aller guten Dinge sind drei

German

Alternative forms

• alle guten Dinge sind drei (due to incomprehension of the archaic genitive construction)

Etymology

Literally, “of all good things there are three”, suggestive inter alia of the Trinity.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalɐ ˈɡuːtən ˈdɪŋə zɪnt dʁaɪ̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

Proverb

aller guten Dinge sind drei

1. third time's a charm; but more general; used as a lighthearted justification for doing something a third time, for including a third person, for taking a third drink, etc.

   Synonym: dreimal ist Bremer Recht

   • 1767, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, Minna von Barnhelm‎^[1], 1. Akt, 2. Szene:

     In meinem Leben hat mir das noch niemand gesagt. Noch eins, Herr Just; aller guten Dinge sind drei!

     No one has ever told me this in my life. One more thing, Mr. Just; all good things come in threes!

Further reading

• “aller guten Dinge sind drei” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• "aller guten Dinge sind drei" in Redensarten-Index