Breakdown of Je cherche un chargeur, mais il n'y en a pas ici.
je
I
être
to be
mais
but
ici
here
n' ... pas
not
y
there
chercher
to look for
en
some of it
le chargeur
the charger
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching French grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Je cherche un chargeur, mais il n'y en a pas ici.
Why is it Je cherche and not something like “I am looking” with a progressive form?
French normally uses the simple present for actions in progress, so Je cherche naturally covers “I’m looking.” You only use être en train de + infinitif (e.g., Je suis en train de chercher) to emphasize the ongoing nature, not as the default.
Do I need to say chercher pour like “look for”?
No. In standard French, chercher is directly transitive: chercher + noun. Say Je cherche un chargeur, not “Je cherche pour un chargeur.” You can use pour for purpose: un chargeur pour mon téléphone.
What does il y a literally mean, and what is the il doing there?
Il y a is the French equivalent of “there is/are.” The il is an impersonal subject (it doesn’t refer to a person); y is “there,” and a is from avoir (“to have”). Historically, it’s like “it there has,” but idiomatically it just means “there is/are.”
Why are both y and en in il n’y en a pas? Which comes first?
- y is part of the fixed expression il y a (“there is/are”).
- en replaces “of it/them,” referring back to the thing already mentioned (here, chargers). Pronoun order puts y before en, so it’s il n’ y en a pas, not “il n’en y a pas.”
Could I say Il n’y a pas de chargeur ici instead of Il n’y en a pas ici? Are they the same?
Yes, both are correct and mean essentially the same thing:
- Il n’y a pas de chargeur ici repeats the noun.
- Il n’y en a pas ici avoids repetition by using en (“There aren’t any [here]”).
Use the en version when the noun is understood from context.
What exactly does en refer to in il n’y en a pas?
En stands for “of it/them,” replacing a noun introduced or implied with an indefinite or partitive notion (often with de). In this sentence, it refers to “chargers” in general—“there aren’t any (of them).”
Why can’t I just say Il n’y a pas ici?
Because il y a requires a complement (what is or isn’t there). If you don’t use en, you must name the thing: Il n’y a pas de chargeur ici. If you use en, that serves as the complement: Il n’y en a pas ici.
Where does the negation go in il n’y en a pas?
The negation ne … pas wraps around the conjugated verb a. All the pronouns (y, en) stay right before the verb: il n’ y en a pas. In writing, keep the apostrophe: n’y = ne + y.
Is it normal to drop ne in speech?
Yes, in informal spoken French the ne is often dropped. You’ll hear Y en a pas ici or Il y en a pas ici. It’s natural in conversation but avoid it in formal writing.
Why is it un chargeur and not du chargeur? What about the plural?
Chargeur is a countable noun, so use the indefinite article: un chargeur (“a charger”). Du chargeur would suggest a non-countable substance, which doesn’t fit. For plural: des chargeurs; in the negative, it becomes pas de chargeur(s): Il n’y a pas de chargeur(s) ici.
Can I move ici elsewhere in the sentence?
Yes. You can say Ici, il n’y en a pas or Il n’y en a pas ici. Both are correct; putting ici first adds emphasis on the location.
How would I say “There are two of them here” or “There’s none here”?
- “There are two of them here”: Il y en a deux ici.
- “There’s none here”: Il n’y en a aucun ici (slightly stronger than Il n’y en a pas ici).
Do I ever need to specify de téléphone after chargeur?
Only if the context isn’t clear. Un chargeur usually implies a phone or laptop charger, but to be precise you can say un chargeur de téléphone or un chargeur d’ordinateur.