How to Say ‘There was no goal.’ in French
Il n'y a pas eu but.
eel n ee ah pah uh byoo
[eel n ee ah pah uh byoo]
💬 Usage Tip: For more natural French, say Il n’y a pas eu de but. After negation, de usually replaces the article.
🇫🇷 In France: Fans may also say Pas de but ! in a quick emotional reaction.
Phrase Breakdown
Il
[eel]
there / it
In il y a, il does not mean a person; it is part of the expression meaning 'there is/there was'.
Il n'y a pas eu but malgré cette énorme occasion.
There was no goal despite that huge chance.
n'
[n]
not
First part of the negative structure ne... pas, shortened before y.
Il n'y a pas eu but à la fin du match.
There was no goal at the end of the match.
y
[ee]
there
Part of the fixed expression il y a, meaning 'there is/there are' or in the past 'there was/were'.
Il n'y a pas eu but après ce tir sur le poteau.
There was no goal after that shot on the post.
a
[ah]
has
Verb in il y a; with eu, it forms the past expression 'there was'.
Il n'y a pas eu but, heureusement pour nous.
There was no goal, fortunately for us.
pas
[pah]
not
Second part of the negative expression ne... pas.
Il n'y a pas eu but cette fois-ci.
There was no goal this time.
eu
[uh]
been / had
Past participle of avoir; in il y a eu, it helps mean 'there was' or 'there were'.
Il n'y a pas eu but, mais c'était très proche.
There was no goal, but it was very close.
but
[byoo]
goal
In football, but means a goal scored.
Il n'y a pas eu but malgré la confusion devant la cage.
There was no goal despite the confusion in front of the net.
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