Kilo Lingo

Ch 1 · Lesson 5

Ne...pas: saying no

Two words wrap the verb: before it, after it. - and ..., ..., ...plus work the same way.

The short version

and wrap round the verb

.

I don't eat.
Why?

English negates with one word, don't; French uses two and puts the verb between them. goes before the conjugated verb and after it: . Before a vowel shortens to n': . , and plus take the place of in exactly the same slot.

Divergence 2: Negation wraps the verb

French negation is a two-word sandwich: before the verb, after it. English uses one word (don't); French puts the verb in the middle.

Subject
ne
Verb
pas
Rest
empty
  • . - I don't eat.
  • . - isn't reading the book.
  • . - I don't see him. ( goes before the object pronoun too)

Before a vowel, shortens to ': . - I don't like bread.

The other negative pairs work the same way:

PairMeaningExample
...not .
...nothing .
...never .
...plusno longer .
...nobody .

In casual speech the often disappears: . - I don't eat. Write it and say it in anything formal. The French negation guide has the rest, including the article that turns into .

Going further: The SVO baseline and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.

Read the full guide (optional) · 5 min read

Practice

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Lesson 5 of 14 in this chapter

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