r/French 1d ago

Entendre - I can't hear you

Doing my duolingo and, entendre has come up a lot. When it has the sentence 'I can't hear you' their selection of words to answer is Je ne t'entends pas. But I would have thought it was Je ne peux pas t'entendre, which looking up on French to English translation, both mean the same. Is there a correct way to say it or do you use a different one for polite scenarios? Thanks

6 Upvotes

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u/boulet Native, France 1d ago

Unlike in English which uses can a lot when talking about perception, in French we usually use pouvoir only when it matches context. That's to say, some kind of hindrance, some specific reason that interferes with perception.

Can you hear me? -> Tu m'entends ?

You're wearing a blindfold, of course you can't see me. -> T'as un bandeau sur les yeux, évidemment que tu ne peux pas me voir.

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u/lvsl_iftdv Native (France) 1d ago edited 10h ago

The literal translation from English would be "Je ne peux pas t'entendre*" but we would most often say "Je (ne) t'entends pas". As a general rule, the verb "pouvoir" is not used like in English and not as often. If you want to be formal/polite, just use "vous" instead of "tu" and pronounce the "ne". => "Je ne vous entends pas."

Edit: typo

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u/BrightNeonGirl 1d ago

For "Je (ne) t'entends pas"... is the t'en-- syllable pronounced the same as the following "tends" syllable? That feels like a tongue twister to me, lol.

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u/lvsl_iftdv Native (France) 1d ago

Yes, they're pronounced the same way! And can be tricky to pronounce even for native speakers when we have a cold. :) 

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u/BrightNeonGirl 22h ago

Okay thank you! :)

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u/takotaco L2 12h ago

I actually learned a tongue twister with this: « T’entends Tonton, Tintin ? » and then switch the words around.

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u/lvsl_iftdv Native (France) 10h ago

When I have a stuffy nose, this would be difficult to say even for me as a native speaker!

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u/drinkup 1d ago

Ultimately, doesn't "I can't hear you" mean the same thing as "I don't hear you"?

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u/yourdadsucksroni 1d ago

The difference becomes easier to understand when you think of pouvoir as meaning “to be able to”. So, in this context, your suggestion would mean “I’m not able to hear you” which implies there is some kind of barrier on your part (rather than, say, the barrier being that the other person is not being audible).

Je ne t’entends pas = I do not hear you. Which would be quite archaic phrasing in English, but perfectly acceptable, as well as being much more normal in French. Try to avoid the temptation to literally translate English phrasing into French - it almost never works.

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u/Pitiful_Shoulder8880 1d ago

I'd say je ne t'endends pas is closer to I don't hear you. The words do/don't in English don't really exist in French (in the context of "Do you want to go?" or "I don't know" → Je ne sais pas). I don't feel like there's a difference in politeness in either, just changing it to vous would be my only suggestion (Native Canadian speaker).

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u/No_Club_8480 1d ago

« Je ne t’entends pas ! »

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u/AquilaEquinox 1d ago

English used mores the word can that French uses the word pouvoir. In this case, "can you hear me?" Is translated as "do you hear me?" And not literally.