Breakdown of Elle n'a pas entendu la question, elle n'est pas attentive.
être
to be
elle
she
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
entendre
to hear
la question
the question
attentif
attentive
Questions & Answers about Elle n'a pas entendu la question, elle n'est pas attentive.
Why is the adjective spelled attentive instead of attentif?
Why do the negative words go around a instead of entendu in n'a pas entendu?
Shouldn't entendu have an extra -e at the end because the subject Elle is feminine?
No, because the helper verb is avoir (a). When using avoir to form the past tense, the past participle (entendu) does not change to match the subject. It usually only matches the subject if the helper verb is être.
Why use entendu (heard) instead of écouté (listened)?
Entendre means to passively hear a sound, while écouter means to actively listen. The sentence uses entendu to show the sound of the question didn't even reach her ears because she was distracted.
Learn Elle n'a pas entendu la question, elle n'est pas attentive and more in French
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free