | Einaferð var tað... | Once there was... | Og tey livdu lukkuliga allar teirra dagar. | and they lived happily all their days. | |
| snip, snap, snúti, so var søgan úti. | snip, snap, snout, then the story was out. | ||||
| Filipino | Noong unang panahon... | At the beginning of time... / At the first time... | At sila'y namuhay nang mapayapa at masagana. | And they lived peacefully and prosperously. | |
| Wakas. | [The] end. | ||||
| Finnish | Olipa kerran... | Once there was... | Ja he elivät onnellisina elämänsä loppuun saakka. | And they lived happily until the ends of their lives. | |
| Sen pituinen se. | That's the length of it. | ||||
| French | Il était une fois | There was one time / There was once... | ...et ils vécurent heureux et eurent beaucoup d'enfants | ...and they lived happily and had many children. | |
| ...et ils vécurent heureux jusqu'à la fin des temps | ...and they lived happily until the end of time. | ||||
| Galician | Houbo unha vez... | There was a time... | E acaba este conto con pan e pementos e todos contentos. | And this tale ends with bread and peppers and we're all happy. | |
| Isto era unha vez... | There was a time... | E con âestoâ unha vella fixo un cesto. | And with this an old woman made a basket. | ||
| El era unha vez... | There was a time... | E colorÃn colorado este conto está contado. | And redhead, red, this tale has ended. | ||
| German | Es war einmal...[6] | Once there was... | ...und wenn sie nicht gestorben sind, dann leben sie noch heute. | ...and if they have not died, they are still alive today. | |
| In den alten Zeiten, als das Wünschen noch geholfen hat | Back in the days when it was still of help to wish for a thing,... | ...und sie lebten glücklich und zufrieden bis ans Ende ihrer Tage. | ...and they lived happily and contentedly until the end of their days. | ||
| Georgian | áá§á áá áá á áá§á á á, áá§á... (iqÌo da ara iqÌo ra, iqÌo...) |
There was, and there was not, there was... | ááá á â áá¥á, áá®ááá â áá¥á, á¥áá¢á â áá¥á, á¤á¥áááá â áá¥á (Äiri â ikâ²a, lxini â akâ²a, kâ²atâ²o â ikâ²a, pâ²kâ²vili â akâ²a) |
Disaster there, feast here... bran there, flour here... | |
| Goemai (Nigeria, West Chadic) | Unknown | (Story teller begins in a sing song voice) "Story, Story". The children reply "Story"
A long time ago... / In the days of our ancestors / When men were men and women tended the kitchen |
Tamtis noe lat / dok ba muaan yi wa | My tale has finished, (it) has returned to go (and) come home. | |
| Greek (Ancient) | Ἦν Î³Î¬Ï ÏοÏε ÏÏÏÎ½Î¿Ï (Än gar pote chronos) |
For there was once a time... | |||
| Greek (Modern) | Îια ÏοÏά κι Îναν καιÏÏ... (Mia forá ki énan keró...) |
Once and a time... (time = epoch/era/age)
(or) Once upon a time and once upon an era |
...και ζήÏανε Î±Ï Ïοί καλά και ÎµÎ¼ÎµÎ¯Ï ÎºÎ±Î»ÏÏεÏα. (...ke zÃsane aftà kalá ke emÃs kalÃtera) | And they lived well, and we lived better | |
| Guarani | Oiko va'ekue petei | There used to be a | Heta ara rire otopa tembiapo ha upei rire oiko porã vy'apope | After some days he found a job his life changed and he was truly happy ever after | |
| Gujarati | àªàª£àª¾àª વરà«àª·à« પહà«àª²àª¾àªàª¨à« વાત àªà« (Ghaá¹Ã£ varṣŠpahelãnÄ« vÄta che) |
This is a story from many years ago. | Unknown | ||
| àªàª àªàª®àª¾àª¨àª¾àª®àª¾àª... (Eka jamÄnÄmã...) | In one era, ... | ||||
| વરà«àª·à« પહà«àª²àª¾àª... (VarṣŠpahelã...) | Years ago... | ||||
| Hebrew | ×Ö¸×Ö¹× ×Ö¸×Ö¸× ×¤×¢× (Hayoh hayah pa'am...) | Once there was... | ××× ××× ×××שר ××¢×שר ×¢× ×¢×¦× ×××× ××× (Ve'hem áºayu be'osher va'osher ad etzem hayom hazeh) | And they lived in happiness and wealth to this very day. | |
| ×Ö¸×Ö¹× ×Ö¸××Ö¼ ×¤×¢× (Hayo hayu pa'am...) | Once there were... | ||||
| Hindi | à¤à¤¿à¤¸à¥ à¤à¤¼à¤®à¤¾à¤¨à¥ मà¥à¤ (KisÄ« zamÄne meá¹) | In one era, ... | Unknown | ||
| बहà¥à¤¤ पà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤¨à¥ बात हॠ(Bahut purÄnÄ« bÄt hai) |
It's an old story, ... | ||||
| Hungarian | Egyszer volt, hol nem volt, volt egyszer egy... | Once there was, where there wasn't, there was a... | Itt a vége, fuss el véle! | This is the end; run away with it. | |
| ... Hetedhétországon is túl, az Ãperenciás tengeren is túl, az üveghegyeken is túl, hol a kurtafarkú malac túr | [Optional, signifying distance]
... cross seven countries, through the sea of Operencia, through the glass mountains, where the curly-tailed pig delves |
||||
| Boldogan éltek, amÃg meg nem haltak. | They lived happily until they died. | ||||
| Aki nem hiszi, járjon utána! | Whoever doesn't believe it shall investigate. | ||||
| Icelandic | Einu sinni fyrir langa löngu... | Once a long time ago... | Og þau lifðu hamingjusöm til æviloka | And they lived happy for the rest of their lives. | |
| Einu sinni var... | Once there was... | Köttur úti à mýri, setti upp á sér stýrið og úti er ævintýrið | A cat in the bog put up his tail and there ends the fairytale. | ||
| Köttur úti à mýri, setti upp á sér stýri, úti er ævintýri | Cat out in the swamp, lifted its tail, the adventure is finished. | ||||
| Indonesian | Pada zaman dahulu kala... | A long time ago... | Dan mereka hidup bahagia selama-lamanya. | And they lived happily ever after. | |
| Iraqw (Tanzania, Kenya, Cushitic) | tokaro-yâ | Once upon a time | Unknown | ||
| In oral literature: Kar anÃng te-'ée' to-ká a inhláw ar aakó doo-rén ni alki'-a i tà | I remember something that our father told me and that is this: | ||||
| Irish | Fadó, fadó in Ãirinn... | Long, long ago in Ireland | |||
| Bhà ann fadó agus fadó a bhÃ. Dá mbeithinnse an uair sin ann nà bheithinn anois ann. Ach mar tá mé tá scéal beag amháin agam. Mar tá sé agamsa inniu go mba seacht mÃle fearr a bheas sé agatsa amáireach. Nár chaille tú leis ach péire dho na clárfhiaclaÃ, cúig cinn dho na cúilfhiaclaà agus stiall bhreá dhon charbad. | It was long long ago. If I was there that time I would not be here now. But as I am I have one small story. As I have it today may you have it seven thousand times better tomorrow. May you only lose a pair of the incisors by it, five of the grinders and a fine strip of the gum. | Ghabh siadsan an t-áth, agus ghabh mise an clochán. Báthadh iadsan agus tháinig mise. NÃor thug siad dom ach brógaà páipéir agus bainne reamhair! | They went by the ford, and I went by the stepping stones. They were drowned and I survived. They gave me nothing but paper shoes and fat milk! | ||
| Italian | C'era una volta... | There was once... | E vissero felici e contenti. | And they lived happy and content. | |
| Japanese | æã
(ãããããã) (Mukashi mukashi) |
Long, long ago... | æã§ããæã§ãã (ãã§ãããã§ãã) (Medetashi medetashi) |
So blissful | |
| Kannada | Ondanondu kaaladalli... | Once, in a long past age,... | Unknown | ||
| Kazakh | ÐÑÑе еÑÑе еÑÑеде, еÑÐºÑ Ð¶Ò¯Ð½Ñ Ð±Ó©ÑÑеде, ÒÑÑÒаÑÑл Ð¶Ò¯Ð½Ñ ÒÑзÑлда, ÒұйÑÑÒ Ð¶Ò¯Ð½Ñ Ò±Ð·Ñнда
(erte erte ertede, eshki jüni börtede, qyrgauyl jüni uzynda, quiryq jüni uzynda) |
Direct translation: "A long, long time ago, when goat's wool was grey, when pheasant's fur was red, and its tail fur was long". The last two parts about a pheasant is sometimes skipped. | |||
| Khroskyabs (Sichuan, Qiangic)[7] | ÏnÉ ÏnÉ | Long, long ago | ɳæn Ïbi nÉ yoɯ | My story has finished | |
| næ xhÉ pÉjær | Was that fun? | ||||
| Korean | ìë ìì ì... (Yet-nal Yet-jeok-e...) | On an old day, in the old times, | ê·¸ë¦¬ê³ íë³µíê² ì´ìëµëë¤ (Geurigo haeng-bok ha-gae sal-at damnida) | And they lived happily after then. | |
| í¸ëì´ ë´ë°° í¼ì°ë ìì ì... (holang-i dambae piudeon sijeol-e...) | Back when tigers used to smoke tobacco.[8] | ||||
| Koti (Mozambique, Bantu) | Rakú z'éepo waarÃ-vó oswááipu nwúlw'eéne saána | Once upon the time, there was a truly great friendship... | Unknown | ||
| Kurdish | Hebû nebû,...hebû
Ú¾ÛبÙÙ ÙÛبÙÙ (ÚÛÚÛ ÙÛ ÚÛÚاÙ) |
Once there was and there was not, there was... | Ãîroka min çû diyaran, rehmet li dê û bavê guhdaran. | My story went to other homes, God bless the mothers and fathers of its listeners | |
| Kyrgyz | илгеÑи-илгеÑи... (ilgeri-ilgeri...) | A long, long time ago... | Unknown | ||
| Ladino | Avia de ser... | There once was... | |||
| Latin | Olim... | At that time, Once | Unknown | ||
| Latvian | Reiz sen senos laikos... | Once long ago in times long gone | |||
| Lithuanian | VienÄ kartÄ ... | Once upon the time | |||
| Už devynių jÅ«rų, už devynių marių... | Beyond nine seas, beyond nine lagoons | Ir aÅ¡ ten buvau, alų midų gÄriau, per barzdÄ varvÄjo, burnoj neturÄjau | And I was there, drank some mead ale, dribbled through my beard, had not in my mouth | ||
| KartÄ seniai, seniai... | Once long, long ago | ||||
| Buvo nebuvo... | There was, and there was not | ||||
| Luxembourgish | Et war eemol... (old orthography: Et wor eemol...) |
Once there was... | An wann se net gestuerwen sin, dann liewen se nach haut | ...and if they haven't died yet, they are still living today. | |
| Macedonian | Си беÑе еднаÑ... (Si beshe ednash...) |
Once upon the time there was... | Unknown | ||
| Malayalam | Pandu oridathu... | Long ago, at a place... | |||
| Malay | Pada zaman dahulu... | During an era long ago... | Maka mereka pun hidup bahagia selama-lamanya. | So they lived blissfully forever and ever. | |
| Marathi | à¤à¥à¤£à¥ à¤à¤à¥ à¤à¤¾à¤³à¥... (kone eke kaali...) |
in a very old time... | à¤à¤£à¤¿ तॠसà¥à¤à¤¾à¤¨à¥ राहॠलाà¤à¤²à¥ (aani te sukhane raahu laagle) | and they lived happily ever after | |
| Mongolian | ÐÑÑÑÑ ÑÑÑдÑн ÑагÑ... (Ertee uriidiin tsagt...) |
Once upon a time... | ÑÑгÑÑд ÑÑд Ð°Ð¼Ð°Ñ ÑайÑ
андаа жаÑгажÑÑ (tegeed ted amar saikhandaa jargajee) | and they lived happily ever after | |
| Maragoli | Mmadikhu ga khaare | In olden days | Unknown | ||
| Maltese | Darba, fost l-oħrajn... | Once upon a time... | U għexu henjin u kuntenti għal dejjem | And they lived happily and contentedly ever after. | |
| Nepali | à¤à¤à¤¾ दà¥à¤¶à¤®à¤¾ (eka desh ma) | Once in a country... | सà¥à¤¨à¥à¤¨à¥à¤²à¤¾à¤ सà¥à¤¨à¤à¥ माला, à¤à¤¨à¥à¤¨à¥à¤²à¤¾à¤ फà¥à¤²à¤à¥ माला, यॠà¤à¤¥à¤¾ वà¥à¤à¥à¤£à¥à¤ à¤à¤¾à¤²à¤¾, फà¥à¤°à¤¿ à¤à¤¨à¥à¤¨à¥ बà¥à¤²à¤¾ तातà¥à¤¤à¤¤à¥ à¤à¤à¤à¤¾à¤²à¤¾ (Sunne lai sunako mala, bhanne lai phoolako mala, yo katha Vaikuntha jaala, pheri bhanne bela tattatai aaijaala) | A goldenâgarland to the listener, A flowerâgarland to the narrator; This story shall go to Vishnu's abode (Heaven), And come back hot (fresh) on someone else's (the next narrator) lips. (Said in a rhyme.) | |
| Norwegian | Det var en gang... | There was, once... | Og så levde de lykkelige alle sine dager | And then they lived happily for the remainder of their days. | |
| Og er de ikke døde, så lever de ennå. | And if they're not dead, they still live. | ||||
| Snipp, snapp, snute, så er eventyret ute. | Snip, snap, snute (snout), then this adventure is finished. (sometimes the English is translated to rhyme "Snip, snap, snout, this adventure is told out.") | ||||
| Occitan | Un còp èra... | There was one time / There was once... | |||
| Pashto | داس٠کار ÙÙ ÚÙ (Daasi kaar wo che) | There was this work that... | Bas | The End | |
| داس٠ÚÙ ÙÙ ÚÙ (Daasi chal wo che) | |||||
| Persian | ... ØرÙزÛØ Ø±ÙØ²Ú¯Ø§Ø±Û Ruzi, ruzgÄri, ... | Someday, sometime, ... | Øب٠پاÛا٠آÙ
د اÛ٠دÙتر .ØکاÛت ÙÙ ÚÙا٠باÙÛستBe pÄyÄn Ämad in daftar, hekÄyat hamÄenÄn bÄqist. | This book has come to end, (but) the story yet remains. | |
| ... ØÛÚ©Û Ø¨ÙØ¯Ø ÛÚ©Û ÙبÙد Yeki bud, yeki nabud, ... |
Someone was, someone wasn't, ... | ØÙصÙâÛ Ù
ا ب٠سر رسÛد .Ú©Ùاغ٠ب٠خÙÙØ´ ÙرسÛد Qesse ye mÄ be sar resid, |
Our tale has come to end, (but) the crow hasn't arrived at his house. | ||
| Polish | (Dawno, dawno temu,) za siedmioma górami, za siedmioma lasami... | (A long, long time ago,) beyond seven mountains, beyond seven forests... | ...i żyli dÅugo i szczÄÅliwie. | ...and they lived long and happily. | |
| Za siedmioma górami, za siedmioma rzekami... | Beyond seven mountains, beyond seven rivers... | ...a ja tam byÅem, miód i wino piÅem. | ...and I was there [usually at a wedding] too, and drank mead and wine. | ||
| Portuguese | Era uma vez... | There was, once... | ...e viveram felizes para sempre | ...and they lived happily forever. | |
| Qiang | Gver gver ngue du... | A long long time ago... | Unknown | ||
| Romanian | A fost odatÄ, ca niciodatÄ cÄ dacÄ n-ar fi fost, nu s-ar mai povesti... | There once was, (as never before)... because if there wasn't, it wouldn't have been to told | ...Åi au trÄit fericiÅ£i pânÄ la adânci bÄtrâneÅ£i. | ...and they lived happily to the depths of (their) old age. | |
| Russian | ÐавнÑм-давно (Davnym-davno) | Long, long time ago... | Ржили они долго и ÑÑаÑÑливо (и ÑмеÑли в один денÑ).[9] (I zhili oni dolgo i s-chastlivo (i umerli v odin den').) |
...and they lived long and happily [and died on the same day] | |
| (Ð ÑÑидевÑÑом ÑаÑÑÑве, в ÑÑидеÑÑÑом гоÑÑдаÑÑÑве) Ðил, бÑл... ((V tridevyatom tsarstve, v tridesyatom gosudarstve) Zhil byl...) |
(In the three-ninth kingdom, in the three-tenth realm) There lived, there was... | ... и ÑÑали они жиÑÑ Ð¿Ð¾Ð¶Ð¸Ð²Ð°ÑÑ, да добÑа наживаÑÑ.[10]
(i stali oni zhit' pozhivat', da dobra nazhivat') |
... and they lived and prospered. | ||
| Sanskrit | पà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤à¤¾à¤²à¥ (PÅ«rÄkÄle) | In the ancient time... | Unknown | ||
| à¤à¤¦à¤¾à¤à¤¿à¤¤à¥ (KadÄcit) | Once upon the time, At any time | ||||
| Scots | In the days o lang syne | Long ago | |||
| Scottish Gaelic | Latha bha seo | A day that was here | (agus sin fhathast mar a tha) chun an latha an diugh | (and that's still how it is) until the present day. | |
| Serbian | Ðедном давно... (Jednom davno...); Ðекада давно... |
Once, a long time ago... | ...и живеÑе ÑÑеÑно/ÑÑеÑно до кÑаÑа живоÑа. (...i živeÅ¡e sretno/sreÄno do kraja života.) | ...and they lived happily for the rest of their lives. | |
| Ðила Ñедном Ñедна... (fem., Bila jednom jedna) Ðио Ñедном Ñедан... |
There once was one... | ...и живеÑе дÑго и ÑÑеÑно/ÑÑеÑно. (...i živeÅ¡e dugo i sretno/sreÄno.) | ...and they lived long and happily. | ||
| Shona | Paivapo... | A long time ago, there existed | Ndopanoperera sarungano | End of the story. | |
| Slovak | Kde bolo, tam bolo... | Where it was, there it was... | ...a žili spolu šťastne, až kým nepomreli. | ...and they lived together happily, until they died. | |
| Za horami, za dolami... | Beyond the hills, beyond the valleys... | ...a žili spolu šťastne až do smrti. | ...and they lived together happily until their deaths. | ||
| Za siedmimi horami a za siedmimi dolinami... | Beyond seven mountains and seven valleys... | ...a pokiaľ nepomreli, žijú šťastne dodnes. | ...and if they haven't died already, they are living happily to this day. | ||
| Tam, kde sa voda sypala a piesok sa lial... | Where the water was being strewn and the sand poured... | Zazvonil zvonec a rozprávke je koniec. | The bell chimed and the tale came to its end. | ||
| Bol raz jeden... | Once, there was a... | ||||
| Slovene | Pred davnimi Äasi... | A long time ago... | ...in živela sta sreÄno do konca svojih dni. | ...and they (both) lived happy until the end of their days. | |
| NekoÄ je bil(a)/živel(a)... | Once upon a time there was/lived... | ...in živeli so sreÄno do konca svojih dni. | ... and they (all) lived happily until the end of their days. | ||
| Somali | Sheeko, sheeko, sheeko xariir... | Story, story, a story of silk... | |||
| Spanish | Ãrase una vez... | There was, once... | ...y vivieron felices y comieron perdices. | ...and they lived happy and ate partridges. | |
| HabÃa una vez... | ...y colorÃn, colorado, este cuento se ha acabado. | ...and redhead, red,[11] this tale has ended. | |||
| Swahili (east African) | Hapo zamani za kale... | A long time ago | Unknown | ||
| Swedish | Det var en gång... | Once, there was... | ...och så levde de lyckliga i alla sina dagar. | ...and then they lived happily for all of their days. | |
| En gång för länge sedan... | Once, long ago... | Snipp snapp snut, så var sagan slut | Snip, snap, snute (snout), thus the story ends. | ||
| Tagalog | Noóng unang panahón... | Back in the old time... | At sila'y nabuhay nang masaya | And they lived happily. | |
| Tamil language | à®®à¯à®©à¯à®©à¯à®°à¯ à®à®¾à®²à®¤à¯à®¤à®¿à®²à¯... (Muḷḷoru kÄlattilÄ...) | At a time long ago | Subham | Prosperity | |
| Telugu language | à°
à°¨à°à°¨à°à°¾ à°à° à°°à±à°à±... (anaganagÄ oka rÅju) | Once upon a day... | Subham/ Kadha Kanchi ki | Prosperity/The End. | |
| Thai | à¸à¸²à¸¥à¸à¸£à¸±à¹à¸à¸«à¸à¸¶à¹à¸à¸à¸²à¸à¸¡à¸²à¹à¸¥à¹à¸§ (gaan kráng nèung naan maa láew) |
Once upon the time (long ago)... | à¹à¸¥à¹à¸§à¸à¸¸à¸à¸à¸à¸à¹à¸à¸¢à¸¹à¹à¸à¹à¸§à¸¢à¸à¸±à¸à¸à¸¢à¹à¸²à¸à¸¡à¸µà¸à¸§à¸²à¸¡à¸ªà¸¸à¸à¸à¸¥à¸à¸à¹à¸ (láew túk kon gôr yòo dûay gan yà ang mee kwaam sùk dtà -lòt bpai) |
And they lived happily forever. | |
| Turkish | Bir varmıÅ, bir yokmuÅ. Evvel zaman içinde, kalbur saman içinde, cinler cirit oynar iken eski hamam içinde, pireler berber [iken], develer tellal [iken], ben ninemin beÅiÄini tıngır mıngır sallar iken, uzak diyarların birinde... | Once there was, and once there wasn't. In the long-distant days of yore, when haystacks winnowed sieves, when genies played jereed in the old bathhouse, [when] fleas were barbers, [when] camels were town criers, [and when] I softly rocked my baby grandmother to sleep in her creaking cradle, there was/lived, in an exotic land, far, far away, a/an...*
|
Gökten üç elma düÅmüÅ; biri onların, biri anlatanın, diÄeri de dinleyenlerin baÅına. Onlar ermiÅ muradına, biz çıkalım kerevetine.
|
Lastly, three apples fell from the sky; one for our story's heroes, one for the person who told their tale, and one for those who listened and promise to share. And with that, they* all achieved their hearts' desires. Let us** now step up and settle into their thrones.***
| |
| Ugaritic | When ... then[12] | When ... then | N/A | ||
| Ukrainian | Ðавним-давно (Davnym-davno) | Long, long time ago... | Ржили вони довго Ñ ÑаÑливо. (I zhyly vony dovho i shchaslyvo.) |
...and they lived long and happily. | |
| (РдеÑÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ñ ÑаÑÑÑвÑ, Ñ Ð´ÐµÑкÑй деÑжавÑ) жив-бÑв... ((V deyakomu tsarstvi, u deyakiy derzhavi) zhyv-buv...) |
(In some kingdom, in some land) There lived, there was... | (Ð Ñ Ñам бÑв, мед-пиво пив, по вÑÑаÑ
Ñекло, а в ÑоÑÑ Ð½Ðµ бÑло! ((I ya tam buv, med-pyvo pyv, po vusakh teklo, a v roti ne bulo!) |
And I was there, drinking mead beer, it was flowing down my mustache, but it wasn't in my mouth! | ||
| Urdu | اÛÚ© دÙØ¹Û Ú©Ø§ ذکر ÛÛÛÛÛ (Ek dafa ka zikar hai...) بÛت بÛت سا٠پÛÙÛÛÛÛ (Bohut bohut sal pehle...) |
Once upon a time...
Many many years ago... |
Unknown | ||
| Vietnamese | Ngà y xá»a ngà y xÆ°a... | A long, long time ago... | ...và há» sá»ng hạnh phúc mãi mãi vá» sau | ...and they live happily ever after | |
| Yiddish | ×Ö·××Ö¸× ××× ××¢×××¢× ×Ö· ×עש×× (Amol iz geven a mayse) | Once there was a story | |||
| Welsh | Amser maith yn ôl... | A long time ago... | Unknown | ||
Modern variants
- The novel A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens opens with the line âIt was the best of times, it was the worst of times...â which has been reused and parodied in many modern works of fiction.
- Don McLean's "American Pie" begins with the phrase "A long, long time ago...".
- All of the Star Wars films, as well as several of the expanded universe novels, begin with the phrase "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....".
- The musical Into the Woods begins with the Narrator's line, "Once upon a time." The second act commences with his line, "Once upon a time... later..." The musical is a retelling of many famous fairy tales.
- In the Singaporean comedy series Under One Roof, Moses Lim's character Tan Ah Teck begins his stories with "Long before your time, in the southern province of China ...".
- In the 2010 Edgar Wright film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the opening scene narrates the words "Not so long ago, in the mysterious land of Toronto, Canada."
- The opening line of the theme song to MST3k is: "In the not-too-distant future ... next Sunday, A.D."
- Bionicle features the line "In the time before time...".
- In Ninjago, in-universe tales often begin "Long before time had a name...".
- The opening line of the TV series Merlin features the line "In a land of myth, and a time of magic..."
- The first episode of Ivor the Engine opens with the line "Not so very long ago, in the top left-hand corner of Wales..."
