/ʁjɛ̃/

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Line drawing of rien
Coloured illustration of rien
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Translation

nothing, not anything

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Word origin

From Latin rem, the accusative of res ('thing'). It originally meant 'thing' and acquired its negative sense ('nothing') from use in negative clauses with ne.

Origin
Latin
Root
rem (res)
English cognates
real, republic

Examples

.

There's nothing to eat in the kitchen.

.

I don't understand anything.

, .

It doesn't matter, don't worry.

.

He said nothing throughout the whole meeting.

, .

There's no point running, the train has already left.

Where this fits

Used in

Stories

(49)

Grammar articles

(14)

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French · Free printables

rien: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "rien" (nothing, not anything): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

This word is taught in chapter 2, lesson 8: rien, toi, lui and 11 more words.