"have not the least idea"
Hi, I'm an english learner.
Nice to meet you :)
I've got a question about "have not something"
I have not a pen. (x)
I don't have a pen. (o)
I have not the least idea. (o)
I don't have the least idea. (o)
Is that right?
only with "the least idea" I can use "have not something"?
Is there another example?
Cerca tra vari insegnanti di Inglese...
Risposte · 3
2
"I have not... [noun phrase]" is outdated in English. It is very old.
Today, we say, "I do not (or: don't) have...[noun phrase]".
Therefore: "I don't have a pen."
"I don't have the least idea" might be grammatically correct, but it does not sound natural. It is more common to say "I don't have any idea" or "I don't have the slightest idea" or "I don't have the foggiest idea."
You can also say: "I haven't got the slightest/least idea."
0
It would be "I have the least idea" Which just means 'I do not know'. ---------
Another example would be "She hasn't the least interest", which just means 'She has no interest'.
Non hai ancora trovato le tue risposte?
Scrivi le tue domande e lascia che i madrelingua ti aiutino!
Non perdere l'opportunità di imparare una lingua comodamente da casa tua. Esplora la nostra selezione di insegnanti di lingue esperti e iscriviti subito alla tua prima lezione!
Inizia a imparare oggi
