Language/French/Grammar/Negation

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French Grammar - Negation

Hi French learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to form negations in French. Negating a sentence means expressing the opposite or the absence of something. To do this, we need to use negation words such as "ne...pas" (not) or "ne...jamais" (never).

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Active Voice and Passive Voice & Conjugation group 3.

Basic Negation[edit | edit source]

The most common negation word in French is "ne...pas". It is formed by placing "ne" before the verb and "pas" after the verb. For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je ne parle pas français.	ʒə nə paʁl pɑ fʁɑ̃sɛ	I don't speak French.

As you can see in the example above, when "ne...pas" is used, "ne" precedes the verb and "pas" follows it.

We can also use "ne...personne" (nobody) to negate a sentence. In this case, the verb comes between "ne" and "personne". For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je ne vois personne.	ʒə nə vwa pɛʁsɔn	I don't see anybody.

Double Negation[edit | edit source]

In French, it is possible to use double negation to reinforce the negation. For this, we can use negation words such as "ne...jamais" (never), "ne...plus" (no longer) or "ne...rien" (nothing).

For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je ne mange jamais de viande.	ʒə nə mɑ̃ʒ ʒamɛ də vjɑ̃d	I never eat meat.

In this case, "ne...jamais" is used to reinforce the negation.

Irregular Negation[edit | edit source]

Some verbs have irregular negations. For example, the verb "être" (to be) has the negation "ne...pas" in the present tense, but its negation in the past tense is "ne...pas été". For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je n'ai pas été à Paris.	ʒə ne pa ete a paʁi	I haven't been to Paris.

Negation with Infinitives[edit | edit source]

We can also use negation words with infinitives. In this case, the negation word "ne" is placed before the infinitive and "pas" is placed after the infinitive. For example:

French	Pronunciation	English
Je ne vais pas parler français.	ʒə nə ve pa paʁle fʁɑ̃sɛ	I'm not going to speak French.

Dialogue[edit | edit source]

Person 1: Je ne sais pas quoi faire. (I don't know what to do.)
Person 2: Pourquoi ne demandes-tu pas de l'aide à tes amis ? (Why don't you ask your friends for help?)
Person 1: Je ne veux pas les déranger. (I don't want to bother them.)
Person 2: Ne t'inquiète pas, ils seront contents de t'aider. (Don't worry, they will be happy to help you.)

Interesting Facts[edit | edit source]

- In French, some expressions are always negated, even if they express a positive idea. For example: "ne...pas de problème" ("no problem"). - In spoken French, it is common to omit "ne" in negations. For example: "Je sais pas" instead of "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know). - The use of double negation is not only permitted in French, but it is also considered correct and elegant.

Practice Exercise[edit | edit source]

Translate the following sentences into French:

1. I don't want to go to school today. 2. She never eats vegetables. 3. We haven't seen the movie yet. 4. They don't have any money. 5. He no longer lives in Paris.