LAL: Les expressions négatives

Les expressions négatives

Introduction - At this point you should be good at negating sentences using ne....pas.

Negative expressions

Negative expressions turn affirmative statements and questions into negative statements and questions. In English, not is generally used to negate and it's quite easy, but in French things are little more intricate when it comes to forming a negative expression.  There are a number of negative expressions in French. For now, just focus on the ones below.

Common negative expressions:

  • ne...jamais - never, not ever
  • ne...pas encore - not yet
  • ne...rien - nothing, not anything
  • ne...personne - nobody, no one, not anybody
  • ne...plus - no more, not any longer
  • ne...pas du tout - not at all

Trickier negative expressions:

  • ne....aucun(e) - absolutely no, not a single + noun
  • ne...ni...ni - neither...nor

Remember: ne in front of a vowel or silent h becomes n' !

Let's look at how these negative expressions work:

Comparing Affirmative and Negative in French

Affirmative

Negative

Je parle toujours français.

>I always speak French.

Je ne parle jamais français.

>I never speak French.

J'ai déjà mon permis de conduire.

>I already have my driver's license.

Je n'ai pas encore mon permis de conduire.

>I do not have my driver's license yet.

J'ai vu quelque chose.

>I have seen something.

Je n'ai rien vu.

>I have seen nothing.

Quelqu'un est devant la maison.

>Someone is in front of the house.

Personne n'est devant la maison.

>No one is in front of the house.

Je vois quelqu'un devant la maison.

>I see someone in front of the house.

Je ne vois personne devant la maison.

>I see no one in front of the house.

J'ai plus d'argent dans ma poche.

>I have more money in my pocket.

Je n'ai plus d'argent dans ma poche.

>I have no more money in my pocket.

J'ai faim.

>I am hungry.

Je n'ai pas du tout faim.

>I am not hungry at all.

J'ai quelqu'chose.

>I have something.

Je n'ai rien.

>I have nothing.

Quelque chose va se passer.

>Something is going to happen.

Rien ne va se passer.

>Nothing is going to happen.

J'ai un crayon.

>I have a pencil.

Je n'ai aucun crayon.

>I do not have a single pencil.

J'ai une brosse.

>I have a brush.

Je n'ai aucune brosse.

>I do not have a single brush.

I have either the pencil or the brush.

>J'ai soit le crayon soit la brosse.

Je n'ai ni le crayon ni la brosse.

>I have neither the pencil nor the brush.

Special note - aucun must agree with the noun it precedes. Brosse is feminine; thus, aucun becomes aucune to reflect that brosse is feminine.

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