N’ayant (en. Not having)

/ne ajã/

Meaning & Definition

EnglishFrench

adjective

Who does not possess something.

Having no money, he could not buy that book.

N’ayant pas d’argent, il ne pouvait pas acheter ce livre.

Used to introduce a condition of absence.

Not having understood the lesson, she asked for explanations.

N’ayant pas compris la leçon, elle demanda des explications.

Form used in specific grammatical constructions.

Having no experience, he started at the bottom of the ladder.

N’ayant aucune expérience, il a commencé en bas de l'échelle.

Present participle form of the verb 'to have', used in relative constructions.

having only

Expressing a limitation to a single thing.

n’ayant que

having nothing to lose

In a situation where there is no risk.

n’ayant rien à perdre

not having a choice

Indicating a situation where one must act in a certain way.

n’ayant pas le choix

to have

Verb meaning 'to possess' or 'to have'

avoir

possession

The state of possessing something.

possession

absence

The state of not being present or of lacking.

absence

Losing the thread.

After so many attempts, I feel helpless, completely lost.

Après tant de tentatives, je me sens n’ayant, complètement perdu.

Being in trouble.

Without a penny, he finds himself in a tricky situation.

Sans un sou, il se retrouve n’ayant, dans une situation délicate.