Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/Negation"
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<div class="pg_page_title">French Grammar - Negation</div> | <div class="pg_page_title">French Grammar - Negation</div> | ||
Hi [https://polyglotclub.com/language/french French] learners! 😊<br>In this lesson, we will learn how to form negations in French. Negating a sentence means expressing the opposite or the absence of something. To do this, we need to use negation words such as "ne...pas" (not) or "ne...jamais" (never). | |||
__TOC__ | |||
== Basic Negation == | |||
The most common negation word in French is "ne...pas". It is formed by placing "ne" before the verb and "pas" after the verb. For example: | |||
= | {| class="wikitable" | ||
! French !! Pronunciation !! English | |||
|- | |||
| Je ne parle pas français. || ʒə nə paʁl pɑ fʁɑ̃sɛ || I don't speak French. | |||
|} | |||
As you can see in the example above, when "ne...pas" is used, "ne" precedes the verb and "pas" follows it. | |||
We can also use "ne...personne" (nobody) to negate a sentence. In this case, the verb comes between "ne" and "personne". For example: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! French !! Pronunciation !! English | |||
|- | |||
| Je ne vois personne. || ʒə nə vwa pɛʁsɔn || I don't see anybody. | |||
|} | |||
== Double Negation == | == Double Negation == | ||
In French, it is possible to use double negation to reinforce the negation. For this, we can use negation words such as "ne...jamais" (never), "ne...plus" (no longer) or "ne...rien" (nothing). | |||
For example: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! French !! Pronunciation !! English | |||
|- | |||
| Je ne mange jamais de viande. || ʒə nə mɑ̃ʒ ʒamɛ də vjɑ̃d || I never eat meat. | |||
|} | |||
In this case, "ne...jamais" is used to reinforce the negation. | |||
== Irregular Negation == | |||
Some verbs have irregular negations. For example, the verb "être" (to be) has the negation "ne...pas" in the present tense, but its negation in the past tense is "ne...pas été". For example: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! French !! Pronunciation !! English | |||
|- | |||
| Je n'ai pas été à Paris. || ʒə ne pa ete a paʁi || I haven't been to Paris. | |||
|} | |||
== Negation with Infinitives == | |||
We can also use negation words with infinitives. In this case, the negation word "ne" is placed before the infinitive and "pas" is placed after the infinitive. For example: | |||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
! French !! Pronunciation !! English | |||
|- | |||
| Je ne vais pas parler français. || ʒə nə ve pa paʁle fʁɑ̃sɛ || I'm not going to speak French. | |||
|} | |||
== | == Dialogue == | ||
* Person 1: Je ne sais pas quoi faire. (I don't know what to do.) | |||
* Person 2: Pourquoi ne demandes-tu pas de l'aide à tes amis ? (Why don't you ask your friends for help?) | |||
* Person 1: Je ne veux pas les déranger. (I don't want to bother them.) | |||
* Person 2: Ne t'inquiète pas, ils seront contents de t'aider. (Don't worry, they will be happy to help you.) | |||
== Interesting Facts == | |||
- In French, some expressions are always negated, even if they express a positive idea. For example: "ne...pas de problème" ("no problem"). | |||
- In spoken French, it is common to omit "ne" in negations. For example: "Je sais pas" instead of "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know). | |||
- The use of double negation is not only permitted in French, but it is also considered correct and elegant. | |||
== Practice Exercise == | |||
Translate the following sentences into French: | |||
1. I don't want to go to school today. | |||
2. She never eats vegetables. | |||
3. We haven't seen the movie yet. | |||
4. They don't have any money. | |||
5. He no longer lives in Paris. | |||
== | == Resources == | ||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_verbs French verbs] | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_grammar French Grammar] | |||
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negation_in_French French Negation] | |||
<hr>➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.<br>➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎 | |||
< | |||
{{#seo: | |||
|title=French Grammar - Negation | |||
|keywords=French grammar, French language, negation in French, French negation, French double negation, French infinitives | |||
|description=In this French Grammar lesson, you will learn how to form negations in French. Negating a sentence means expressing the opposite or the absence of something. We will explore basic negation, double negation, irregular negation, negation with infinitives, and more. | |||
}} | |||
{{French-Page-Bottom}} | |||
Revision as of 15:45, 5 March 2023
French Grammar - Negation
Hi French learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to form negations in French. Negating a sentence means expressing the opposite or the absence of something. To do this, we need to use negation words such as "ne...pas" (not) or "ne...jamais" (never).
Basic Negation
The most common negation word in French is "ne...pas". It is formed by placing "ne" before the verb and "pas" after the verb. For example:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je ne parle pas français. | ʒə nə paʁl pɑ fʁɑ̃sɛ | I don't speak French. |
As you can see in the example above, when "ne...pas" is used, "ne" precedes the verb and "pas" follows it.
We can also use "ne...personne" (nobody) to negate a sentence. In this case, the verb comes between "ne" and "personne". For example:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je ne vois personne. | ʒə nə vwa pɛʁsɔn | I don't see anybody. |
Double Negation
In French, it is possible to use double negation to reinforce the negation. For this, we can use negation words such as "ne...jamais" (never), "ne...plus" (no longer) or "ne...rien" (nothing).
For example:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je ne mange jamais de viande. | ʒə nə mɑ̃ʒ ʒamɛ də vjɑ̃d | I never eat meat. |
In this case, "ne...jamais" is used to reinforce the negation.
Irregular Negation
Some verbs have irregular negations. For example, the verb "être" (to be) has the negation "ne...pas" in the present tense, but its negation in the past tense is "ne...pas été". For example:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je n'ai pas été à Paris. | ʒə ne pa ete a paʁi | I haven't been to Paris. |
Negation with Infinitives
We can also use negation words with infinitives. In this case, the negation word "ne" is placed before the infinitive and "pas" is placed after the infinitive. For example:
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je ne vais pas parler français. | ʒə nə ve pa paʁle fʁɑ̃sɛ | I'm not going to speak French. |
Dialogue
- Person 1: Je ne sais pas quoi faire. (I don't know what to do.)
- Person 2: Pourquoi ne demandes-tu pas de l'aide à tes amis ? (Why don't you ask your friends for help?)
- Person 1: Je ne veux pas les déranger. (I don't want to bother them.)
- Person 2: Ne t'inquiète pas, ils seront contents de t'aider. (Don't worry, they will be happy to help you.)
Interesting Facts
- In French, some expressions are always negated, even if they express a positive idea. For example: "ne...pas de problème" ("no problem"). - In spoken French, it is common to omit "ne" in negations. For example: "Je sais pas" instead of "Je ne sais pas" (I don't know). - The use of double negation is not only permitted in French, but it is also considered correct and elegant.
Practice Exercise
Translate the following sentences into French:
1. I don't want to go to school today. 2. She never eats vegetables. 3. We haven't seen the movie yet. 4. They don't have any money. 5. He no longer lives in Paris.
Resources
➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎