Log inSign up

Mes clés sont quelque part dans la maison.

Mes clés sont quelque part dans la maison.
My keys are somewhere in the house.
From Lesson 216:Nowhere (ne... nulle part)·French

Questions & Answers about Mes clés sont quelque part dans la maison.

Since this lesson is about nulle part, how would I change this sentence to say my keys are nowhere in the house?
You would wrap the verb sont with ne and nulle part. The negative sentence becomes Mes clés ne sont nulle part dans la maison. Notice that nulle part replaces quelque part completely.
What exactly does the word part mean in quelque part?
On its own, une part usually means a share or a piece, like a slice of cake. But in fixed expressions like quelque part (somewhere), autre part (elsewhere), and nulle part (nowhere), it translates more closely to a place or location.
Could I use à la maison instead of dans la maison here?
Using dans la maison emphasizes the physical building, meaning the keys are physically inside the house somewhere. If you said à la maison, it translates more to the general concept of at home, which sounds a bit less natural when you are actively searching for a physical object inside the building.
Does quelque part ever change its spelling to match the plural keys?
No, quelque part is an adverbial phrase, which means it is invariable. It never changes to match the gender or number of the subject, so it stays exactly the same whether you are talking about one key or multiple keys.

Learn Mes clés sont quelque part dans la maison 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
Start learning French →