French Phrase
Je ne t'entends pas très bien.
Meaning
Literally, “I do not hear you very well.” It is used when the speaker is having trouble understanding the other person because of distance, background noise, or a poor connection.
When to use
Use this sentence on the phone, in a noisy café, or any situation where the listener needs the speaker to repeat or speak louder. It is polite and neutral, suitable for both formal and informal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Jenet'entendspastrèsbien
Subject pronoun (Je)
The first‑person singular subject pronoun used before a verb.
Negation (ne … pas)
Standard French negation surrounds the verb; the ‘ne’ is often dropped in spoken French, but it is kept here for clarity.
Object pronoun (t')
‘t’ is the elided form of the second‑person singular direct object pronoun ‘te’ placed before a vowel‑starting verb.
Verb (entendre)
‘Entendre’ means ‘to hear’; in the present tense, 1st person singular is ‘j’entends’ (here contracted to ‘je…entends’).
Adverb (très bien)
‘Très’ intensifies the following adverb ‘bien’, together meaning ‘very well’.
🗨In Conversation
Tu m'entends ?
Can you hear me?
Je ne t'entends pas très bien, il y a trop de bruit.
I don’t hear you very well, there’s too much noise.
✕Common Mistakes
Je ne entends pas très bien.
Missing the object pronoun ‘t'’; you need ‘t'entends’ because you are hearing *you*.
Je ne t'entends très bien.
The negation ‘pas’ is required; without it the sentence becomes affirmative.
Je n'entends pas très bien.
Using ‘n'’ without the object pronoun changes the meaning to ‘I don’t hear very well’ (no specific listener).
Je ne t'entends pas bien très.
Adverb order is fixed: ‘très bien’ (very well), not ‘bien très’.
↔Alternatives
Je t'entends mal.
I hear you poorly.
Je n'arrive pas à bien t'entendre.
I can’t hear you clearly.
Pardon, je ne te comprends pas bien.
Sorry, I don’t understand you well.
Cultural Tip
In French conversation it’s common to say “Pardon ?” or “Comment? ” before repeating a request for clarification. Keeping the ‘ne’ in the negative sounds a bit more formal and is preferred in language‑learning contexts, even though native speakers often drop it in casual speech.