Learn French: Cette coquille n'est guère lisible à l'écran. - This misprint is hardly legible on screen.

Cette coquille n'est guère lisible à l'écran.

This misprint is hardly legible on screen.

Breakdown of Cette coquille n'est guère lisible à l'écran.

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Questions & Answers about Cette coquille n'est guère lisible à l'écran.

How does ne ... guère work here, and does it replace pas?

Yes, ne ... guère is a two-part negative structure just like ne ... pas, meaning it wraps around the conjugated verb (est). It means "hardly," "barely," or "scarcely." Because guère itself carries the restrictive meaning, you completely drop the pas.

Why is coquille translated as "misprint" instead of "shell"?

While une coquille is indeed a shell (like a seashell or eggshell), in the context of writing, printing, or typing, it is the standard French term for a "typo" or "misprint."

Why do we use à l'écran instead of sur l'écran for "on screen"?

French often uses à to indicate the medium through which something is broadcast or displayed, such as à la télé (on TV) or à l'écran (on screen). Using sur l'écran isn't wrong, but it tends to refer to the physical surface of the monitor rather than the digital content itself.

Is ne ... guère commonly used in everyday spoken French?

Not really. Ne ... guère is formal and mostly found in literature or polished speech. In everyday spoken French, a native speaker would more likely use à peine (barely/hardly) and say Cette coquille est à peine lisible.