Understanding French Negation
In French, negation is used to express the opposite of an affirmative statement. It is like saying 'no' or 'not' in English. Let's learn how to turn a positive sentence into a negative one.
Basic Negation with 'ne...pas'
The most common way to make a sentence negative in French is by using 'ne...pas'. You put 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after the verb.
Examples
- Je ne joue pas au football.
- Elle ne mange pas de chocolat.
- Nous ne regardons pas la télévision.
Negation with Compound Tenses
When using compound tenses, like the passé composé, 'ne' comes before the auxiliary verb and 'pas' comes after it.
Examples
- Il n'a pas vu le film.
- Nous n'avons pas fini nos devoirs.
- Elles n'ont pas pris le bus.
Important Points
- ne...jamais (never)
- ne...rien (nothing)
- ne...personne (nobody)
- ne...plus (no longer)
- ne...que (only)
These special negation words replace 'pas' to give different meanings. For example, 'ne...jamais' means 'never'.
Examples
- Je ne mange jamais de légumes.
- Il n'a rien dit.
- Nous ne voyons personne ici.
Negation with Infinitive Verbs
When negating infinitive verbs, 'ne pas' comes before the verb. This is often used in instructions or prohibitions.
Examples
- Ne pas toucher!
- Ne pas entrer.
- Ne pas fumer ici.