French Phrase
L'eau ne s'écoule pas.
Meaning
The water is not flowing. This can refer to a tap, a river, a pipe, or any situation where water should be moving but isn’t.
When to use
Use this sentence when you notice a lack of water flow – for example, at a kitchen sink that’s dry, a garden hose that’s blocked, or a river that has stopped moving after a drought.
✦Grammar Breakdown
L'eaunes'écoulepas
Elision (L')
When a word beginning with a vowel follows the definite article 'le' or 'la', they contract to 'l'' (e.g., l'eau).
Negation (ne…pas)
Standard French negates a verb with 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after it; in casual speech the 'ne' is often dropped.
Reflexive verb (s'écouler)
The verb 's'écouler' is reflexive; the reflexive pronoun 'se' becomes 's'' before a vowel sound.
Verb agreement
The verb 'écouler' is conjugated in the third person singular to match 'l'eau' (the water).
🗨In Conversation
L'eau ne s'écoule pas, tu vois ?
The water isn’t flowing, you see?
Oui, il faut appeler le plombier tout de suite.
Yes, we need to call the plumber right away.
✕Common Mistakes
L'eau s'écoule pas.
Missing the 'ne' makes the sentence informal; for standard French you need 'ne' before the verb.
L'eau ne s écoule pas.
If you keep the 'ne' but forget the apostrophe after 's', you’d write 's écoule' which is incorrect.
L'eau ne coule pas.
Using 'coule' instead of the reflexive 's'écoule' changes the nuance; 's'écouler' emphasizes the natural flow, while 'couler' is more generic.
↔Alternatives
L'eau ne coule pas.
The water isn’t running.
Il n'y a pas d'écoulement d'eau.
There is no water flow.
Pas d'eau qui coule.
No water is flowing.
Cultural Tip
In everyday spoken French, especially in informal contexts, native speakers often drop the 'ne' and say 'L'eau s'écoule pas.' While perfectly understandable, learners should still practice the full form 'ne…pas' to sound more polished and to avoid confusion in formal situations such as exams or business meetings.