N'aviez (en. Hadn't)

[na.vje]

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

verb

Indicate possession in the past.

You had not finished your homework.

Vous n'aviez pas terminé vos devoirs.

Express an obligation or an unmet condition in the past.

If you had not taken that road, you would have arrived on time.

Si vous n'aviez pas pris ce chemin, vous seriez arrivé à l'heure.

Refer to a state or situation in the past.

At that time, you did not have much experience.

À cette époque, vous n'aviez pas beaucoup d'expérience.

Contraction of 'ne' and 'aviez', form of the verb avoir in the 2nd person plural in the imperfect tense.

You only had to ask.

You should have asked.

Vous n'aviez qu'à demander

If you had known.

If you had been informed.

Si vous n'aviez su

You had no choice.

You were constrained.

Vous n'aviez pas le choix

avoir

Verb meaning to possess or hold.

avoir

you

Personal pronoun in the second person plural.

vous

negation

Action of refusing or pushing something away.

négation

To not be able to do something.

I didn't have a choice, so I accepted.

Je n'aviez pas le choix, donc j'ai accepté.

To express a disappointing situation in the past.

Before, I didn't have enough money to go on vacation.

Avant, je n'aviez pas assez d'argent pour partir en vacances.