French · Greetings & Essentials
"Nothing" in French: rien
rien
Nothing in French is rien. Je n'ai rien means I have nothing. Rien sits where pas would: je ne vois rien. De rien means you're welcome after merci.
Empty fridge
Il n'y a rien à manger.Speak with an AI partner · 7 days free
How to pronounce rien
Say it
ryan
/ʁjɛ̃/
Rien: ryan with a light nasal. Soft r. Same in je n'ai rien.
"Nothing" in French: quick reference
| French | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| rien | nothing Default. | Default. |
| je n'ai rien | I have nothing / I don't have anything Possession. | Possession. |
| de rien | you're welcome Reply to merci. | Reply to merci. |
| rien du tout | nothing at all Emphasis. | Emphasis. |
How to use rien in real life
- 1Empty fridge
Il n'y a rien à manger.
There's nothing to eat.
Rien after y a.
- 2After thanks
Merci ! — De rien.
Thanks! — You're welcome.
De rien.
- 3Lost keys search
Je ne trouve rien dans mon sac.
I find nothing in my bag.
Ne… rien.
Mistakes English speakers make with rien
Incorrect: Je n'ai pas rien.
Correct: Je n'ai rien.
Rien replaces pas; don't stack both.
Incorrect: Je vois nothing.
Correct: Je ne vois rien.
Use rien.
Good to know
De rien and je t'en prie both answer merci; de rien is lighter. Rien à voir means totally unrelated — useful slangy idiom.
Try it in a ChatPal conversation
Checking a shared fridge
ChatPal
Il reste du yaourt ?
Any yogurt left?
You
Non, il n'y a rien. On fait les courses ?
No, there's nothing. Shall we grocery shop?
ChatPal
OK. Achète du pain — on n'a rien pour demain.
OK. Buy bread — we have nothing for tomorrow.
You
Noté.
Got it.
This is a sample. In ChatPal you have this conversation out loud and get feedback on what you say.
Practice this conversation in ChatPal"Nothing" in other languages
FAQ
Common questions about "Nothing" in French
How do you say nothing in French?
Rien.
How do you say I have nothing?
Je n'ai rien.
What does de rien mean?
You're welcome.
How do you pronounce rien?
ryan.
Learn a word, then use it out loud
- Step 1: See it in context
- Step 2: Say it out loud
- Step 3: Get feedback
- Step 4: Use it in real scenarios
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