J’en peux plus

Despairing French Expression

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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 craque

Fatigue
   * je suis à bout de forces
   * je suis crevé
   * je suis épuisé

Irritation
   * 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

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