pronoun/ʁjɛ̃/
nothing; anything
“Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.” — paraphrased
Inherited from Middle French rien, from Old French rien, from Latin rem (“thing”). Compare Catalan res (“nothing”) or Galician ren (“nothing”).
noun, masculine/ʁjɛ̃/plural: riens
rien is masculine in French.
a nothing
“petits riens – little things, little nothings”
Inherited from Middle French rien, from Old French rien, from Latin rem (“thing”). Compare Catalan res (“nothing”) or Galician ren (“nothing”).