# FR: Nous en sommes d'accord



## Icetrance

Hello,

I just saw this written by a native speaker.

Ce n'est pas parce qu'on a rien à dire qu'il faut fermer sa gueule, nous en sommes bien d'accord, mais quand la borne est franchie, il n'est plus de limites...


I've never seen "en" used in this expression. Is it a typo?


Thanks in advance.


----------



## olliemae

My interpretation would be that the "en" refers to the fact that people should be quiet when they have nothing to say.
"...we are in agreement about that,..."


Perhaps I'm wrong?


----------



## Pomdapi

it sounds good to me in the context ("nous en sommes d'accord" alone sounds really weird), but maybe it's more spoken French.
However I would rather say "nous sommes d'accord là-dessus" which sounds more appropriate according to me.


----------



## Cat'

je n'ai jamais entendu ou vu de "en" dans cette tournure!" nous sommes d'accord" est a mon avis la version correcte ou "nous sommes d'accord sur ce point" ou la proposition de pomdapi


----------



## Tabac

Cat' said:


> je n'ai jamais entendu ou vu de "en" dans cette tournure!" nous sommes d'accord" est a mon avis la version correcte ou "nous sommes d'accord sur ce point" ou la proposition de pomdapi


 *"Pomdapi" veut dire................?*

*Editing here:  I didn't realize that the poster's name is "pomdapi".....I thought it was part of the answer.  Sorry!*


----------



## tilt

I'd say it's not wrong, on the contrary. I'd say it sounds more like a formal (old fashioned?) way of speaking than like a mistake, even if I don't think I would ever use it.

_Nous en sommes d'accord_ doesn't return millions of hits on Google, but several hundreds yet, and _Ils en sont d'accord_, several thousands.


----------



## Cat'

pomdapi proposed: "nous sommes d'accord là-dessus"

I definitly think that "_Nous en sommes d'accord_ " is not correct.
(then "nous en sommes comtents" exists)


----------



## Canaveral

Hi everyone

It does not sound that "old fashioned" to me . 
Some other very usual expressions using "en" with the same meaning:
J'*en *suis baba
Les bras m'*en* tombent
Nous *en* sommes conscients
Je n'*en* peux plus

Vous *en *avez d'autres ?


----------



## tilt

Canaveral said:


> Hi everyone
> 
> It does not sound that "old fashioned" to me .
> Some other very usual expressions using "en" with the same meaning:
> J'*en *suis baba
> Les bras m'*en* tombent
> Nous *en* sommes conscients
> Je n'*en* peux plus
> 
> Vous *en *avez d'autres ?


The problem is that *en *normally replaces either direct complements...
_- Je ne peux plus xxx.
- Vous avez d'autres xxx.

_...or indirect ones starting with *de *(like *y* is used for those starting with *à*):
_- Je suis baba de xxx.
- Les bras me tombent de xxx.
- Nous sommes conscients de xxx.
_ 
_Nous sommes d'accord *de* x_ is wrong. The correct form is _Nous sommes d'accord *pour* x_.
Thus, _nous en sommes d'accord_ does sound strange, in my opinion.


----------



## Cat'

canaveral, your exemples are good, but _nous en sommes d'accord_  is not correct .
I agree with tilt


----------



## Canaveral

Ok Tilt and Cat, I surrender!
But did'nt you ever hear this phrase : "Si vous en êtes d'accord, nous pourrions bla bla bla .."


----------



## tilt

Canaveral said:


> Ok Tilt and Cat, I surrender!
> But did'nt you ever hear this phrase : "Si vous en êtes d'accord, nous pourrions bla bla bla .."


I think I never met it, precisely because it does sound "strange and maybe formal" to me so I would have notice it. But as I said, it doesn't make it incorrect yet.
I didn't find any reference to settle the question. If anyone does...


----------



## JeanDeSponde

The grammar of it look wrong or right, _en être d'accord _is a construct  widely used, well understood, has no ambiguity, and avoid a lengthy repetition. So it is absolutely correct...

Let us not forget that grammar is a set of "après-coup" rules to describe how words _are _used - not _must be _used. This is why there are so many exceptions - grammar is not the cause of why things are this way and not that way!


----------



## Icetrance

JeanDeSponde said:


> The grammar of it look wrong or right, _en être d'accord _is a construct widely used, well understood, has no ambiguity, and avoid a lengthy repetition. So it is absolutely correct...
> 
> Let us not forget that grammar is a set of "après-coup" rules to describe how words _are _used - not _must be _used. This is why there are so many exceptions - grammar is not the cause of why things are this way and not that way!


 
Thanks! What does the "en" mean?  about it/this???


----------



## mnewcomb71

In reading this, I get this impression:

Nous sommes d'accord de le faire
Nous en sommes d'accord

We agree to do it
We agree to it

This does not make is right, because I believe that when we use "de" after être d'accord, it is an infinitive, which, I believe, cannot be replaced by "en".


----------



## JeanDeSponde

mnewcomb71 said:


> [...]
> This does not make is right, because I believe that when we use "de" after être d'accord, it is an infinitive, which, I believe, cannot be replaced by "en".


_- On n'avait pas convenu d'aller au cinema ?
- En effet, on *en *avait convenu la semaine dernière_
Mais
_- Tu n'avais pas décidé de devenir grammairien ?
- En effet, je *l'*avais __décidé __un soir que j'avais un peu bu_
La grammaire, on le voit, s'adapte à l'usage


----------



## tilt

JeanDeSponde said:


> _- On n'avait pas convenu d'aller au cinema ?
> - En effet, on *en *avait convenu la semaine dernière_
> Mais
> _- Tu n'avais pas décidé de devenir grammairien ?
> - En effet, je *l'*avais __décidé __un soir que j'avais un peu bu_
> La grammaire, on le voit, s'adapte à l'usage


_En effet, j'*e**n *avais __décidé __un soir __que__ *où *j'avais un peu bu. _is perfectly correct too!


----------



## tilt

mnewcomb71 said:


> In reading this, I get this impression:
> 
> Nous sommes d'accord de le faire
> Nous en sommes d'accord
> 
> We agree to do it
> We agree to it
> 
> This does not make is right, because I believe that when we use "de" after être d'accord, it is an infinitive, which, I believe, cannot be replaced by "en".


The correct sentence is  _Nous sommes d'accord *pour* le faire.
_As far as I know, _Être d'accord de _is incorrect.


----------



## pieanne

tilt said:


> The correct sentence is _Nous sommes d'accord *pour* le faire._
> As far as I know, _Être d'accord de _is incorrect.


That's what I think too


----------

