N'était-elle (en. Wasn't she)

/n.e.tɛ.ɛl/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

adjective

Interrogative form of the verb to be in the third person singular in the past, used to ask or affirm something.

Wasn't she there last night?

N'était-elle pas là hier soir ?

Used to express doubt about the presence or state of a person in the past.

Wasn't she the person we saw earlier?

N'était-elle pas la personne que nous avons vue tout à l'heure ?

Expresses a condition or situation that was not true.

Wasn't she supposed to come with us?

N'était-elle pas supposée venir avec nous ?

Composition of the negation 'ne', the verb 'to be' in the past tense, and the personal pronoun 'she'.

Wasn't she with you?

Question about the presence of a person.

N'était-elle pas avec toi ?

Was it better than she wasn't?

Comparison between past states.

C'était mieux que n'était-elle ?

Wasn't she supposed to arrive today?

Question about an expectation.

N'était-elle pas supposée arriver aujourd'hui ?

One would have said she wasn't there.

Expression of uncertainty or absence.

On aurait dit qu'elle n'était pas là.

she

Singular feminine pronoun used to refer to a woman or girl.

elle

was

Past form of the verb to be.

était

negation

Action of denying something.

négation

An informal way to question about the past.

It's like: 'Wasn't she there when it happened?'

C'est du genre: 'N'était-elle pas là quand ça s'est passé ?'

Used to express familiar doubt.

In the friends' corner, we would say 'Wasn't she supposed to come?'

Dans le coin des amis, on dirait 'N'était-elle pas censée venir ?'