- Alemannic German: de Füfer u's Weggli ha (literally “have the fivepence and the roll”)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 又要馬兒好，又要馬兒不吃草／又要马儿好，又要马儿不吃草 (yòu yào mǎr hǎo, yòu yào mǎr bù chīcǎo, literally “to want to own a good horse while not feeding it grass”), 魚與熊掌不可兼得／鱼与熊掌不可兼得 (zh) (yú yǔ xióngzhǎng bùkě jiān dé, literally “one cannot have both the fish and the bear’s palm”)
- Danish: man kan ikke både blæse og have mel i munden
- Dutch: het is het een of het ander
- Finnish: syödä ja säästää kakku ("kakkua ei voi syödä ja säästää"), sekä syödä että säästää kakku ("kakkua ei voi sekä syödä että säästää")
- French: avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre (fr) (literally “to have the butter and the money from [selling] the butter”)
- German: auf zwei Hochzeiten gleichzeitig tanzen (literally “to dance at two weddings at the same time”); wasch mich, aber mach mich nicht nass (literally “wash me, but don't get me wet”)
- Greek: θέλω και την πίτα ολόκληρη και τον σκύλο χορτάτο (thélo kai tin píta olókliri kai ton skýlo chortáto, literally “to want both the whole pie and the dog fed”)
- Hindi: दोनों हाथों में लड्डू होना (donõ hāthõ mẽ laḍḍū honā), चित भी मेरी, पट भी मेरी (cit bhī merī, paṭ bhī merī)
- Hungarian: azt akarja, hogy a kecske is jóllakjon, és a káposzta is megmaradjon (literally “he wants to make the goat full and save the cabbage as well”)
- Icelandic: ekki verður bæði sleppt og haldið, bæði sleppa og halda, bæði halda og sleppa
- Irish: é a bheith i do phota agus i do mhála agat (literally “to have it in one’s pot and in one’s bag”)
- Italian: avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca (literally “have a full barrel and a drunk wife”)
- Maltese: riedha ħobla u tredda’ (literally “to want her pregnant while she’s breastfeeding”)
- Persian: هم خدا را خواستن و هم خرما را (ham xodâ râ xâstan va ham xormâ râ), هم خرو خواستن هم خرما (ham xar-o xâstan ham xormâ) (colloquially)
- Polish: zjeść ciastko i mieć ciastko, albo rybki, albo akwarium (pl), albo rybka, albo pipka (pl)
- Portuguese: ter sol na eira e chuva no nabal, querer sol na eira e chuva no nabal
- Romanian: și cu buzele unse, și cu slănina în pod, și cu burta plină, și cu slănina în pod
- Russian: и рыбку съесть, и косточкой не подавиться (i rybku sʺjestʹ, i kostočkoj ne podavitʹsja, literally “eat the fish and not choke on its bone”)
- Scottish Gaelic: chan fhaodar a' bhò a reic 's a bainne òl (literally “one cannot sell the cow and drink its milk”)
- Serbo-Croatian:
- Cyrillic: имати (и) овце и новце, имати (и) јаре и паре
- Roman: imati (i) ovce i novce, imati (i) jare i pare
- Spanish: estar a la vez en la procesión y repicando las campanas, querer el oro y el moro (es), nadar y tener la ropa, estar en misa y repicando, soplar y sorber, no puede ser (es), tener el oro y el moro, tener la torta y jamearla ansimismo
- Welsh: cadw torth a'i bwyta hi (literally “to keep a loaf and eat it”)
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