The negative form in French

La négation en Français


To make a sentence negative, you simply place ne... pas around the verb.
Elle travaille le lundi.
She works on Mondays.
Elle ne travaille pas le lundi.
She does not work on Mondays.
Il répond à la lettre.
He answers the letter.
Il ne répond pas à la lettre.
He does not answer the letter.

If the ne precedes a verb starting with a vowel or a mute h, ne becomes n’.
J’habite à Strasbourg.
I live in Strasbourg.
Je n’habite pas à Strasbourg.
I do not live in Strasbourg.
Elle aime les marguerites.
She likes daisies.
Elle n’aime pas les marguerites.
She does not like daisies.

Aside from ne... pas, there are other negations, constructed in the same way.
Il n’attend personne.
He is not waiting for anybody.
Tu ne voyages jamais en hiver.
You never travel during the winter.
Il n’a plus de patience.
He has no patience left .
Elle ne répond rien.
She does not answer anything.
(She answers nothing.)
Ce n’est guère raisonnable.
It’s hardly reasonable.

The negation ni… ni… (La négation en ni... ni...)

Th e negation ni… ni… precedes each noun that it negates. In addition, the negative particle ne
(n’) comes directly before the verb. When the defi nite article le, la, l’, les is used before the noun,
the defi nite article remains when the verb is negative.
Il aime le café et le chocolat.
He likes coff ee and chocolate.
Il n’aime ni le café ni le chocolat.
He likes neither coff ee nor chocolate.
Elle aime le bleu et le jaune.
She likes blue and yellow.
Elle n’aime ni le bleu ni le jaune.
She likes neither blue nor yellow.

When the indefi nite or partitive article is used before the noun in the affi rmative sentence,
the article disappears when the verb is made negative.
Elle commande de l’eau et du vin.
She orders water and wine.
Elle ne commande ni eau ni vin.
She orders neither water nor wine.
Il vend des oranges et des mangues.
He sells oranges and mangoes.

Il ne vend ni oranges ni mangues.
He sells neither oranges nor mangoes.