Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive a link and will create a new password via email.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

Please type your username.

Please type your E-Mail.

Please choose the appropriate section so the question can be searched easily.

Please choose suitable Keywords Ex: question, poll.

Type the description thoroughly and in details.

What is the capital of Tunisia?

“Il n’est de…qu’en” expression?

This poem is using the same pattern multiple time:

Il n’est de charme qu‘en toi même (There is no charm but in yourself)

Il n’est clarté que dans tes yeux (There is no light but in your eyes)

Il n’est blancheur que sur ton front

Il n’est ciel pur que dans ton cœur

Prose French would use il n’y a … que instead of il n’est … que

Il n’y a du charme qu‘en toi-même (There is only charm in yourself)

Il n’y a de la clarté que dans tes yeux

One shouldn’t confuse ne pas (not) and ne que (only):

Il n’a pas vingt ans. -> He is not 20 years old (i.e. he is either younger or older than that).

Il n’a que vingt ans. -> He is only 20 years old.

The two-word construct ne … pas is the “basic” way to form a negation in French. The two-word construct ne … que is not really a negation: it means “only”. You can see it as a negation meaning “no other than” or “no more than”, but often other languages would not use a negation.

Je ne peux rester que cinq minutes.   (I can only stay for five minutes.)
Il n’y a du charme qu’en toi-même.   (There is charm only in yourself.)

Il n’est de … que …” is a variant of “Il n’y a de … que …” that is no longer used in everyday French or even in typical literary French, but is still fairly common in poetry. In English, you might use a negation and but to preserve the poetic phrasing.

Il n’y a de charme qu’en toi-même.   (There is no charm but in yourself.)

 

Leave a comment

What is the capital of Tunisia?