French Phrase
Il y a assez à manger pour tout le monde ?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Is there enough to eat for everyone?’ The speaker is checking whether the amount of food available will satisfy all the people present.
When to use
Use this question at family gatherings, parties, or any situation where food is being served and you want to make sure nobody will go hungry. It’s polite and shows concern for the group’s well‑being.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Ilyaassezàmangerpourtoutlemonde?
Il y a
The impersonal construction used to state the existence of something, equivalent to ‘there is/are’ in English.
assez
An adverb meaning ‘enough’; when it modifies an infinitive it is placed directly before the infinitive without ‘de’.
à + infinitive
The preposition ‘à’ introduces an infinitive verb to express purpose or content, here ‘to eat’.
pour tout le monde
A prepositional phrase meaning ‘for everyone’; ‘tout le monde’ is a collective noun that stays singular.
Question intonation
In spoken French, a rising intonation at the end signals a yes‑no question; written form can also use ‘Y a‑t‑il…?’
🗨In Conversation
Il y a assez à manger pour tout le monde ?
Is there enough to eat for everyone?
Oui, on a préparé assez de plats pour vingt personnes.
Yes, we’ve prepared enough dishes for twenty people.
✕Common Mistakes
Il y a assez de manger pour tout le monde.
‘Assez’ directly modifies the infinitive, so you do NOT add ‘de’.
Il y a assez à la manger pour tout le monde.
The article ‘la’ is unnecessary; the infinitive already conveys the idea of food.
Il y a assez à manger pour tout les monde ?
The collective noun is ‘tout le monde’ (singular), not ‘tout les monde’.
↔Alternatives
Y a‑t‑il assez de nourriture pour tout le monde ?
Is there enough food for everyone?
Est‑ce qu’il y a assez à manger pour tout le monde ?
Is there enough to eat for everyone?
On a assez à manger pour tout le monde, non ?
We have enough to eat for everyone, right?
Cultural Tip
In French hospitality, it’s common to ask about food quantity before a meal to avoid waste and ensure guests feel cared for. While ‘Il y a…?’ is perfectly natural, the more formal written form uses inversion: ‘Y a‑t‑il…?’ Remember that ‘tout le monde’ is always singular, so verbs stay in the third‑person singular.