A1 · Questions and negation
Negation: ne … pas
Two words, with the verb in between — and no «do».
At a glance
- Remember
- No «do» is needed: the verb is simply put in brackets.
- Form
- je ne parle pasI do not speak
- Signal words
- pas
- jamais
- rien
- personne
- Trap
- Wrong:Je comprends pas le film.Right:Je ne comprends pas le film.
Your turn
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Now write it yourself4 sentences on this topic, typed and checked instantly.
The form
The forms and what they mean
Each row gives the meaning first, then the form in French.
negation
| I do not speak | je ne parle pas |
| I do not have | je n’ai pas |
| no, not any | ne … pas de |
| not to do | ne pas + Grundform |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
ne goes before the conjugated verb, pas after it.
Je ne comprends pas.I do not understand.
Before a vowel ne becomes n’.
Elle n’est pas là.She is not there.
An object pronoun stays inside the bracket.
Je ne le sais pas.I do not know.
Before an infinitive both parts stand together.
Il préfère ne pas venir.He would rather not come.
Example sentences
Je ne parle pas espagnol.I do not speak Spanish.
Nous ne sommes pas d’accord.We do not agree.
Il n’aime pas le poisson.He does not like fish.
Ne t’inquiète pas.Do not worry.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
Both halves belong to the sentence, and both go round the *conjugated* verb rather than round the participle. In the past it is je n'ai pas compris, not je n'ai compris pas — the bracket closes after ai, which is where English closes it too in «I have not understood». And writing only pas is writing the way people speak: understood, and wrong on the page.
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
The negation is ne in front of the verb and pas behind it. The two belong together like a pair of brackets, and the verb sits inside. English builds a negation by adding a verb — «I understand» becomes «I do not understand» — and French adds nothing: the verb it already has is simply enclosed.
Before a vowel ne becomes n': je n'ai pas.
In speech the ne drops out: je sais pas. Written down that is a mistake, but knowing it is the difference between following a conversation and not. English does something comparable in «don't» — the negation contracts and hides — except that «don't» is respectable in writing and je sais pas is not.
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The verbs on this page, in every form: être · venir · parler · savoir · aimer · préférer