Published September 11, 2012 • Updated June 21, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson with native audio by Marie Assel Cambier
French negation is essential for fluency but can be tricky to master. This lesson breaks down key negation words like ne…pas (not), ne…jamais (never), and ne…rien (nothing/anything) with clear examples and native audio to help you speak more naturally and confidently.
Common French Negation Structures
The following table summarizes the most common French negation patterns and their meanings.
| Negation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ne…pas | not |
| ne…jamais | never |
| ne…rien | nothing, anything |
| ne…personne | nobody, anybody |
| ne…que | only |
| ne…plus | no longer, not anymore |
| ne…aucun(e) | no, none, not any |
| ne…nulle part | nowhere, anywhere |
| ne…guère | hardly |
| ni…ni | neither…nor |
Ne…pas — not
In the present tense, negation is formed by placing ne…pas around the verb — often called the ne…pas “sandwich.”
Je ne parle pas français.
I don’t speak French.
Je ne mange pas.
I don’t eat.
Ne becomes n’ before vowels
When a French verb begins with a vowel, ne contracts to n’.
Je n’aime pas le fromage.
I don’t like cheese.
Negation in the passé composé
In the passé composé, place ne…pas around the auxiliary verb: Je n’ai pas mangé (I didn’t eat). A common mistake is putting pas after the past participle, like Je n’ai mangé pas — which is incorrect.
Je n’ai pas parlé.
I did not speak.
Reflexive verbs and negation
In the present tense, to negate a reflexive verb, wrap ne…pas around both the pronoun and the verb.
Il ne se rase pas.
He doesn’t shave.
In the passé composé, negate reflexive verbs by placing ne…pas around the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary verb.
Il ne s’est pas rasé.
He did not shave.
Ne…jamais — never
Jamais means “never” and replaces pas in negative sentences.
Elle ne voyage jamais.
She never travels.
For the passé composé wrap ne…jamais around the auxiliary verb.
Je n’ai jamais mangé le foie gras.
I’ve never eaten foie gras.
Ne…rien —nothing, anything
Rien means “nothing” or “anything,” and follows the same rules as jamais.
Je ne mange rien.
I’m not eating anything.
In the passé composé, place ne…rien around the auxiliary verb.
Je n’ai rien compris.
I didn’t understand anything.
Ne…personne — nobody
Personne means “nobody” or “anybody,” and follows the same rules as jamais and rien.
Je ne vois personne.
I don’t see anybody.
In the passé composé, personne comes after the past participle—unlike jamais and rien.
Je n’ai vu personne.
I didn’t see anybody.
Personne and rien as the subject of the sentence
Both personne and rien can serve as the subject of a sentence. In this case, pas is not used.
Personne ne vient ce soir.
Nobody is coming tonight.
Rien ne marche ici.
Nothing is working here.
Ne…que — only
The structure ne…que means “only.”
Il ne boit que de l’eau.
He only drinks water.
Ne…plus — no longer, not anymore
The structure ne…plus means no longer or not anymore.
Elle ne fume plus.
She no longer smokes.
Ne… aucun(e) — any, none
Aucun (masculine) and aucune (feminine) mean “any” or “none” and must agree in gender with the noun they modify.
Je n’ai aucun problème.
I have no problem.
Je n’ai aucune idée.
I have no idea.
The structure aucun(e) + noun or aucun(e) de + plural noun can be used as the subject of a sentence, meaning “no” or “none of.”
Aucun de mes amis n’habite en France.
None of my friends live in France.
Aucune de mes amies ne me comprend.
None of my friends understand me.
Ne…nulle part — nowhere
Ne… nulle part means both “nowhere” and “anywhere.”
Elle ne va nulle part.
She’s not going anywhere.
Ne… guère — hardly
Ne… guère means “hardly” or “not much.” It’s typically used with ne.
Elle ne sort guère.
She hardly ever goes out.
Ni…ni (neither…nor)
The structure ni…ni means “neither…nor.”
Je n’aime ni les escargots ni les épinards.
I like neither snails nor spinach.
Ne…pas encore — not yet
The expression ne…pas encore means “haven’t yet” or “still haven’t,” and is used with the passé composé.
Je n’ai pas encore compris.
I still haven’t understood.
To ask a “Have you ever”, use the following constructions:
➞ Est-ce que tu as déjà + past participle?
➞ Est-ce que tu as jamais + past participle?
Est-ce que tu as déjà fait du ski?
Have you ever skied?
To answer these questions use the ne…pas encore:
Je n’ai pas encore fait du ski.
I still haven’t skied.
📚 Related lessons
- French sentence structure
- Ne… pas (not)
- Ne… jamais (never)
- Ne… rien (nothing, anything)
- Ne… personne (nobody)
- Ne… plus (no longer, not anymore)
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