🧤🥅🤷‍♂️🚫

How to Say ‘Our goalkeeper couldn't do anything.’ in French

Notre gardien ne pouvait rien faire.

NOH-truh gar-DYAN nuh poo-VEH ree-en fair

[NOH-truh gar-DYAN nuh poo-VEH ree-en fair]

Phrase Breakdown

Notre gardien

NOH-truh gar-DYAN

Our goalkeeper

Say 'noh-truh gar-DYAN'. 'Gardien' ends in a nasal sound. In football it means the goalkeeper.

Example

Notre gardien est excellent.

Our goalkeeper is excellent.

Words in this phrase

Notre

[NOH-truh]

our

Possessive adjective used to refer to something belonging to the speaker’s group or company.

Example

Notre entreprise valorise la collaboration.

Our company values collaboration.

gardien

[gar-DYAN]

goalkeeper

A masculine noun for the player who guards the goal; also means guard or keeper.

Example

Le gardien a arrêté le penalty.

The goalkeeper stopped the penalty.

ne pouvait rien faire.

nuh poo-VEH ree-en fair

couldn't do anything.

Say 'nuh poo-veh ryan FEHR'. 'Ne... rien' makes the sentence negative: nothing could be done.

Example

Le médecin ne pouvait rien faire.

The doctor couldn't do anything.

Words in this phrase

[nuh]

not

Used to make a negative.

Example

Je ne sais pas.

I do not know.

pouvait

[poo-VEH]

could

Imperfect tense of 'pouvoir' (to be able), third person singular.

Example

Il ne pouvait pas venir.

He couldn't come.

rien

[ree-en]

nothing

Not anything; no single thing.

Example

Il n'y a rien ici.

There is nothing here.

faire

[fair]

Infinitive of the verb meaning to do or to make.

Example

Qu'est-ce qu'on peut faire ?

What can we do?

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.

Get the Full Learning Experience

This lesson is just a preview. Download PrettyFluent to practice pronunciation, roleplay conversations, and master vocabulary with spaced repetition.

Pronunciation Feedback

AI-powered feedback on what you say out loud

Spaced Repetition

Retain vocabulary long-term with smart practice

Immersive Roleplaying

Practice real conversations with AI partners

Lessons for Your Situation

Request lessons tailored to your specific needs

Get Full Lesson

What Learners Are Saying

“Moved to Lyon for a culinary apprenticeship. The food and restaurant lessons were exactly what I needed — my French colleagues were genuinely impressed.”

Tom H., 38, Chef

“Studying in Paris and the academic French I learned in school was useless for daily life. This app filled the gap in weeks, not months.”

Nina W., 29, Graduate Student

“Learning a language has never been as immediately impactful. Now I can charm the locals and navigate the food scene like a boss.”

Alex M., 42, Software Engineer