Learn French: Il n'y a aucune gourde dans le camp. - There isn't a single water bottle in the camp.

Il n'y a aucune gourde dans le camp.

There isn't a single water bottle in the camp.

Breakdown of Il n'y a aucune gourde dans le camp.

not (used before the verb)

aucun

no, not any (ne... aucun)

Questions & Answers about Il n'y a aucune gourde dans le camp.

Why is it aucune instead of aucun here?

Because it is acting as a negative adjective, it must agree with the noun it modifies. Since gourde (water bottle) is a feminine noun, you must use the feminine form aucune.

Where is the pas in this negative sentence?

You do not need pas here. The pair ne ... aucun(e) works together to create the negative meaning all on its own. Adding pas would be a grammatical error, making a double negative.

If there are zero water bottles, why isn't gourde plural?

In French, aucun(e) literally translates to "not a single". Since "a single" is mathematically singular, the noun that follows it must also be singular. You will always see aucune gourde and never aucune gourdes, even though in English it feels natural to say "not any water bottles".

I have heard the word gourde used to describe a person. Does it mean something else too?

Yes! Its primary meaning is a reusable water bottle, flask, or canteen, which fits perfectly in this sentence. However, in familiar French slang, calling someone une gourde means they are clumsy, silly, or a bit foolish.