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French grammar Part of Chapter 4

CEFR A1-A2

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Test yourself (25 questions)

French Negation: ne... pas, jamais, rien, personne Rules

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

French negation wraps the verb: goes before it, the negative word after it. The verb itself does not change.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

  • . - I speak French.
  • . - I don't speak French.

The four Foundation-tier pairs

The whole system on one screen. Every pair works the same way: (or ' before a vowel) before the verb, the second word after it.

ne and the negative wordWhat do the colours mean?
PairEnglishExample
... not .
... never .
... nothing .
... nobody, no one .

The verb sits in the middle of the sandwich, whatever the subject:

Subject
ne
Verb
Negative
Rest
empty
empty
’

The other three rows of the strip:

  • . - He says nothing.
  • . - We see nobody.
  • . - She's never hungry.

becomes ' before a vowel or silent h: . (I don't like coffee.)

On the AQA GCSE specification, these four pairs are Foundation and Higher; ... , ... and a negative word as the subject ( ..., ...) are Higher only.

The article-becomes-de rule

After a negative verb, , , , and all become plain (' before a vowel).

YesNoEnglish
. .I don't have a dog.
. .I don't eat bread.
. .He has no friends.
. .I have no meat.

Two kinds of article stay put:

  • The definite article: . - I don't see the dog.
  • Anything after : . - It's not a problem.

A contrast also keeps the article: , . (It's not wine, it's water.) The whole / / system is on the French partitives page.

Position in the compound past

In the passé composé, the sandwich wraps the auxiliary (, ), and , and sit before the participle. is the odd one: it goes after the participle.

Subject
ne
Auxiliary
Negative
Participle
After
’
empty
’
empty
’
empty
’
empty
FrenchEnglish
.I didn't eat.
.I've never smoked.
.I didn't say anything.
.I saw nobody.

behaves like the object of the verb, so it takes the object's place after the participle.

Two more pairs you need early

PairEnglishExample
... plusno longer .
... not yet .

They point in opposite directions: plus says something has stopped (I don't smoke any more), that it has not started yet (he isn't here yet).

  • Je fumais. (I used to smoke)

  • Je ne fume plus. (stopped)

  • Il n’est pas encore là. (still to come)

Timeline from past to future, with now marked.

answers a question, and in the it takes the place of plain :

  • ? , . - Have you eaten already? No, not yet.
  • . - I haven't finished yet.

The rarer pairs (... , ... , ) are on French negation beyond pas.

Negating an infinitive

With an infinitive, both halves go together in front of it.

Before
ne pas
Infinitive
empty
  • . - I prefer not to answer.
  • . - No .
  • . - He tells me never to come back.

Negative words as subjects

and can open the sentence as the subject. still comes before the verb, and there is no .

  • . - Nobody is speaking.
  • . - Nothing works.
  • . - Nobody came.

The colloquial ne-drop

In casual speech the disappears most of the time, and carries the negative alone. Writing keeps it.

Written, examsCasual speech
  1. Je ne sais pas.always correct
  2. Je sais pas.everyday speech
  3. Chais pas.fast and very casual
Casual speechFull formEnglish
. .I don't know.
. .It doesn't matter.
? ?Aren't you hungry?
. .I don't have a dog.

Recognise the short forms; write the full ones, and use them in an exam.

Answering a negative question: si

To say yes to a negative question, French uses , not . agrees with the negative.

  • ? , . - Aren't you hungry? Yes, I am.
  • ? , . - Aren't you hungry? No, I'm not.

Common mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
becomes
. . replaces
. . follows the participle
. . before the verb
? ?is anyone there? needs
, ., .yes to as ? is

What to do next

  1. Negate five sentences about yourself: .
  2. Say them again with , then with .
  3. Do the drill below, then French negation beyond pas.

Practise: test yourself

Put the words in order

0/5

Put the words in order.

  1. I don't eat meat.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I never eat bread.

    Your sentence is empty.

  3. I didn't eat.

    Your sentence is empty.

  4. I saw nobody.

    Your sentence is empty.

  5. I prefer not to answer.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/5

Tap the mistake English speakers make.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the word that fills the gap.

  1. Je ne parle anglais. (not)

  2. Il ne mange de viande. (never)

  3. Je ne vois dans la rue. (nobody)

  4. Elle ne dit . (nothing)

  5. Je n'ai vu ce film. (never)

  6. Il n'y a ici. (nobody)

Pick the right one

0/4

Choose pas encore (not yet) or plus (no longer).

  1. Je ne travaille ici. (I no longer work here)

  2. Il n'est arrivé. (he hasn't arrived yet)

  3. Je n'ai fini. (I haven't finished yet)

  4. Elle ne sort le soir. (she doesn't go out any more)

Translation drill

0/5

Translate into French, keeping the ne and turning the article into de where the rule bites.

  1. I don't have any money.

  2. She doesn't have a dog.

  3. I don't know anyone here.

  4. No one came.

  5. Nothing works.

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Practice worksheets and infographics

Practice worksheets with answer keys built in, plus infographic and listicle formats. Open any one to view, print or save.

Infographics

  1. Key points infographic
  2. The four Foundation-tier pairs
  3. The article-becomes-de rule
  4. Position in the compound past
  5. Two more pairs you need early
  6. The colloquial ne-drop
  7. Common mistakes English speakers make

Other formats

  1. Listicle

More grammar on this course

Frequently asked questions

What happens to articles after ... in French?
, , , and become plain (d' before a vowel) after a negative verb. becomes ; becomes . The definite article (, , ) does not change, because it still points to a specific thing: . After nothing changes either: .
Why do French speakers drop the in conversation?
In casual speech the disappears most of the time: instead of , instead of . , or carries the negative on its own. The stays in writing, in exams and in formal speech, so learn the full form first and recognise the short one.
Where does ... go with an infinitive in French?
Both words go together in front of the infinitive: (no ), (I'd rather not answer). With a conjugated verb, and wrap around it instead: . and work the same way: .
How do you say 'yes' to a negative question in French?
With , not . contradicts a negative question or statement: ? , . (Aren't you coming? Yes, I am.) there would sound as if you were agreeing with the negative. confirms it: , .
How do you say 'not yet' in French?
With ... , the ... sandwich with after : (he isn't here yet), (I haven't finished yet). In the it sits where plain sits, between the auxiliary and the participle. Keep it apart from ... plus (no longer): waits for something to start, plus says it has stopped.