Alright! Let’s talk about saying “no” in French. Or, more precisely, saying “not”, “never”, and “no more”. In fact, if you think in English, French can seem a bit tricky at first. But you will get used to it once you discover these golden rules
This isn’t about memorizing a dry grammar table, but rather about understanding the simple way French uses no in almost every case.
The Golden Rule: The Two-Part Trap
Let’s try to forget English for now. In french, negation is like a sandwich. The verb is like what you put inside, and you need to pieces of bread: bread: ne before the verb, and another word like (pas, jamais, plus) after it.
Ne + verb + pas/jamais/plus
Let’s look at the different ways to use this with some examples:
The Usual “NOT”: Ne …. Pas
This is how you say a simple “not”. It’s like saying “don’t” or “isn’t” in English:
- Je ne parle pas Chinois. (I do not speak Chinese)
- Il n’aime pas la musique. (He does not like music)
- Nous ne regardons pas la télévision le soir (We don’t watch TV in the evening.)
Here’s an inside tip: When people talk, they often drop the “ne”. You’ll see it a lot when writing, but when people chat, they usually say: Je parle pas espagnol. Go ahead and do this – it’ll make you sound real.
The Strong Never: ne…jamais
Want to be clear? Use ne.. Jamais. It’s a very strong way to say never, ever!
- Elle ne mange jamais de viande. (She never eats meat.)
- Je n’ai jamais voyagé en Asie. (I have never traveled in Asia.)
- Ils ne vont jamais au cinéma. (They never go to the cinema.)
The ‘It’s done’: ne…plus
This is for things that are over. It means no longer or not anymore. You can use it for things you’ve quit, stopped doing or things that have changed:
- Je ne fume plus. (I no longer smoke.)
- Elle n’habite plus à Paris. (She does not live in Paris anymore.)
- Nous ne travaillons plus ensemble! (We do not work together anymore!)
Things to avoid
In order to avoid making mistakes while negating in French, check the following points to avoid and watch out for:
- Missing a Part: Forgetting the second part of the “no” is like a sandwich with one slice of bread. ❌ Je ne comprends. ✔️ Je ne comprends pas.
- Wrong Order: The words go in a certain order. Don’t mix them! ❌ Je jamais ne mange. ✔️ Je ne mange jamais.
- Formal Versus Informal: Remember, dropping the “ne” is for speaking. Always use the full ne…pas when writing officially.
The Real Way to Learn Negation In French:
It’s not just about memorising rules of negation. It’s about hearing and using them until it feels normal:
- Listen: When you watch French shows or listen to music, pay attention to how they use these. You’ll hear them all the time.
- Talk to Yourself: Say stuff in French to yourself (it’s not weird!). I am not making coffee. I no longer take sugar. I never have time in the morning!
- Skip the “Ne”: Once you understand how it works, try dropping the ne when you talk to sound casual.
Knowing these three ways to say no – ne…pas, ne…jamais, and ne…plus – will make your French way easier to understand. It’s a small things that make. Also, you can always book a free trial with one of our trainers in Albert-learning to practice these rules in real-life conversations.
