phonsooo

[fiery kettle]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

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Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[tame shard]

Eus = conjugation of avoir in the passé simple.

Here it's 'I had only to do X to see her ...'

[dark yarrow]

But how dyk

If there’s no Que

[hot pollen]

Can u send full sentence pls

[tame shard]

Je n'eus, pour la voir à nouveau, ni à écrire ni à téléphoner à Béatrice.

[calm fulcrum]

avoir à means have to like in english

“I didn’t have to write or telephone beatrice to see her again”

[hot pollen]

Damn u got da same book

[tame shard]

'Que' would be if the speaker were talking only of one thing.

Je n'ai qu'à faire X pour la voir à nouveau.

But since it's

I had neither to do X or to do Y to see her again.
'Ni ... ni' is used instead of 'que'.

[dark yarrow]

How do u know the book

[tame shard]

Googled the part I had and instantly found the excerpt.

[hot pollen]

Oh cool

Youre a techy one

[dark yarrow]

Wait what

My brain

[tame shard]

:D

[dark yarrow]

Ohhhh shit

I get it

[tame shard]

It's like in English:

I have only to do X ...
vs
I have to neither do X nor do Y ...

[dark yarrow]

So bc ni is also a negative u don’t use the Que?

[tame shard]

You can have more than one negative at once.

Consider

I just have to do X.
vs
I don't just have to do X.

[dark yarrow]

Ohhh

Very good point 😭

Tysm

[tame shard]

Je n'ai qu'à faire X.
vs
Je n'ai pas que du X à faire.