3

1 : Il suffit de pas grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

When using this expression, do you need to omit « ne », only keeping « pas », as shown above?

I cannot help but feel that including « ne » in this specific expression does not make sense.

2 : Il ne suffit de pas grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

3 : Il ne suffit pas de grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

1 Answer 1

1

tl;dr

2) is broken

3) makes sense and is fine


Long version:

1) Dropping the ne is colloquial like with all negative sentences, e.g.

Je ne viens pas → Written French, formal

Je viens pas → Spoken French, colloquial

Your first sentence is close to such colloquial ne dropping:

Il suffit de pas grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

[pas grand chose] [suffit] [pour que ma voiture tombe en panne]

[almost nothing] [is sufficient] [for my car to break down]

but the real ne dropping is present with the colloquial version:

Il suffit pas de grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

2) grand-chose, technically grande chose, means "a big thing". However, it is (almost) always used in negative context in modern French.

The tlfi says about grand-chose:

c) Grand-chose [Toujours dans un énoncé négatif, à négation composée, et immédiatement précédé de pas, plus ou jamais] De très peu d'importance, presque rien, pas beaucoup.

The lack of final -e in grand is due to the fact the expression grand-chose, which used to be written grand'chose until a 1932 Académie française décision, was created when grand/grant was used for both the masculine and the feminine form.

Reference: Les locutions grand monde et grand-chose : Un cas de grammaticalisation ? Jacqueline Bacha, Persée

The tlfi states grand-chose immediately follows pas, plus, or jamais but in fact, de definitely can appear in between, e.g.

— Ils savent, mon frère, ce que je vous ai dit, qui ne guérit pas de grand-chose, et toute l'excellence de leur art consiste en un pompeux galimatias, en un spécieux babil, qui vous donne des mots pour des raisons, et des promesses pour des effets.

Molière, Le malade imaginaire.

3) The second sentence is breaking the rule that says ne and pas immediately surround a conjugated verb (ne suffit pas):

Il ne suffit de pas grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

4) The third sentence is the written French / formal way to express the first one.

Il ne suffit pas de grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne.

Because grand-chose is never used positively, it can't be parsed this way:

[grand chose] [ne suffit pas] [pour que ma voiture tombe en panne]

[a big thing] [is not sufficient] [for my car to break down]

which would mean your car is unbreakable but, just like your first sentence:

[pas grand chose] [suffit] [pour que ma voiture tombe en panne]

[almost nothing] [is sufficient] [for my car to break down]

If we go back to Molière's phrase, the formal version is:

Ce que je vous ai dit ne guérit pas de grand chose.

The less formal one would have been:

Ce que je vous ai dit guérit de pas grand chose.


Digging a little more to reply to critics:

Googling "Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup" which is semantically very similar to "Il ne suffit pas de grand-chose" leads to enough hits to allow an analysis.

Interestingly, when beaucoup is followed by a verb, the meaning is mostly "beaucoup is not enough" but there are also some cases where the meaning is the opposite "beaucoup is not required". On the other hand, when beaucoup ends the clause or is followed by a noun, the meaning is always (as far as my analysis is concerned) the second one, i.e. "beaucoup is not necessary".

  • Beaucoup + verb: (beaucoup is not enough)

Rappelons qu'il ne suffit pas de beaucoup lire en s'imprégnant des différents rituels mis à notre disposition pour être initié. (reading a lot is not enough)

Mais il ne suffit pas de beaucoup travailler pour réussir un spectacle. (a lot of work is not enough to succeed)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup parler mais il faut également peser sur l'échiquier national. (speaking a lot is not enough)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup s'entraîner, il faut aussi et surtout comprendre ce que l'on fait et pourquoi (training a lot is not enough)

  • Beaucoup + verb: (beaucoup is not necessary)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup gagner pour donner. (no need to make a lot of money to donate)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup s'éloigner de la capitale pour être dépaysé par la brousse et les villages croisés (no need to move off a lot from the capital to reach the exotic bush and villages)

  • Beaucoup ending a clause: (beaucoup is not necessary), always

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup, 50 euros par mois peut être un très bon début. (No need for a lot, €50 is enough for a starter)

Parfois, il ne suffit pas de beaucoup, un régime de retraite permettant de jouir de la vie pour le reste de ses jours (same as the above)

De là à passer à l'acte, il ne suffit pas de beaucoup. (A small event might be enough for someone to commit the act)

  • Beaucoup + noun: (beaucoup is not necessary), always

Et il ne suffit pas de beaucoup de temps pour se retrouver dans une épaisse forêt tropicale avec des arbres aux tronc et aux racines impressionnantes. (a few time is enough to reach the forest)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup de moyens pour rendre les enfants heureux (no need for a lot of resources to make kids happy)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup de temps pour se rendre compte de la différence entre ces deux vélos, c'est d'ailleurs bluffant (a few time is enough to realize the difference)

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup d'eau pour détruire une carte mère (a small amount of water is enough to destroy a main board).

Il ne suffit pas de beaucoup d'espace pour créer un petit coin jardin tout à fait charmant (a small area is sufficient to create a charming garden)

Grand-chose being undoubtedly closer to [beaucoup + noun] than [beaucoup + verb], Il ne suffit pas de grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne means "Some big thing is not necessary for my car to break down" thus 3) makes sense and is fine.

11
  • Hi. Is it just me, but the third sentence seems to mean: "Il faudrait plus que grand-chose pour que ma voiture tombe en panne." = "My car rarely breaks down." So it seems that the meaning is at odds with that of the first sentence that goes: "It doesn't take much for my car to break down." = "My car easily breaks down." Merci. Nov 27, 2016 at 22:55
  • It's just you ;-) Grand-chose technically means "a lot of things/ a big thing" but is never used a positive way so you simply can't say plus que grand-chose. Il ne suffit pas de grand-chose is equivalent to il suffit de presque rien which is also equivalent to what you wrote in your initial sentence il suffit de pas grand chose. I would probably use the the conditional here though: il suffirait de pas grand chose
    – jlliagre
    Nov 28, 2016 at 0:57
  • I have the same feeling than @LUNA... Using "grand-chose" in a positive way seems wrong, so "pas grand-chose" should be the whole expression, so in sentence 2, I feel a missing "pas" (where it should be "Il ne suffit pas de pas grand-chose") but makes the sentence odd, and in sentence 3, I feel a missing "pas" (where it should be "Il ne suffit pas de pas grand-chose"... Are you sure about your statement ?
    – Random
    Nov 28, 2016 at 9:01
  • I agree with LUNA and Random, it does feel like it's saying the opposite of its meaning worded like that. Although there is a poem named like that, it's not exactly Voltaire... My opinion is that there is no reason to add "ne" in a sentence with "il suffit", it's meant to be followed by something that means "not much", and that's what "pas grand chose" is. Nov 28, 2016 at 9:12
  • On the other hand, I was writing an answer but I realised "pas grand chose" is almost always used with "ne". I think the expression is colloquial from the start, and there is no correct version (using grand-chose). The literal version of this would be "il suffit de peu de chose". Nov 28, 2016 at 9:18

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.