build castles in the air

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The first term dates from the late 1500s. A variant, castles in Spain (or châteaux en Espagne), was recorded in the Roman de la Rose in the 13th century and translated into English around 1365.

29 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Breton: sevel kestell el loar — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Catalan: fer castells a l'aire — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Czech: stavět si vzdušné zámky — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Danish: bygge luftkasteller — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Dutch: luchtkastelen bouwen — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Esperanto: konstrui kastelojn en aero — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Estonian: õhulosse ehitama — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Finnish: rakennella pilvilinnoja — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• French: bâtir des châteaux en Espagne — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• French: bâtir des plans sur la comète — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• French: tirer des plans sur la comète — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• German: Luftschlösser bauen — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• German: Schlösser in die Luft bauen — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Hebrew: בנה מגדלים באוויר (baná migdalím ba'avír) — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Hungarian: légvárakat épít — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Italian: fare castelli in aria — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Norwegian Bokmål: bygge luftslott — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Norwegian Nynorsk: byggje luftslott — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Polish: budować zamki na lodzie — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Portuguese: fazer castelos no ar — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Punjabi: ਖਿਆਲੀ ਪੁਲਾਉ ਪਕਾਉਣਾ (khiālī pulāu pakāuṇā) — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Russian: стро́ить возду́шные за́мки (stróitʹ vozdúšnyje zámki) — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Serbo-Croatian: градити куле у зраку — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Serbo-Croatian: graditi kule u zraku — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Spanish: hacer castillos en el aire — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Spanish: forjar castillos en el aire — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Spanish: levantar castillos en el aire — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Spanish: hacer castillos de naipes — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized
• Swedish: bygga luftslott — to have any desire, idea, or plan unlikely to be realized