A French phrase
Hi guys,
This is a 2 phrase dialogue:
(Q) - "Avez-vous de questions?"
(A) - "Oui, j'en ai pas mal."
Could someone explain me why the second phrase means - "I have a lot of them"?
Thanks,
Aviel
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Answers · 7
2
Bonjour Aviel,
J'en ai pas mal, meaning: J'ai pas mal de questions. = J'ai beaucoup de questions. The 'en' is used to replace a noun that has already been mentioned.
- Vous avez des fruits?
- Oui, j'en ai.
- Tu as un stylo?
- Non, je n'en ai pas.
In your example, 'pas mal' means 'beaucoup', it's more colloquial.
Other examples: Votre essai est bon. Votre essai n'est pas mal. (Your essay is not bad.)
Hope that helps.
2
. Pas mal (sans négation) loc. adv. : assez, beaucoup (opposé à peu). ➙ passablement. Il a pas mal voyagé. Je m'en moque pas mal.
1
hi Aviel,
Pas mal (de) is "not a few" (= a lot).
(Q) - "Avez-vous des questions?"
(A) - "Oui, j'en ai pas mal." ("Yes, I of them have not a few" - an ugly word by word translation)
I hope it helps
Regards,
Fabio
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