Kilo Lingo

/ʒamɛ/

Line drawing of jamais
Coloured illustration of jamais
#83 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

never, ever

Word origin

From Old French ja mais, a compound of ja ('already, ever', from Latin iam) and mais ('more', from Latin magis). The literal sense was 'ever again', which hardened into the negative 'never' in negative contexts.

Origin
Latin
Root
iam magis

Examples

' .

I've never seen such a beautiful film in my whole life.

.

I will never trust him/her again.

C' , ' .

It's the most beautiful day of my life, I'll never forget this.

.

You never know what tomorrow has in store for us.

' .

She had never tasted seafood before that trip.

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French · Free printables

jamais: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the French word "jamais" (never, ever): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 2.