| French > English |
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| il ne fallait pas |
| 1. Phrase. you shouldn't have (said on receiving a gift) |
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| Analysis |
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| il |
| 1. pron. he (third-person singular masculine subject pronoun for human subject) |
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| Il est parti. - He left. |
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| 2. pron. it (third-person singular subject pronoun for grammatically masculine objects) |
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| Je cherche mon livre. Où est-il ? - I'm looking for my book. Where is it? |
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| 3. pron. (impersonal pronoun) Impersonal subject; it |
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| ne |
| 1. part. (literary) not (used alone to negate a verb; now chiefly with only a few particular verbs: see usage notes) |
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| 2. part. not, no (used before a verb, with a coordinating negative element usually following; see Usage Notes, below) |
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| 3. part. (Used in a subordinate clause before a subjunctive verb (especially when the main verb expresses doubt or fear), to provide extra overtones of doubt or uncertainty (but not negating its verb); the so- |
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| 4. part. In comparative clauses usually translated with the positive sense of the subsequent negative |
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| Apprendre le français est plus facile qu'on ne pense. - Learning French is easier than you (might) think. |
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| fallait |
| 1. v. third-person singular imperfect indicative of falloir |
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| falloir |
| 1. v. (impersonal) to need, have to, to be necessary (that) |
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| Il faut que j'y aille - I need to go. |
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| Faut que j'y aille. - Got to go. |
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| Il ne faut pas que tu dises ça. - You don’t have to say that. |
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| Il a tout ce qu'il te faut. - He has everything that you need. |
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| pas |
| 1. n-m. step, pace, footstep |
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| 2. n-m. (geography) strait, pass |
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| Pas de Calais - Strait of Dover |
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| 3. n-m. thread, pitch (of a screw or nut) |
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| 4. adv. The most common adverb of negation in French, typically translating into English as not, don't, doesn't, etc. |
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