How to Make Negative Sentences with ne...pas in French

Making negative sentences in French is important for good grammar. The most common way to do this is by using ne...pas. Let’s break down how it works.

Basic Steps of ne...pas

1. Find the Verb: First, look for the verb in the sentence. Make sure it’s in the present tense.

2. Add ne...pas: Place ne before the verb and pas right after it.

   • Example:
     • Positive: Je parle (I speak)
     • Negative: Je ne parle pas (I do not speak)

Conjugating Verbs in Present Tense

French verbs can be sorted into three main groups: -er, -ir, and -re. Here’s how you can change them in the present tense:

• -er verb (parler):

  • Je parle (I speak)

• -ir verb (finir):

  • Je finis (I finish)

• -re verb (attendre):

  • J’attends (I wait)

When making negatives:

• Je ne finis pas (I do not finish)
• Je n’attends pas (I do not wait)

Using Auxiliary Verbs in Past Tense

When you use être or avoir as helper verbs in the passé composé (past tense), you still follow the same rule for negatives:

• Example:
  • Positive: J'ai mangé (I have eaten)
  • Negative: Je n'ai pas mangé (I did not eat)

Extra Tips

• Changing ne: Sometimes, "ne" turns into "n'" when it comes before a vowel sound (like n'a).

• Adjective Agreement: If your sentence has adjectives, they need to match the gender and number of the nouns they describe.

  • Example: Elle est belle (She is beautiful) → Elle n’est pas belle (She is not beautiful).

Future Proche

To talk about actions that will happen soon, use the future proche. For example:

• Positive: Je vais parler (I am going to speak)
• Negative: Je ne vais pas parler (I am not going to speak)

By practicing these patterns, you will get better at making negative sentences in French using ne...pas.