Negated hope

Question

Hi,can anyone please shine some light on the following: " mais n'en espérait pas moins trouver queque Poisson. I think I know that it means " nevertheless hoped to find some fish" but is this a standard expression ?. Myself I would have said au moins (il) espérait trouver queque Poisson. I don't understand the rôle of the n  and moins:  it seems backwards to me, and in a way " not hoped to at least find some fish.

Cécile Janty-Davies · Accepted Answer

Bonjour John, 
Could you point out where you saw this sentence as we cannot find it on our site.
What I can say without context is that -
The French phrase 'n'en espérer pas moins faire quelque chose' can be translated into English as:
'To nonetheless hope to do something' or 'To still hope to do something'.
This phrase implies that despite certain circumstances or potential obstacles, the person still maintains hope or expectation of accomplishing a particular task or action.
A more contextual translation might be:
' To expect to do something anyway' or 'To hope to do it all the same'.
The exact translation can vary slightly depending on the context in which the phrase is used.
It generally conveys the idea of persisting in one's hope or intention to do something, regardless of potential difficulties or contrary expectations.
Hope this helps!

John Warren · Answer

Sorry,please forgive the mis- spelling of queque...finger trouble!

John Warren · Answer

Hi Cécile, it wasn't actually on your site...it was in a book I'm reading..the whole sentence was"Le gamin n' y croyait guère mais n'en espérait pas moins trouver là quelque fabuleaux poisson".

John Warren · Answer

Hi Cécile, many thanks for your explanation. Just to fully appreciate this,am I right in thinking the grammar is basically " does( or did)' depending on the conjugation of the verb " not hope less of it" where the "it" is displaced to come right after the negation to give n'en pense pas moins faire......in this case I sort of understand it,

Cécile Janty-Davies · Answer

I am not sure that I understand your last query, John, so here are some examples using the expression. I hope it answers it.

Malgré les difficultés, j'en espère pas moins réussir mon examen = Despite the difficulties, I still hope to pass my exam
Le temps est mauvais, mais nous n'en espérons pas moins faire notre pique-nique = The weather is bad, but we still hope to have our picnic
Bien que le délai soit court, elle n'en espère pas moins terminer son projet à temps = Although the deadline is tight, she still hopes to finish her project on time
Le budget est limité, mais nous n'en espérons pas moins organiser un bel événement = The budget is limited, but we nonetheless hope to organize a nice event
Malgré son âge avancé, il n'en espère pas moins participer au marathon = Despite his advanced age, he still hopes to participate in the marathon
La compétition est rude, mais l'équipe n'en espère pas moins remporter la victoire = The competition is tough, but the team still hopes to win

John Warren · Answer

Thanks Cécile, I get it now,