Breakdown of Personne ne croit à ce canular absurde.
ne
not (used before the verb)
ce
this (before a noun)
à
at / to / in (general locations) / about (what one thinks about / reacts to)
croire
to believe
personne
nobody / no one
absurde
absurd
le canular
the hoax
Questions & Answers about Personne ne croit à ce canular absurde.
Why is there no pas after the verb here?
Why do we use croit à instead of just croit or croire en?
The verb croire uses different prepositions depending on the meaning. Croire à is used for believing in the truth or existence of a thing (like a hoax, a myth, or ghosts). Croire en is mostly reserved for deep faith or trust, like believing in God or having confidence in a person. Using croire with no preposition is used when believing a specific person or statement directly.
Doesn't the word personne mean 'a person'? How can we tell it means 'nobody' in this context?
You can tell by the absence of an article and the presence of ne. The noun for 'a person' requires an article, as in une personne, and its standard negation would need pas (Une personne ne croit pas...). When personne is used without an article and is paired with ne, it acts as the negative pronoun meaning 'nobody'.
Is canular the standard French word for a lie?
Un canular specifically means a 'hoax' or an elaborate 'prank' rather than just a standard lie (un mensonge). It implies a false story or trick orchestrated to fool the public, making it the perfect word for a fake news story or a radio prank.
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