pas loin
In French, 'not far' is translated as pas loin.
pas loin is used to describe a place or person located a short distance away. In spoken French, it is frequently used as an adverbial phrase to indicate proximity, even when the subject is not explicitly a distance.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pas (not) and loin (far).
Which one should you use?
While pas loin is the standard way to express the idea, other forms exist for different nuances: pas très loin means 'not very far', which softens the expression. For more specific imagery, à deux pas means 'two steps away' and un saut de puce means 'a flea's jump'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When specifying a location, pas loin is followed by the preposition de (or d' before a vowel) to mean 'not far from'.
Did you know?
- The word pas in pas loin originally meant 'a step'. It began as a way to say 'not a step', meaning 'not at all', before it became a standard grammar tool for negation.
Examples in context
- Ce n'est pas loin.It's not far.This sentence is useful for stating that something is not far.Tatoeba #14041966 by Myrano_, translation #14040324 by araneo
- Ce n'est pas loin de Boston.It's not far to Boston.Tatoeba #5382924 by Aiji, translation #3024094 by CK
- La gare n'est pas loin d'ici.The station is not far from here.This sentence is useful for stating that a station is not far from the speaker's current location.Tatoeba #136605 by Aiji, translation #26049 by CK
- La boulangerie n'est pas loin d'ici.The bakery is not far from here.
- Le café que je t'ai recommandé est à deux pas d'ici.The cafe I recommended to you is just around the corner.
- On peut aller à pied, c'est juste un saut de puce.We can walk there, it's just a stone's throw away.
- Nous avons des restaurants à proximité où vous pouvez dîner.We have restaurants nearby where you can have dinner.
- Le musée Picasso est à quelques encablures de l'hôtel.The Picasso Museum is just a short distance from the hotel.
- 19 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Emma are walking in the city.
- HugoEst-ce que l'hôtel est pas loin ?Is the hotel not far?
- EmmaNon, il n'est pas loin du tout.No, it is not far at all.
- HugoOn peut y aller à pied ?Can we walk there?
- EmmaOui, c'est très vite arrivé.Yes, we will arrive very quickly.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries loin, pas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
