French Phrase
Ils ont pas mal d'expérience et s'y connaissent.
Meaning
The sentence states that they have a considerable amount of experience and that they are well‑versed in the subject at hand. It combines a quantitative assessment (pas mal d’expérience) with a qualitative one (s’y connaissent).
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to highlight both the depth of experience and the expertise of a group—e.g., a team of engineers, a panel of experts, or seasoned colleagues.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilsontpasmald'expérienceets'yconnaissent.
pas mal de
An informal expression meaning “quite a lot of” or “a good amount of”. It is used before a noun and does not require a negative meaning.
s'y connaître
An idiomatic verb phrase meaning “to be knowledgeable about something”. The pronoun “y” replaces the thing being known.
avoir (ont)
Third‑person plural present of “avoir”, used here as an auxiliary to indicate possession.
connaître (connaissent)
Third‑person plural present of “connaître”, meaning “to know” in the sense of being familiar with a subject.
Pronoun contraction (s' + y)
The reflexive pronoun “se” contracts to “s'” before the vowel‑starting “y”. Together they form the idiom “s’y connaître”.
🗨In Conversation
Qui peut nous aider à résoudre ce problème technique ?
Who can help us solve this technical problem?
Ils ont pas mal d'expérience et s'y connaissent.
They have a lot of experience and they know the subject well.
✕Common Mistakes
Ils ont pas mal **de** d'expérience...
Do not add an extra “de” after “mal”; the correct form is “pas mal de”.
Ils ont pas mal d'expérience et **se connaissent**.
Avoid omitting the “y”; without it the phrase loses its idiomatic meaning.
Ils ont pas mal d'expérience et s'y **connaît**.
Make sure the verb agrees with the plural subject; “connaît” would be singular.
↔Alternatives
Ils ont beaucoup d'expérience et maîtrisent le sujet.
They have a lot of experience and master the subject.
Ils sont très expérimentés et s'y connaissent parfaitement.
They are very experienced and know it perfectly.
Ils possèdent une solide expérience et en connaissent les rouages.
They possess solid experience and know its inner workings.
Cultural Tip
“Pas mal de” is informal but perfectly acceptable in spoken French and many written contexts such as blogs or emails. The idiom “s’y connaître” is widely used across France and Québec; however, in very formal writing you might prefer “maîtriser” or “être expert dans”. Remember that the “y” replaces the thing you are knowledgeable about, so you cannot drop it (e.g., *« ils connaissent »* would lose the idiomatic nuance).