Learn French: Le président est catégorique : l'entreprise n'envisage nullement l'acquisition. - The president is categorical: the company is not at all considering the acquisition.

Word

Le président est catégorique : l'entreprise n'envisage nullement l'acquisition.

Meaning

The president is categorical: the company is not at all considering the acquisition.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

French

Lesson

Emphatic negation (ne... aucunement / ne... nullement)

Breakdown of Le président est catégorique : l'entreprise n'envisage nullement l'acquisition.

être

to be

not (used before the verb)

Questions & Answers about Le président est catégorique : l'entreprise n'envisage nullement l'acquisition.

How does ne... nullement differ from ne... pas in this sentence?

Ne... nullement is an emphatic absolute negation, meaning not at all or in no way. It is much stronger and more formal than ne... pas. In this business context, it stresses that the company is absolutely not considering the acquisition.

Could I use aucunement instead of nullement here?

Yes, l'entreprise n'envisage aucunement means exactly the same thing. Both nullement and aucunement are interchangeable emphatic negations. They are both quite formal and typically used in professional or written contexts.

Why is envisage translated as is considering rather than envisages?

While envisager can mean to envision, it is the standard French verb for to consider or to contemplate doing an action. It is much more common in French business contexts than the English word envisage.

Where exactly would nullement go if this sentence were in the passé composé?

Just like pas, nullement wraps around the conjugated verb. If this sentence were in the past tense, it would be n'a nullement envisagé, placing nullement directly between the conjugated auxiliary verb and the past participle.