Published June 5, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Ne… personne — Meaning and Pronunciation
Ne… personne is a common French negative expression meaning “nobody”, “no one”, or “not anybody”. You’ll often see it used in the construction ne + verb + personne or personne + ne + verb. It is used to indicate that no person is involved in an action or situation. For example, Je ne connais personne ici (I don’t know anybody here) or Personne ne répond (Nobody is answering).
IPA pronunciation of ne… personne is /nə … pɛʁ.sɔn/ (IPA), which sounds like “nuh … pehr-sohn”.
Personne placement rules
When personne means “anybody” in a negative sentence, it usually comes after the verb: Je ne vois personne (I don’t see anybody). When personne means “nobody” and is the subject of the sentence, it comes before the verb: Personne ne répond (Nobody is answering). In the passé composé, personne usually comes after the past participle: Je n’ai vu personne (I didn’t see anybody).
| Meaning | French | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| I see nobody | Je ne vois personne. | ne + verb + personne |
| Nobody is answering | Personne ne répond. | personne + ne + verb |
| I saw nobody | Je n’ai vu personne. | ne + auxiliary + past participle + personne |
Example Sentences
Je ne connais personne ici.
I don’t know anybody here.
Elle ne voit personne aujourd’hui.
She doesn’t see anybody today.
Pourquoi est-ce que tu ne parles à personne ?
Why aren’t you talking to anybody?
Je n‘ai vu personne à la fête.
I didn’t see anybody at the party.
Personne ne répond.
Nobody is answering.
👉 You can hear personne being used as a subject in the song Tous les garçons et les filles by Françoise Hardy: Personne ne m’aime (nobody loves me).
Related Words and Expressions
Here are some other words that are closely related to ne… personne:
- ne… pas — not
- ne… jamais — never
- ne… rien — nothing
- ne… que — only, nothing but
- ne… aucun — not any / none
- ne… ni… ni — neither… nor
- ne… guère — hardly / scarcely
📚 Related lessons
👉 French negation rules »
👉 Gens vs personnes (people) »
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