n/a
The English phrase 'na' (not applicable) is written as n/a in French.
n/a is an abbreviation for 'not applicable'. It is used when a question or field does not apply to the current situation.
Did you know?
- In French administration, you might see S.O. instead of n/a. It stands for 'sans objet', which literally means 'without object'.
- The use of 'n/a' in French is often criticized by linguists as an 'anglicisme', as it borrows the English structure for 'not applicable' rather than using local administrative terms.
- In some formal French forms, instead of using n/a, people use a long horizontal dash or a diagonal slash to indicate a field is not applicable.
Examples in context
- Tu connais le nom de cet acteur ? Aucune idée.Do you know the name of that actor? No idea.
Example conversation
Lucas and Chloé are filling out an application form together.
- LucasChloé, que mets-tu dans la case 'conjoint' ?Chloé, what are you putting in the 'spouse' box?
- ChloéJe suis célibataire, donc je mets n/a.I am single, so I'm putting n/a.
- LucasC'est logique, c'est n/a pour toi.That makes sense, it's n/a for you.
- ChloéExactement, c'est plus simple comme ça.Exactly, it's simpler that way.
