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Négation double
In English, two negatives are said to make a positive: that is, they cancel one another out, and this is grammatically unacceptable. In French, however, négation double is alive and well. Two negatives sometimes make a positive, while other times they combine to make the negation stronger or more specific.
That said, while double negation is very common in French, it’s not a free-for-all; there are some grammatical rules that have to be followed.
Ne … pas +
The negative adverb ne … pas is the most common way to negate a statement. It can be used with two other negatives, rien and que, and for these, it actually negates the negative to make a positive.
ne … pas rien
When pas is replaced by rien, it means "nothing," but when you keep pas and add rien, it means "not nothing."
Par exemple…
| Je n’achète pas. | I’m not buying. | |
| Je n’achète rien. | I’m buying nothing. | |
| Je n’achète pas rien. | "I’m not buying nothing." –> I’m buying something. |
ne … pas que
Likewise, pas can be replaced by que to mean "only," but if you keep pas and add que, it means "not only."
| Je n’ai pas trois livres. | I don’t have three books. | |
| Je n’ai que trois livres. | I have only three books. | |
| Je n’ai pas que trois livres. | I don’t have only three books. (I have seven.) |
Ne … pas cannot negate aucun, jamais, or personne; those adverbs take the place of pas and can’t be modified by it.
| Il n’a aucune idée. | He has no idea. | |
| Tu n’es jamais à l’heure. | You’re never on time. | |
| Il n’y personne dans le parc. | There’s no one in the park. |
Ne … jamais +
The negative adverb ne … jamais, "never," can be combined with aucun, personne, plus, que, and rien.
| Il n’a jamais aucune idée. | He never has any idea. | |
| Je ne vois jamais personne. | I never see anyone. | |
| Elle n’a jamais plus menti. | She never lied again. | |
| Tu n’as jamais qu’une seule idée. | You never have only one idea. | |
| Je ne mange jamais rien après 22h. | I never eat anything after 10pm. |
Ne … plus +
The negative adverb ne … plus, "no more, not any more," can be used with aucun, jamais, personne, que, and rien.
| Il ne veut plus aucun tuyau. | He doesn’t want any more tips, no longer wants any tips. | |
| Tu ne vas plus jamais être seul. | You’re never going to be lonely again. | |
| Il n’y a plus personne dans le resto. | There’s no one in the restaurant any more. | |
| Il ne reste plus qu’un problème | There’s only one problem left. | |
| Je n’ai plus rien à te dire. | I have nothing more to say to you. |
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