Je n'ai que deux bouteilles d'eau sur la table.

I have only two bottles of water on the table.

Breakdown of Je n'ai que deux bouteilles d'eau sur la table.

• je: I
• l'eau: the water
• avoir: to have
• la table: the table
• sur: on
• de: of
• deux: two
• ne ... que: only
• la bouteille: the bottle

Questions & Answers about Je n'ai que deux bouteilles d'eau sur la table.

What does ne…que mean, and how is it different from the usual negative ne…pas?

Ne…que is not a negation but a restrictive structure meaning “only.”

• Ne…pas = not (denies something).
• Ne…que = only (limits to what follows que).
  So Je n’ai que deux bouteilles means “I only have two bottles,” whereas Je n’ai pas deux bouteilles would mean “I do not have two bottles (at all).”

Why is que placed right before deux bouteilles instead of at the end of the sentence?

In a ne…que construction, que must immediately precede the element it restricts. Here we restrict the number of bottles, so it goes before deux bouteilles:
• Je n’ai que deux bouteilles d’eau… (only the number is limited)
If you wanted to restrict the location instead, you’d move que before sur la table:
• Je n’ai deux bouteilles d’eau que sur la table
(“I have two bottles of water only on the table.”)

Why is there no article like des before deux bouteilles, and why do we write d’eau instead of de eau?

1. After a cardinal number in French, you omit the indefinite article. You say deux livres, trois chaises, deux bouteilles, never des deux…
2. French uses container + de + content to say “bottle of water.” Because eau begins with a vowel, de contracts to d’.
   – de + eau → d’eau
   – giving you deux bouteilles d’eau (“two bottles of water”).

Why is ne contracted to n’ before ai, and how do I pronounce n’, que, and eau here?

• Ne contracts to n’ before a vowel or mute h to ease pronunciation:
  ne + ai → n’ai
• Pronunciations (IPA approximations):
  • Je = /ʒə/
  • n’ = /n/ (linked to ai) → /ʒə n‿e/
  • que = /kə/ (or often /k/ in casual speech)
  • eau = /o/ (like English “oh”)

Is there a liaison in deux bouteilles d’eau, and should I pronounce it?

Yes. In bouteilles d’eau, the final s of bouteilles links to the vowel d’-eau and is pronounced as a /z/:
deux bouteilles d’eau → /dø butɛjz‿o/
In careful or formal speech this liaison is expected; in very casual speech it may be dropped.

Can I move sur la table to another position, for example at the start?

Absolutely. French allows flexibility with adverbial phrases. Putting sur la table first emphasizes the location:
• Sur la table, je n’ai que deux bouteilles d’eau.
Otherwise the neutral order is Subject–Verb–Object–Location:
• Je n’ai que deux bouteilles d’eau sur la table.