Pass un?

Adebimpe O.B2Kwiziq community member

Pass un?

Can I say ... 'Je n'ai pas un stylo' 

That'd be fine right? 

Asked 4 years ago
Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Yes, but this would be understood as saying "I don't have ONE quelque chose (qqc) .... " rather than "I don't have ANY qqc. . . ". Do you have none, or more than one?  

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/un-and-une-become-de-or-d-in-negative-sentences-indefinite-article

 

Michael N.A1Kwiziq community member

I think it is not correct grammar.

Je n'ai pas de stylo.

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Michael, it is not incorrect grammar.  In the sentence «Je n'ai pas un stylo», «un» is not an indefinite article, it is (masculine) "one", so the sentence is "I don't have one pen" but that sentence is not used in French to say the equivalent of "I don't have a pen". «Je n'ai pas de stylo» - "I don't have a (any) pen". Either sentence is correct grammatically, but they do not have the same meaning, as noted above. If «Je n'ai pas un stylo» is not correct grammatically then any sentence of construct «Je n'ai pas un/deux/trois/ stylo(s)» would also be wrong.

Adebimpe O. asked:

Pass un?

Can I say ... 'Je n'ai pas un stylo' 

That'd be fine right? 

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