Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-indefinite-and-partitive-articles-after-the-negative-forms

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French Grammar – Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms ne ... pas, ne ... jamais, ne ... plus, ne ... guère

After ne ... pas, ne ... jamais, ne ... plus, ne ... guère, any indefinite article {un, une, des} or partitive article {du, de V, de la, des} accompanying a direct object normally becomes de :

  • Elle n'a pas écrit de lettre

She didn't write a letter

  • Nous ne vendons pas de chaussettes

We don't sell socks

  • Elle ne porte jamais de casque

She never wears a helmet

  • Pourquoi ne peut-on jamais acheter de vêtements d'hiver au printemps?

Why can you never buy winter clothes in spring?

  • Je n'ai plus de crayon

I don't have a pencil any more

  • Il n'a plus de médicaments

He doesn't have any more medication

  • Il n'y a guère de visiteurs

There are hardly any visitors There are three cases where this does not apply:

Contrast between a negative and a positive direct object[edit | edit source]

When a contrast is made between a negative and a positive direct object:

  • Je ne veux pas des chaussettes mais des chaussures

I don't want socks, but shoes

  • Je n'ai pas un cours de grammaire mais un cours d'histoire

I haven't got a grammar class but a history class

After the verb être[edit | edit source]

  • Ce n'est pas un oiseau

It isn't a bird

When the meaning is 'not a (single) one' rather than 'not a'[edit | edit source]

  • On n'entendait pas un bruit dehors

We couldn't hear a single noise outside

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