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How to Say ‘Not at all, I've had them for ten years!’ in French

Pas du tout, je les ai depuis dix ans !

pah doo too zhuh lay ay duh-pwee dees ahn

[pah doo too zhuh lay ay duh-pwee dees ahn]

Phrase Breakdown

Pas du tout,

pah doo too

Not at all,

A fixed expression: "pa-du-tou". Pause briefly at the comma.

Example

Pas du tout, c'est faux.

Not at all, that's wrong.

Words in this phrase

Pas

[pah]

not

Used with 'ne' to form a negative.

Example

Je ne comprends pas.

I do not understand.

[doo]

Used to indicate possession or connection.

Example

L'histoire du monde.

The history of the world.

tout

[too]

all

Everything or everyone in a particular group.

Example

Tout le monde veut être heureux.

Everyone wants to be happy.

je les ai

zhuh lay ay

I have had them

Liaison between "les" and "ai": "lé-zé".

Example

Je les ai ici.

I have them here.

Words in this phrase

[zhuh]

Pronoun used by the speaker to identify themselves.

Example

Je suis content.

I am happy.

les

[lay]

them

Used to refer to items or individuals previously mentioned.

Example

Je les ai vu hier.

I saw them yesterday.

[ay]

have

Form of 'avoir' used with past participles to make the past tense.

Example

J'ai beaucoup appris grâce à notre discussion.

I learned a lot thanks to our discussion.

depuis dix ans !

duh-pwee dees ahn

for ten years!

"Dix ans" is pronounced "di-zan". Let your voice rise with excitement at the end.

Example

Je le connais depuis dix ans.

I've known him for ten years.

Words in this phrase

depuis

[duh-pwee]

since, for

Used to express duration from a starting point until now.

Example

Depuis deux ans, on connaît bien les autres parents de la classe.

For two years now, we have known the other parents in the class well.

dix

[dees]

ten

The number ten, often used for group size in reservations.

Example

Dix personnes, c'est possible dans une salle semi-privée ?

Ten people, is that possible in a semi-private room?

ans

[ahn]

years

A plural time noun used to talk about duration.

Example

Trois ans d'expérience sont demandés pour ce poste.

Three years of experience are required for this position.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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