rien
/ʁjɛ̃/
In French, rien means nothing or anything.
The word rien is used to indicate the absence of a thing or that nothing exists. Depending on the sentence structure, it can be translated as 'nothing' or 'anything'. It serves as the semantic opposite of quelque chose (something).
How does it change in a sentence?
To form a standard negative sentence meaning 'nothing' or 'not anything', use rien in conjunction with the particle ne placed before the verb (ne… rien). In informal spoken French, however, the ne is often dropped, leaving only rien to express negation.
How do you pronounce it?
/ʁjɛ̃/
When do people say it?
A common way to respond to merci (thank you) is to say De rien, which translates to 'You're welcome' or 'It's nothing'.
Did you know?
- The word rien is an etymological paradox because it comes from the Latin word rem, which actually meant 'a thing'. Over time, the meaning flipped from 'a thing' to 'no thing'.
- While de rien is the standard response to merci, in very formal settings or in certain regions, it can be seen as too casual. Some prefer je vous en prie, as de rien literally dismisses the favor as being 'of nothing'.
- In French, the phrase n'avoir rien à faire can mean both 'to have nothing to do' and 'to have no business doing something'. The meaning changes based on whether the speaker is discussing their schedule or their authority.
Examples in context
- Je n'ai rien à déclarer.I have nothing to declare.
- Je n'ai rien du tout à faire aujourd'hui.I have nothing at all to do today.
- Ce film ne vaut rien du tout.This movie is worth nothing at all.
- Il n'y a rien à manger. Pas grand-chose dans le frigo.There's nothing to eat. Not much in the fridge.
- Je ne vois rien là-bas.I see nothing over there.
- Elle ne sait rien faire.She doesn't know how to do anything.
- Il n'y a rien dans le frigo.There is nothing in the fridge.
- Je n'ai rien entendu.I heard nothing.
- Rien ne peut nous arrêter.Nothing can stop us.
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking in the kitchen.
- NathanQu'est-ce que tu fais, Chloé ?What are you doing, Chloé?
- ChloéRien, je regarde juste le menu.Nothing, I'm just looking at the menu.
- NathanTu as faim ?Are you hungry?
- ChloéNon, je n'ai rien mangé depuis midi.No, I've eaten nothing since noon.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry rien, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rien, CC BY-SA 4.0.
