French Negation Practice

1. Basic Negation: Ne...pas

The most common way to make a sentence negative in French is by using "ne...pas".

Structure:
Subject + ne + verb + pas + complement

Example: Je ne parle pas français. (I don't speak French.)

Note: "Ne" becomes "n'" before a vowel or mute h.

Example: Il n'a pas de chat. (He doesn't have a cat.)

2. Other Negative Expressions

French has several negative expressions beyond "ne...pas".

Common negatives:
- ne...jamais (never)
- ne...rien (nothing)
- ne...personne (nobody)
- ne...plus (no more)
- ne...que (only)

Example: Je ne vois personne. (I see nobody.)

3. Negation with Compound Tenses

In compound tenses, the negative structure surrounds the auxiliary verb.

Structure:
Subject + ne + auxiliary + pas + past participle

Example: Je n'ai pas mangé. (I haven't eaten.)

Note: With negative expressions like "rien" and "personne", the word order changes.

Example: Je n'ai rien vu. (I saw nothing.)

4. Negation with Infinitives

When negating an infinitive, both parts of the negation come before the verb.

Structure:
ne pas + infinitive

Example: Il préfère ne pas sortir. (He prefers not to go out.)

Note: The same pattern applies to other negative expressions.

Example: Essayez de ne jamais mentir. (Try to never lie.)