For those of you (SARAH) who missed the chart that Calum demanded - - here it is.
please read over the notes below and definitely put the last bit into your noggins!
Making sentences negative in French is a bit different than in English, due to the two-part negative adverb and the sometimes difficult issue of placement. Normally, ne... pas is the first negative adverb that we learn. But there are actually many negative adverbs used just like it, so once you understand ne... pas, you can make just about any sentence negative.
To make a sentence or question negative, place ne in front of the conjugated verb and pas (or one of the other negative adverbs) after it. Ne... pas translates roughly as "not."
Je suis riche - Je ne suis pas riche.
I'm rich - I'm not rich.
Êtes-vous fatigué ? - N'êtes-vous pas fatigué ?
Are you tired? - Aren't you tired?
In compound verbs and dual-verb constructions, the negative adverbs surround the conjugated verb (except for nulle part [see page 2], which follows the main verb).
Je n'ai pas étudié.
I didn't study.
Nous n'aurions pas su.
We wouldn't have known.
Il ne sera pas arrivé.
He won't have arrived.
Tu n'avais pas parlé ?
You hadn't talked?
Il ne veut pas skier.
He doesn't want to ski.
Il peut écrire.
Il ne peut pas écrire.
Je ne peux pas y aller.
I can't go (THERE)
When there is an indefinite article or partitive article in a negative construction, the article changes to de, meaning "(not) any" (learn more):
J'ai une pomme > Je n'ai pas de pomme.
I have an apple > I don't have any apples.
Un / une /des - - du /de la /des - -- BOTH BECOME DE in THE NEGATIVE
In informal spoken French, ne is often dropped:
Je ne sais pas > Je sais pas.
I don't know. I DUNNO
Ne ... pas is the most common French negative adverb, but there are a number of others which follow the same grammatical rules.
ne ... pas encore not yet
Il n'est pas encore arrivé. He has not arrived yet.
ne ... pas toujours not always
Je ne mange pas toujours ici. I don't always eat here.
Lesson: encore vs toujours
ne ... pas du tout not at all
Je n'aime pas du tout les épinards. I don't like spinach at all.
ALL IT IS REALLY IS A MORE EMPHATIC NEGATIVE
ne ... pas non plus neither, not either
Je n'aime pas non plus les oignons. I don't like onions either.
ne ... aucunement (REPLACED PAS) not at all, in no way
Il n'est aucunement à blâmer. He is in no way to blame.
ne ... guère hardly, barely, scarcely
Il n'y a guère de monde. There's hardly anyone there.
Je ne m’entraine guère. I RARELY TRAIN
ne ... jamais never
Nous ne voyageons jamais. We never travel.
ne ... nullement not at all
Il ne veut nullement venir. He doesn't want to come at all.
ne ... nulle part nowhere
Je ne l'ai trouvé nulle part. I couldn't find it anywhere.
Ça n’existe nulle part. THAT EXISTS NOWHERE
ne ... point not (formal/literary equivalent of ne...pas)
Je ne te hais point. I don't hate you.
ne ... plus no more, not anymore
Vous n'y travaillez plus. You don't work there anymore.
ne ... que only
Il n'y a que deux chiens. There are only two dogs.
he French negative adverb pas is often used in conjunction with ne, but pas can also be used all on its own. There are different reasons for this; the one I get asked about the most is when pas is used to negate a verb, and it's addressed in my lesson on informal negation.
The focus of this lesson is the use of pas without ne to negate an adjective, adverb, noun, or pronoun. Note that this use of pas is somewhat informal - in most cases, it is possible to make a sentence using ne ... pas that means the same thing.
Pas + Adjective
- Il doit être ravi ! - Pas ravi, mais content, oui.
- He must be delighted! - Not delighted, but (yes, he is) happy.
C'est un homme pas sympathique.
He is an unkind man.
Pas gentil, ça.
That's not nice.
Pas possible !
That's not possible!
Pas + Adverb
- Tu en veux ? - Oui, mais pas beaucoup.
- Do you want some? - Yes, but not a lot.
- Ça va ? - Pas mal.
- How are you? - Not bad.
Pourquoi pas ?
Why not?
Pas comme ça !
Not like that!
Pas si vite !
Not so fast!
Pas souvent, pas encore, pas trop
Not often, not yet, not too much
Pas + Noun
- Elle vient mercredi ? - Non, pas mercredi. Jeudi.
- Is she coming on Wednesday? - No, not Wednesday. Thursday.
- Je veux deux bananes. - Pas de bananes aujourd'hui.
- I want two bananas. - No bananas today.
Pas de problème !
No problem!
Pas + Pronoun
- Qui veut nous aider ? - Pas moi !
- Who wants to help us? - Not me!
- Tu as faim ? - Pas du tout !
- Are you hungry? - Not at all!
Ah non, pas ça !
Oh no, not that!
Pas can also be used to ask for confirmation:
Tu viens, ou pas ?
Are you coming, or not?
Je l'aime bien, pas toi ?
I really like it, don't you?
Pas vrai ?
Right? Isn't that true?
Pas is also a noun meaning "step,
Je ne mange pas ! I don’t eat.
Ne manges-tu pas ? Aren’t you eating ?
Ne pas avoir écrit ! NOT HAVING WRITTEN
Je ne mange guère. I RARELY EAT
Je ne mange plus. I NO LONGER EAT
Je ne mange jamais. I NEVER EAT
Je ne mange ni pain ni beurre. I EAT NEITHER BREAD NOR BUTTER
Je ne mange que du pain. I ONLY EAT BREAD.
Pas mal ! NOT BAD
Pas bien ! NOT GOOD
Pas impossible ! NOT IMPOSSIBLE
Pas stupide ! NOT STUPID
Pas de problème ! NO PROB
Pas aujourd’hui NOT TODAY
Pas demain NOT TOMORROW
Pas du tout NOT AT ALL
IN THE NEGATIVE - - UN / UNE /DES and DU / DE LA / DES (SOME) become DE
I no longer go to the cinema
Please do the following sentences in French into your copy!
I never go to the cinema
I hardly go to France
I wear neither a hat nor a scarf
I rarely eat in restaurants.
I will go to Paris but not Wednesday.
I can’t eat sweets
I must not sneeze
I have not visited my grandparents
I rarely visited my grandparents
I will not visit my grandparents
I no longer wear shoes
She no longer has a phone
She rarely comes home
They don’t love either sweets or ice cream
He never loved his car IL ADORAIT SA VOITURE
He never found a monkey
I cannot find Paris
I no longer fish (pêcher)
To make a sentence or question negative, place ne in front of the conjugated verb and pas (or one of the other negative adverbs) after it. Ne... pas translates roughly as "not."
Je suis riche - Je ne suis pas riche.
I'm rich - I'm not rich.
Êtes-vous fatigué ? - N'êtes-vous pas fatigué ?
Are you tired? - Aren't you tired?
In compound verbs and dual-verb constructions, the negative adverbs surround the conjugated verb (except for nulle part [see page 2], which follows the main verb).
Je n'ai pas étudié.
I didn't study.
Nous n'aurions pas su.
We wouldn't have known.
Il ne sera pas arrivé.
He won't have arrived.
Tu n'avais pas parlé ?
You hadn't talked?
Il ne veut pas skier.
He doesn't want to ski.
Il peut écrire.
Il ne peut pas écrire.
Je ne peux pas y aller.
I can't go (THERE)
When there is an indefinite article or partitive article in a negative construction, the article changes to de, meaning "(not) any" (learn more):
J'ai une pomme > Je n'ai pas de pomme.
I have an apple > I don't have any apples.
Un / une /des - - du /de la /des - -- BOTH BECOME DE in THE NEGATIVE
In informal spoken French, ne is often dropped:
Je ne sais pas > Je sais pas.
I don't know. I DUNNO
Ne ... pas is the most common French negative adverb, but there are a number of others which follow the same grammatical rules.
ne ... pas encore not yet
Il n'est pas encore arrivé. He has not arrived yet.
ne ... pas toujours not always
Je ne mange pas toujours ici. I don't always eat here.
Lesson: encore vs toujours
ne ... pas du tout not at all
Je n'aime pas du tout les épinards. I don't like spinach at all.
ALL IT IS REALLY IS A MORE EMPHATIC NEGATIVE
ne ... pas non plus neither, not either
Je n'aime pas non plus les oignons. I don't like onions either.
ne ... aucunement (REPLACED PAS) not at all, in no way
Il n'est aucunement à blâmer. He is in no way to blame.
ne ... guère hardly, barely, scarcely
Il n'y a guère de monde. There's hardly anyone there.
Je ne m’entraine guère. I RARELY TRAIN
ne ... jamais never
Nous ne voyageons jamais. We never travel.
ne ... nullement not at all
Il ne veut nullement venir. He doesn't want to come at all.
ne ... nulle part nowhere
Je ne l'ai trouvé nulle part. I couldn't find it anywhere.
Ça n’existe nulle part. THAT EXISTS NOWHERE
ne ... point not (formal/literary equivalent of ne...pas)
Je ne te hais point. I don't hate you.
ne ... plus no more, not anymore
Vous n'y travaillez plus. You don't work there anymore.
ne ... que only
Il n'y a que deux chiens. There are only two dogs.
he French negative adverb pas is often used in conjunction with ne, but pas can also be used all on its own. There are different reasons for this; the one I get asked about the most is when pas is used to negate a verb, and it's addressed in my lesson on informal negation.
The focus of this lesson is the use of pas without ne to negate an adjective, adverb, noun, or pronoun. Note that this use of pas is somewhat informal - in most cases, it is possible to make a sentence using ne ... pas that means the same thing.
Pas + Adjective
- Il doit être ravi ! - Pas ravi, mais content, oui.
- He must be delighted! - Not delighted, but (yes, he is) happy.
C'est un homme pas sympathique.
He is an unkind man.
Pas gentil, ça.
That's not nice.
Pas possible !
That's not possible!
Pas + Adverb
- Tu en veux ? - Oui, mais pas beaucoup.
- Do you want some? - Yes, but not a lot.
- Ça va ? - Pas mal.
- How are you? - Not bad.
Pourquoi pas ?
Why not?
Pas comme ça !
Not like that!
Pas si vite !
Not so fast!
Pas souvent, pas encore, pas trop
Not often, not yet, not too much
Pas + Noun
- Elle vient mercredi ? - Non, pas mercredi. Jeudi.
- Is she coming on Wednesday? - No, not Wednesday. Thursday.
- Je veux deux bananes. - Pas de bananes aujourd'hui.
- I want two bananas. - No bananas today.
Pas de problème !
No problem!
Pas + Pronoun
- Qui veut nous aider ? - Pas moi !
- Who wants to help us? - Not me!
- Tu as faim ? - Pas du tout !
- Are you hungry? - Not at all!
Ah non, pas ça !
Oh no, not that!
Pas can also be used to ask for confirmation:
Tu viens, ou pas ?
Are you coming, or not?
Je l'aime bien, pas toi ?
I really like it, don't you?
Pas vrai ?
Right? Isn't that true?
Pas is also a noun meaning "step,
Je ne mange pas ! I don’t eat.
Ne manges-tu pas ? Aren’t you eating ?
Ne pas avoir écrit ! NOT HAVING WRITTEN
Je ne mange guère. I RARELY EAT
Je ne mange plus. I NO LONGER EAT
Je ne mange jamais. I NEVER EAT
Je ne mange ni pain ni beurre. I EAT NEITHER BREAD NOR BUTTER
Je ne mange que du pain. I ONLY EAT BREAD.
Pas mal ! NOT BAD
Pas bien ! NOT GOOD
Pas impossible ! NOT IMPOSSIBLE
Pas stupide ! NOT STUPID
Pas de problème ! NO PROB
Pas aujourd’hui NOT TODAY
Pas demain NOT TOMORROW
Pas du tout NOT AT ALL
IN THE NEGATIVE - - UN / UNE /DES and DU / DE LA / DES (SOME) become DE
I no longer go to the cinema
Please do the following sentences in French into your copy!
I never go to the cinema
I hardly go to France
I wear neither a hat nor a scarf
I rarely eat in restaurants.
I will go to Paris but not Wednesday.
I can’t eat sweets
I must not sneeze
I have not visited my grandparents
I rarely visited my grandparents
I will not visit my grandparents
I no longer wear shoes
She no longer has a phone
She rarely comes home
They don’t love either sweets or ice cream
He never loved his car IL ADORAIT SA VOITURE
He never found a monkey
I cannot find Paris
I no longer fish (pêcher)