Published June 21, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
Ne… pas — Meaning and Pronunciation
Ne… pas is the most common French negation and means “not.” It is placed around a conjugated verb to make a sentence negative, as in Je ne comprends pas (I don’t understand). Before an infinitive, ne pas usually appears together directly before the verb, as in Je préfère ne pas parler (I prefer not to speak).
IPA pronunciation of ne… pas is /nə … pa/ (IPA), which sounds approximately like “nuh … pah”.
Example Sentences
Elle ne travaille pas le dimanche.
She doesn’t work on Sundays.
Je ne comprends pas.
I don’t understand.
Je n’ai pas vu le film.
I didn’t see the movie.
Ils ne sont pas partis.
They didn’t leave.
Je préfère ne pas parler.
I prefer not to speak.
J’ai décidé de ne pas partir.
I decided not to leave.
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Related Words and Expressions
Here are some other words that are closely related to ne… pas:
- ne… jamais — never
- ne… personne — nobody, no one , not anybody
- ne… rien — nothing
- ne… que — only, nothing but
- ne… plus — no longer, not anymore
- ne… aucun — not any / none
- ne… ni… ni — neither… nor
- ne… guère — hardly / scarcely
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