Je ne pense pas que ce soit là toute l'histoire.

Sentence Discussions French
#1
English Translation

I don’t think that’s the whole story.

What is the purpose of “là” here? The sentence seems to work without it.

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#2

That’s a tough one.

I found this:
https://langue-francaise.tv5monde.com/decouvrir/dictionnaire/L/La

3. À un certain moment, à tel endroit (d’un processus, d’une argumentation)

That’s the idea here.

You feel like there is more to the story, based on what you have heard/seen so far/up to this point.

  • Je ne pense pas que ce soit toute l’histoire → would sound kind of weird to me
  • the “so far / up to this point” idea is kind of implied really, but I feel like adding “là” makes it sound a bit more natural in French somehow

Another way to translate the English sentence:

  • Je ne pense pas que ce soit le fin mot de l’histoire.
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