The most basic form of French negation is wrapping ne…pas around a verb: “Je ne parle pas” (I don’t speak). However, there are many other negations such as ne…jamais (never) and ne…rien (nothing). This lesson provides a comprehensive guide to French negation by explaining 15 rules with example sentences and audio.
Je ne parle pas français.
I don’t speak French.
French negation rules
1. Ne…pas
In the present tense, negation is formed by wrapping ne…pas around the verb. French teachers call this the ne…pas “sandwich”. When you are speaking you can think of the ne…pas as a little speedbump causing negation.
Je ne mange pas.
I don’t eat.
For french verbs which start with a vowel, ne becomes n’. For example, Je n’aime pas (I don’t like). This applies to avoir (to have) – Je n’ai pas (I don’t have).
Je n’aime pas le fromage.
I don’t like cheese.
Passé compose negation
In the passé composé, wrap ne…pas around the auxiliary verb. For example, Je n‘ai pas mangé (I didn’t eat). Note that a common mistake made by beginners is to put the pas after the past participle: Je n’ai mangé pas.
Je n’ai pas parlé.
I did not speak.
Reflexive verb negation
Reflexive verbs are the “to myself” verbs. In the je form, these are verbs which have a me in between the je and verb. For example, Je m’appelle (my name is).
For reflexive verbs in the present tense, wrap ne…pas around the verb and the reflexive pronoun. For example, Je me lève (I get up) becomes Je ne me lève pas (I don’t get up).
Il ne se rase pas.
He doesn’t shave.
For reflexive verbs in the passé composé, wrap ne…pas around the reflexive pronoun and the auxiliary verb. For example, Je me suis levé (I got up) becomes Je ne me suis pas levé.
Il ne s’est pas rasé.
He did not shave.
Advanced negation expressions
In French, there are other negation expressions where words other then pas is used. The most common of these negative adverbs are: ne…jamais (never), ne…rien (nothing, anything) and ne…personne (nobody, anybody).
2. Ne…jamais = never
Jamais means never. For these sentences, jamais replaces the word pas. For example, Je ne mange pas les frites (I don’t eat French fries) becomes Je ne mange jamais les frites (I never eat French fries). Many beginners make the mistake of saying pas jamais. This would incorrect.
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.
3. Ne…rien = nothing, anything
Rien means nothing and anything. The same rules that apply to jamais apply to rien. For example, Je ne mange rien (I am eating nothing / I am not eating anything). Again, Je ne mange pas rien would be incorrect.
Je ne mange rien.
I’m not eating anything.
For the passé composé, wrap ne…rien around the auxiliary verb. For example, Je n’ai pas fait (I didn’t do) becomes Je n’ai rien fait (I didn’t do anything). means I didn’t do anything.
Je n’ai rien compris.
I don’t understand anything.
4. Ne…personne = nobody, anybody
Personne means nobody and anybody. The same rules that apply to jamais and personne above also apply to personne.
For example, Je ne connais pas (I don’t know) becomes Je ne connais personne (I don’t know anybody).
Je ne vois personne.
I don’t see anybody.
For the passé composé, personne comes after the past participle, unlike jamais and rien.
Je n’ai vu personne.
I didn’t see anybody.
5. Using personne and rien as the subject of the sentence
Both personne and rien can both be the subjects of a sentence. In these sentences pas doesn’t appear. For example, Personne ne parle français (Nobody speaks French).
Personne ne vient ce soir.
Nobody is coming tonight.
Rien ne mache ici.
Nothing is working here.
6. Ne…pas encore = haven’t yet, still haven’t
The expression ne…pas encore means “haven’t yet” or “still haven’t”. This negation applies to the passé composé. For example, Je n’ai pas encore parlé means ‘I still haven’t spoken’.
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?
For example:
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.
7. Ne…nulle part = nowhere, anywhere.
Nulle part translates to both nowhere and anywhere. For example, Nous n’allons nulle part (We’re not going anywhere).
Elle ne va nulle part.
She’s not going anywhere.
8. Ne…que = only
The format, ne…que means only. Que precedes the noun that is being limited. For example, Je ne comprends que deux ou trois mots (I only understand two or three words).
Il ne boit que de l’eau.
He only drinks water.
9. Ne + qu’à faire = just
The construction subject + n’a + qu’à faire means “just + verb”. For example Tu n’as qu’à le faire! (Just do it!).
Tu n’as qu’à le manger.
Just eat it!
10. Rien + qu’à + infinitive = by just doing something
The construction rien qu’a+ infinitive means “by just”.
Rien qu’à assister au spectacle, on peut voir plein de gens.
By just attending the show you can see lots of people.
11. Ne…aucun(e) = no, any
Aucun (aucune) translates to any. For these sentences, aucun(e) must agree in gender with the noun it’s modifying. For example, Je n’ai aucun ami en France (I don’t have any friend in France / I have no friend in France). Idée (idea) is feminine. Hence, Je n’ai aucune idée’ (I have no idea).
Je n’ai aucun problème.
I have no problem.
Je n’ai aucune idée.
I have no idea.
Aucun(e) + noun or aucun(e) de + plural noun can be the subject of a sentence to translate to “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.
12. Ne…guère = much, hardly
Guère translates to both much and hardly. For example, Je comprends guère (I hardly understand).
Elle ne sort guère.
She hardly ever goes out.
13. Ni…ni = neither…nor
Ni…ni translates to to neither…nor, while ni l’une ni l’autre means “neither of them”.
Je n’aime ni les escargots ni les épinards.
I like neither snails nor spinach.
14. Ne + past conditional + past participle of devoir + infinitive = shouldn’t have
To express regret for something you shouldn’t have done use the past conditional of devoir (must, have to) plus the infinitive.
Je n’aurais pas dû acheter ce livre.
I shouldn’t have bought this book.
Related lessons:
- Rien – nothing, anything
- Jamais – never
- French sentence structure
- Quelque chose – something
- J’aurais dû – I should have
French grammar | Lessons by David Issokson
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