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
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Déterminants
- An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by et, ou or ni
- Place adverbs
- Pronominal verbs used reciprocally
- The plural of compound nouns
- Subject–Verb Agreement
- “être” and “avoir” with verbs used intransitively and transitively
- Plural forms of adjectives — Adjectives which end in al
- Coordination of subject pronouns
- How to use Have
- Adjectives used as adverbs
- Position of object pronouns with devoir, pouvoir + infinitives
- Subject verb agreement when subject quantifiers are present
- How to use half, third and quarter in French
- Directly transitive verbs without objects