French Phrase
Mon stylo n'a plus d'encre.
Meaning
Literally, ‘My pen no longer has ink.’ It is used to say that the pen is empty and you can’t write with it any more.
When to use
Use this sentence when you need to explain why you can’t continue writing, when you’re asking for a new pen, or when you’re simply informing someone that your pen is out of ink.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Monstylon'aplusd'encre.
Possessive adjective
‘Mon’ agrees with the masculine singular noun ‘stylo’ and means ‘my’.
Negative construction (ne…plus)
The phrase uses ‘ne…plus’ to express ‘no longer’; the ‘e’ in ‘ne’ is dropped (n’) before the vowel‑starting verb.
Elision of ‘de’ → ‘d’ ’
‘de’ becomes ‘d’ before a vowel (d’encre) to keep the flow of speech.
Verb ‘avoir’ (to have)
‘a’ is the third‑person singular present of ‘avoir’, here meaning ‘has’.
Partitive article
‘d’encre’ is the partitive form of ‘encre’, indicating an indefinite amount of ink.
🗨In Conversation
Tu as besoin d'un stylo ?
Do you need a pen?
Mon stylo n'a plus d'encre.
My pen has run out of ink.
✕Common Mistakes
Mon stylo n'a pas d'encre.
‘Pas’ means ‘not’, which would change the meaning to ‘My pen does not have ink (ever)’, not ‘no longer’.
Mon stylo a plus d'encre.
The negative particle must surround the verb: ‘n’a plus’, not ‘plus d’encre’ alone.
Mon stylo n'a plus de encre.
Before a vowel, ‘de’ must elide to ‘d’ – otherwise the sentence sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Mon stylo est à sec.
My pen is dry (out of ink).
Je n'ai plus d'encre dans mon stylo.
I have no more ink in my pen.
Mon stylo n'a plus d'encre, je peux en emprunter un ?
My pen has run out of ink, can I borrow one?
Cultural Tip
In everyday French, ‘être à sec’ is a very common idiom for any object that has run out of its essential fluid (ink, gasoline, etc.). Both ‘n'avoir plus de’ and ‘être à sec’ are perfectly natural, but the former is a bit more formal while the latter is colloquial.