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How to Say ‘But didn't Claire tell you?’ in French

Mais Claire ne vous a pas dit ?

meh klehr nuh voo ah pah dee

[meh klehr nuh voo ah pah dee]

💬 Usage Tip: ne ... pas wraps around vous a, the "to you has" part. The question comes purely from the rising tone, with no word order change.

Phrase Breakdown

Mais Claire

meh klehr

But Claire

'Mais' shows surprise here. Say 'mè-klèr'.

Example

Mais Claire est là !

But Claire is here!

Words in this phrase

Mais

[meh]

But

Used to introduce a contrast.

Example

Il est petit mais fort.

He is small but strong.

Claire

[klehr]

Claire

A common French woman's first name.

Example

Claire attend devant l'école.

Claire is waiting in front of the school.

ne vous a pas dit ?

nuh voo ah pah dee

didn't tell you?

Negative passé composé with the object 'vous'. Raise your voice at the end for the question. Link 'vous a': 'vou-za'.

Example

Il ne vous a pas dit ?

Didn't he tell you?

Words in this phrase

[nuh]

(negation) not

Negation particle used with another negative word (ne… rien). In speech, it can be dropped, but it’s standard in writing.

Example

Ne me raconte rien sur l’anime, je veux garder la surprise.

Don’t tell me anything about the anime, I want to keep the surprise.

vous

[voo]

to you

Indirect object pronoun: the person receiving something.

Example

Je vous donne la monnaie.

I give you the change.

[ah]

has

Used with a past participle to form the present perfect tense.

Example

Elle a visité Paris.

She has visited Paris.

pas

[pah]

not (negation)

Second part of negation in “ne… pas.” Together: “Don’t worry.”

Example

Ne t’inquiète pas, je ne dis rien.

Don’t worry, I’m not saying anything.

dit

[dee]

said

Past participle of 'dire,' meaning 'said.'

Example

Le professeur a dit de travailler en groupe.

The teacher said to work in a group.

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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