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How to use negatives - ne ... pas

An explanation of how to make a sentence negative in French by forming a 'sandwich' around the main verb

The negative form ne ... pas means 'not' and it forms a sandwich around the main verb of a sentence to turn it from a positive into a negative, for example:

  • (positive) vous visitez Paris demain - you are visiting Paris tomorrow 鈫 (negative) vous ne visitez pas Paris demain - you鈥檙e not visiting Paris tomorrow
  • (positive) je jouais au foot - I was playing football 鈫 (negative) je ne jouais pas au foot - I wasn't playing football

Remember that ne becomes n' before a vowel or silent -h, for example:

  • (positive) tu habites 脿 Poitiers ? - you live in Poitiers? 鈫 (negative) tu 苍鈥 habites pas 脿 Poitiers ? - you do苍鈥檛 live in Poitiers?
  • (positive) j鈥檃ime la musique pop - I like pop music 鈫 (negative) je 苍鈥aime pas la musique pop - I do苍鈥檛 like pop music