Present Tense – Negative
In this lesson, we examine how to form the negative in French. Negation refers to any statement, phrase or sentence clause that uses a negative word or adverb to express contradiction or denial.
How do you form negative statements in French?
Negative verbs in French are most commonly formed by placing ne in front of the verb and pas after it. Study the following examples:
| Positive Statement | Negation | English |
|---|---|---|
| je parle | je ne parle pas | I am not speaking, I don’t speak |
| tu parles | tu ne parles pas | You are not speaking, you don’t speak |
| il parle | il ne parle pas | He is not speaking, he doesn’t speak |
| elle parle | elle ne parle pas | She is not speaking, she doesn’t speak |
| nous parlons | nous ne parlons pas | We are not speaking, we do not speak |
| vous parlez | vous ne parlez pas | You are not speaking, you don’t speak |
| ils parlent | ils ne parlent pas | They are not speaking, they don’t speak |
| elles parlent | elles ne parlent pas | They are not speaking, they don’t speak |
If the verb begins with a vowel sound, then the ne is contracted, as follows:
| Positive | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| j’ai | je n‘ai pas | I do not have |
| tu as | tu n‘as pas | You do not have |
| il a | il n‘a pas | He does not have |
| elle a | elle n‘a pas | She does not have |
| nous avons | nous n‘avons pas | We do not have |
| vous avez | vous n‘avez pas | You do not have |
| ils ont | ils n‘ont pas | They do not have |
| elles ont | elles n‘ont pas | They do not have |
The negative with the interrogative
For the est-ce que form, a negative question is formed in exactly the same way as normal. Therefore, est-ce-que is simply placed before the question statement as follows:
| Statement | Question | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je ne joue pas | Est-ce que je ne joue pas? | Do I not play, am I not playing? |
| Tu ne joues pas | Est-ce que tu ne joues pas? | Do you not play, are you not playing? |
| Il ne joue pas | Est-ce qu‘il ne joue pas? | Does he not play, is he not playing? |
| Elle ne joue pas | Est-ce qu‘elle ne joue pas? | Does she not play, is she not playing? |
| Nous ne jouons pas | Est-ce que nous ne jouons pas? | Do we not play, are we not playing? |
| Vous ne jouez pas | Est-ce que vous ne jouez pas? | Do you not play, are you not playing? |
| Ils ne jouent pas | Est-ce qu‘ils ne jouent pas? | Do they not play, are they not playing? |
| Elles ne jouent pas | Est-ce qu‘elles ne jouent pas? | Do they not play, are they not playing? |
With the inverted question style, the pas is placed after the pronoun, as follows:
| Statement | Question | English |
|---|---|---|
| Tu ne joues pas | Ne joues-tu pas? | Do you not play, are you not playing? |
| Il ne joue pas | Ne joue-t-il pas? | Does he not play, is he not playing? |
| Elle ne joue pas | Ne joue-t-elle pas? | Does she not play, is she not playing? |
| Nous ne jouons pas | Ne jouons nous pas? | Do we not play, are we not playing? |
| Vous ne jouez pas | Ne jouez-vous pas? | Do you not play, are you not playing? |
| Ils ne jouent pas | Ne jouent-ils pas? | Do they not play, are they not playing? |
| Elles ne jouent pas | Ne jouent-elles pas? | Do they not play, are they not playing? |
If the verb begins with a vowel, the ne is contracted, for instance: N’aime-t-il pas? (‘Does he not like?’, ‘Doesn’t he like?’)
The negative with reflexive verbs
The ne part of the negation goes between the pronoun and the reflexive pronoun, as follows:
| Statement | Negative | English |
|---|---|---|
| Je me lave | Je ne me lave pas | I am not having a wash |
| Tu te laves | Tu ne te laves pas | You are not having a wash |
| Il se lave | Il ne se lave pas | He is not having a wash |
| Elle se lave | Elle ne se lave pas | She is not having a wash |
| Nous nous lavons | Nous ne nous lavons pas | We are not having a wash |
| Vous vous lavez | Vous ne vous lavez pas | You are not having a wash |
| Ils se lavent | Ils ne se lavent pas | They are not having a wash |
| Elles se lavent | Elles ne se lavent pas | They are not having a wash |