PrepMyFrench
PrepMyFrench
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French negation wraps the conjugated verb in a two-part sandwich: ne before the verb and a second word (pas, plus, jamais, rien, personne, aucun, que) after it. In compound tenses, ne…pas/plus/jamais/rien go around the auxiliary, but ne…personne and ne…aucun go around the whole verb group. Dropping ne in speech is normal; dropping it in writing or on an exam is an error.
SUBJECT + ne + VERB + pas + …
Ne goes directly before the conjugated verb (or auxiliary in compound tenses) and pas comes directly after it. Before a vowel or silent h, ne contracts to n'. This is the only negation pattern you need at A1, and every other pattern is just a variation of it.
Je ne parle pas anglais.
I don't speak English.
Elle n'aime pas le café.
She doesn't like coffee.
ne → n' before a vowel
Nous n'avons pas compris.
We didn't understand.
compound tense: ne…pas wraps the auxiliary
SUBJECT + ne + VERB + plus + …
Replace pas with plus to express "no longer" or "not anymore." The placement rules are identical to ne…pas — plus sits right after the conjugated verb or auxiliary.
Il ne fume plus.
He doesn't smoke anymore.
Nous n'habitons plus à Lyon.
We no longer live in Lyon.
SUBJECT + ne + VERB + jamais + …
Jamais replaces pas and means "never." It behaves like pas for placement. Note that jamais without ne can mean "ever" in questions and certain fixed phrases.
Elle ne ment jamais.
She never lies.
Je n'ai jamais visité le Japon.
I've never visited Japan.
ne + VERB + rien | ne + VERB + PAST PART. + personne
Rien (nothing) behaves like pas — it goes right after the auxiliary in compound tenses: je n'ai rien vu. Personne (nobody), however, goes after the entire verb group: je n'ai vu personne. This difference is one of the most-tested negation points on exams.
Je ne vois rien.
I see nothing.
Je n'ai rien dit.
I said nothing.
rien before the past participle
Je ne connais personne ici.
I know nobody here.
Il n'a invité personne.
He invited nobody.
personne after the past participle
SUBJECT + ne + VERB + que + RESTRICTED ELEMENT
Ne…que is not really a negation — it's a restriction meaning "only." Que goes directly before the element you're restricting, not necessarily right after the verb. This makes its placement unique among all ne…X patterns.
Je ne bois que de l'eau.
I only drink water.
Il n'a que dix euros.
He only has ten euros.
Nous n'avons visité que Paris.
We only visited Paris.
| Pattern | Meaning | Compound-tense position |
|---|---|---|
| ne…pas | not | around auxiliary — n'ai pas mangé |
| ne…plus | no longer | around auxiliary — n'ai plus mangé |
| ne…jamais | never | around auxiliary — n'ai jamais mangé |
| ne…rien | nothing | around auxiliary — n'ai rien mangé |
| ne…personne | nobody | around whole group — n'ai invité personne |
| ne…aucun(e) | not any / none | around whole group — n'ai fait aucune erreur |
| ne…que | only | que before restricted word — n'ai mangé que du pain |
| ne…ni…ni | neither…nor | ne…ni before each — ne mange ni viande ni poisson |
In spoken French, ne is routinely dropped (je sais pas, y'a personne). This is normal and even expected in casual conversation. But in writing — especially in a TEF or TCF essay — omitting ne is marked as an error. Always write both parts.
Do not combine pas with another negative word. "Je ne vois pas rien" is wrong — use "je ne vois rien." Pas disappears whenever a more specific negative word replaces it.
With infinitives, both parts go before the verb: ne pas fumer, ne jamais oublier. This is opposite to conjugated verbs and catches many learners off guard.
Negation appears in every TEF/TCF productive task. In writing, examiners check that you use ne consistently and that you go beyond basic ne…pas — deploying ne…plus, ne…jamais, or ne…aucun signals a B2 range. In speaking, accurate placement of personne after the past participle (je n'ai vu personne) is a clear competence marker. A single missing ne in your essay is forgivable; systematically dropping ne across the text flags you as relying on spoken habits rather than written register.
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Not in casual speech — native speakers drop ne routinely. But in formal contexts, job interviews, presentations, and especially in TEF/TCF speaking tasks, keeping ne is strongly recommended.
Ne…point is the literary or archaic form of ne…pas. You'll encounter it in classic literature but never need to use it on a modern exam. Treat it as a reading-comprehension item.
Yes, but pas is always excluded when you do. You can say: il ne dit jamais rien à personne (he never says anything to anyone). The key rule is that pas never coexists with another negative word.
Ne goes before the auxiliary as usual, but que goes before the restricted element — which is usually after the past participle: je n'ai mangé que du pain. Que's position is flexible because it must sit right before what you're restricting.