"I do not have any soap."
Translation:Je n'ai pas de savon.
10 Comments
What is wrong with "Je n'ai rien de savon?" I thought this would be more correct as the answer reads more like the translation of "I do not have soap".
Je n'ai rien is used alone. Je n'ai rien = I have nothing.
Rien ne m'arrête = Nothing stops me.
J'aime rien! = I don't like anything!
Je n'ai aucun savon = I have no soap.
So rien is more like a noun, "un rien", and "aucun" is it's equivalent as a "no" or "none".
604
'du', 'de la' & 'des' become 'de' in negative sentences (except when the verb is etre).
Because any doesn't exist in French. Basically I do not have any soap = I do not have soap = Je n'ai pas de savon
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Then why does the Collins French-English dictionary give these example sentences and translations for "aucun" with “any”: “Il n'a aucun ami.” – “He doesn't have any friends.” “sans aucun doute” – “without any doubt”
Additionally, why does the Dictionnaire de L'Académie française give these sentences illustrating the use of “aucun” that would be translated with “any” in English: “Avec le mot négatif Ne, exprimé ou sous-entendu, il est adjectif et pronom et signifie Nul, pas un. Je ne connais aucun de ses amis. Vous n'avez aucun moyen de réussir dans cette affaire. Je ne le veux en aucune manière. Parmi tant de livres, je n'en ai aucun de relié. Il ne prend aucun soin de ses affaires.”
I have no will to see you = Je n'ai aucune envie de te voir.
Sentence don't always translate word by word! Same here, some words just are not used in french.
