Breakdown of N'aie pas honte de dire la vérité.
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
dire
to say, to tell
la vérité
the truth
la honte
the shame
Questions & Answers about N'aie pas honte de dire la vérité.
Why is it aie instead of as for the 'tu' form?
Aie is the imperative (command) form of avoir (to have) for tu. The verb avoir is highly irregular in the imperative, so instead of dropping the 's' from the normal present tense as, you must use the special form aie.
The English translation says 'do not BE ashamed', so why does the French use aie (have)?
In French, you 'have shame' rather than 'are ashamed'. The expression is avoir honte. It works just like avoir faim (to be hungry) or avoir soif (to be thirsty).
Why is there a de before dire?
The full expression is avoir honte de (to be ashamed of). When you want to say you are ashamed to do something, you link the expression to the infinitive verb (here, dire) using de.
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