Despairing French Expression
 |
|
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
| Meaning | I can’t take (it) any more | |
| Literally | I can’t [do] any more of it | |
| Register | informal | |
| Pronunciation |  |
[zha(n) peu plu] |
| IPA | [ʒã pø ply] | |
Usage notes: The French expression j’en peux plus despairs that you’ve had enough: you’re at the end of your rope and can’t take it any more. That "it" is represented by the adverbial pronoun en; whatever has driven you to this despair—crying, whining, fighting, etc.—must be obvious from the context, as there is no verb after peux.
Technically, the correct expression is je n’en peux plus, but ne is often dropped in informal expressions – learn more.
Par exemple…
| Non, arrête, j’en peux plus ! | No, stop, I can’t take any more! | |
| Le bébé pleure tout le temps, j’en peux plus. | The baby cries all the time, I can’t take it any more. |
Je n’en peux plus can also indicate fatigue, impatience, and irritation.
Synonyms
Despair
* je craqueFatigue
* je suis à bout de forces
* je suis crevé
* je suis épuiséIrritation
* je craque
* je m’énerve
Somewhat synonymous
J’en peux plus indicates despair, so it’s not quite the same thing as ras-le-bol or j’en ai marre, which express frustration or anger.
Related lessons
- Pouvoir conjugations
- Adverbial pronouns
- Ne … plus and other negative adverbs
- Informal negation
- Plus pronunciation
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. If you love it, please consider making a 
In English, we say that the vowels are “a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.” The last couple of words hint at one of the keys to understanding pronunciation: a vowel is not so much a letter as the sound represented by a letter or combination of letters.
Practice is the key to improving your French, and just 15 minutes a day on some kind of French activity can make a huge difference. Check out these ideas and draw up your own schedule.
Of the four language skills, many people find that speaking is the most difficult. Here are tips and resources to help you overcome these obstacles in order to practice French as much as you like.
Jouer is a regular -er French verb that can be a bit confusing when it comes time to decide which preposition should follow. Here’s everything you need to know.