In a writing challenge - I'll be five minutes at most.

Question

In "I can't find my shirt!" this sentence -I'll be 5 minutes at most.- was translated as - J'en ai pour 5 minutes maximum.- 
Can someone explain this translation? Is it an expression?  I am not familiar with this construction. My translation was "Je reviens dans cinq minutes au maximum." Would this translation be acceptable?

Accepted Answer

Hi Barbara,
En avoir pour, + time
is an idiomatic expression meaning how long it will take you to do something.
Je passe chez elle, j'en ai pour une heure = I am popping to hers, I'll be about an hour/ it will take about an hour
Je n'en ai pas pour longtemps = I won't be long 
A French person would not use what you suggest to convey the same thing. People would understand what you mean however...
Hope this helps!

Answer

Merci pour votre explication, Cécile. J’aime beaucoup cette expression, en avoir pour, et je l’ajouterai à ma liste personnelle de vocabulaire.