"I couldn't take hearing him tell his life story."

Translation: Je n'en pouvais plus de l'entendre raconter sa vie.

[Vic3141]

Not an easy sentence to construct

[angus390025]

agreed, but I think I did it. I wrote "Je n'en pouvais plus de l'entendre raconter l'histoire de sa vie."

It was accepted but the duolingo-approved version is shorter (and different.) I'm very doubtful about the legitimacy of this last batch of sentences.

[Chris973043]

Pouvais = take ?
Plus = more ?
This sentence if translated correctly into English definitely needs some explanation.

I would have said : je ne supportais pas de l'entendre raconter sa vie.

[Blair811122]

I do not see a need for plus in the sentence its could not not could not anymore

[--Roody--]

It's an idiom and Duolingo is using it correctly.

https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/nen-pouvoir-plus-de.1892745/

https://fr.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/n’en_plus_pouvoir

https://context.reverso.net/translation/french-english/n%27en+pouvoir+plus

[GrahamIzza]

I agree with the comments below. Firstly, why plus as there is no reference to anymore and secondly “take”. In UK English this would mean put up with i.e. “supporter”. As with all the sentences in this section I am struggling.

[LenReed]

RoodyRoo explains this above and provides links. Je n'en pouvais plus de is an idiom meaning I can't take (it). You can't pull it apart to understand what en stands for and why you need plus and where "take" is in the French. The structure stands as a whole. It's like je m'en vais (I'm leaving), another idiom.

There are lots of these and they have to be learned one by one.

[Geoff_Campbell]

Anyone know why "... son histoire de vie." wouldn't be accepted in place of "... sa vie."?