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Negative French Phrases
The French word non means “no,” and is found in many expressions, including of course not, point-blank, and secrets. Learn these and other French expressions featuring non.
| bah non | (informal) | well, no |
| ben non | (informal) | well, non |
| bien sûr que non | of course not | |
| eh non | I’m afraid not | |
| une fin de non-recevoir | point-blank | |
| Il faut manger pour vivre et non pas vivre pour manger. | You have to eat to live and not live to eat. | |
| je crois que non | I don’t think so | |
| je ne dis pas non | I wouldn’t say no (an unemphatic yes) | |
| mais non | of course not | |
| moi non | not me, I don’t | |
| moi non plus | me neither, neither do I | |
| ne dire ni oui ni non | to not answer, to abstain | |
| les non-dits | secrets | |
| non et non ! | absolutely not! | |
| non-fumeur | (adjective) | non-smoking |
| non-initié | (adjective) | lay, uninformed |
| les non l’emportent | (voting) | the nays have it |
| non plus | neither, not (that) either | |
| non que + subjunctive | not that … | |
| nul et non avenu | (adjective) | invalid, null and void |
| … oui ou non ? | (exasperated) | … yes or no? |
| pleurer pour un oui ou pour un non | to cry over the slightest thing | |
| le point de non-retour | the point of no return | |
| que non ! | absolutely not! | |
| répondre par oui ou par non | to answer yes or no | |
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