French grammar · Beginner (A1)
Negation: ne… pas and friends
How to say “not” in French with ne… pas, plus ne… jamais, ne… plus, ne… rien and ne… personne.
Ne… pas: not
To make a sentence negative (to say “not”), French uses two words that go around the verb: before it and after it. becomes (I don't speak).
becomes n' before a vowel or a silent h: , .
- Je ne comprends pas.I don't understand.
- Ce n'est pas grave.It doesn't matter.
- Nous n'avons pas de réservation.We don't have a booking.
Other negative words
Replace with another word to change the meaning. They all work the same way, around the verb.
| French | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ne… pas | not | (I don't smoke.) |
| ne… jamais | never | (He never eats meat.) |
| ne… plus | no longer, not any more | (She doesn't live here any more.) |
| ne… rien | nothing, not anything | (I can't see anything.) |
| ne… personne | nobody, not anyone | (I don't know anyone.) |
Where the words go
In the passé composé, and go around the helper verb ( or ), not the past participle: (I haven't eaten).
With a verb + infinitive, they go around the first verb: (I don't want to leave). With reflexive verbs, comes before the little pronoun: (I don't get up early).
- Nous ne sommes pas allés au musée.We didn't go to the museum.
- Je ne peux pas venir samedi.I can't come on Saturday.
- Tu ne t'appelles pas Julie ?Isn't your name Julie?
In everyday speech
In relaxed spoken French, people often drop and keep only : (I dunno), (No worries). You'll hear this all the time, but write the full form, and use it in polite situations.
Remember that after a negative, , , , and become : (I don't have a car). After they don't change: (It's not a problem).