Learn French: Ce jeu n'est que du hasard. - This game is only chance.

Ce jeu n'est que du hasard.

This game is only chance.

Breakdown of Ce jeu n'est que du hasard.

être

to be

not (used before the verb)

this (before a noun)

que

what (unstressed)

Questions & Answers about Ce jeu n'est que du hasard.

Why does this sentence use n' without pas?

The combination of ne (here shortened to n' before a vowel) and que means 'only' or 'nothing but'. It is a restriction rather than a standard negation, which is why pas is dropped. You can think of n'est que as meaning 'is nothing but'.

Is hasard related to the English word 'hazard'?

They look similar, but hasard is a false friend! In French, le hasard means 'chance', 'luck', or 'randomness'. It does not imply danger. To express 'a hazard' in French, you would use un danger or un risque.

Why do we need du before hasard?

French requires a partitive article (du, de la, or de l') when talking about an unspecified amount of an uncountable noun, including abstract concepts. Since hasard is a masculine abstract noun, we use du to indicate that the game is entirely made up of chance.