negation

French negationFrench Negation

Négation

Lessons on all the different types of French negation: negative adverbs, adjectives, pronouns, and conjunctions, plus different ways to say no, nothing, no one, and never.

Grammar Lessons

A- Prefix

French prefix a-
The French prefix a- is added to adjectives and nouns to create their antonyms; it's sometimes called the "alpha privative" (a privatif). The most common English equivalents are a- and non-.

  • •  

Grammar Lessons

Compound Tenses and Moods: Word Order

French word orderCompound tenses and moods are verb forms which are conjugated with two parts: a helping / auxiliary verb and a past participle, as in J'ai dansé. The word order can get a little complicated when additional grammatical structures like object pronouns and negation are introduced.

  • • •  

Grammar Lessons

Double Negatives

French double negativesIn 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.

   

   

Expressions

Expressions with (ne …) pas

French expressions with ne pas
The French negative adverb ne ... pas essentially means "not." In addition to being useful for negating any normal sentence, ne ... pas or even just pas is found in many expressions and proverbs. Learn how to say none of your business, to be stingy, quite a bit, and more with this list of expressions with (ne ...) pas.

  •  

Grammar Lessons

Formal Negation

French formal negationFrench has three negative constructions that are reserved for formal (usually written) French like literature and historical accounts.

  • •  

Grammar Lessons

Informal Negation

Informal French negationThe rule is that to make a French verb negative, you need ne in front of the verb and pas after it. The reality of how the French speak says otherwise.

  • •  

Grammar Lessons

Inversion: Word Order

Word order with inversionInverting subjects and verbs is easy enough - vous voyez => voyez-vous, but where do object, adverbial, and reflexive pronouns go? And what about negation? Take a look at this lesson to learn about all the possibilities.

  • •  

   

  •  

Expressions

N’importe

French expressions with n'importeN'importe literally means "no matter" or "(it) doesn't matter." This indefinite expression can precede an interrogative adjective, adverb, or pronoun when talking about something indefinite or non-specific.

  • • • •  

Grammar Lessons

Ne explétif

French ne explétifDon't worry, it's not a swear word. In French, explétif is a grammatical term that serves only to draw attention to what precedes it.

  • •  

Grammar Lessons

Ne littéraire

Ne littéraire - Formal French NegationIn formal, usually written French, there are certain verbs and constructions that can be made negative with just ne - the inclusion of pas or some other negative word is not required.

  • •  

Grammar Lessons

Negative de

French article reductionThere are three types of French articles (definite - indefinite - partitive). In negative constructions, two of them are usually required to change to de, meaning "(not) any."

  •  

Grammar Lessons

Negative Adjectives

French negative adjectivesFrench negative adjectives are used to negate or refuse nouns. Like other negative structures, negative adjectives - also called indefinite negative adjectives - have two parts, e.g., ne ... aucun.

  • • •