Breakdown of Nous n'avons pas assez de sucre.
avoir
to have
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
le sucre
the sugar
assez de
enough
Questions & Answers about Nous n'avons pas assez de sucre.
Why is it just de sucre and not du sucre?
When using expressions of quantity in French, we use de (or d') without the definite article (le, la, les). Just like the current lesson's beaucoup de (a lot of) or un peu de (a little of), assez de (enough of) is a set phrase that is always followed by a plain noun.
Does assez de work exactly like beaucoup de?
Yes! Assez de (enough) follows the exact same grammatical rule. You can easily swap them to change the meaning: Nous n'avons pas beaucoup de sucre means "We don't have a lot of sugar."
Why is there an apostrophe in n'avons?
What is the word order when combining a negative like ne ... pas with a quantity phrase like assez de?
The ne ... pas sandwiches the conjugated verb (avons). The quantity phrase (assez de) comes immediately after the pas, followed by the noun it describes. The pattern is: Subject + ne/n' + Verb + pas + Quantity + Noun.
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