Negative constructions Flashcards
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive.
Il me dit ne pas pleurer.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive.
He tells me not to cry.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
Il m’a dit ne pas le faire.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
He told me not to do it.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
Il m’a dit de ne pas me coucher.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
He told me not to go to bed.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
Il m’a dit de ne pas y aller.
Negation of the infinitive: place ‘ne pas’ before the infinitive. If there is a pronoun, ‘ne pas’ precedes it.
He told me not to go there.
ne…pas du tout
Il n’est pas du tout bête.
not at all
He is not at all stupid.
ne…point
Il ne le dit point.
not (emphatic)
He does NOT say it.
ne…plus
Je ne travaille plus.
Je n’ai plus de livres.
no longer, no more
I am no longer working.
I have no more books.
ne…jamais
Il n’oubliera jamais ce film.
(jamais without ‘ne’ means ‘ever’)
Êtes-vous jamais allé à Paris?
never
He will never forget this film.
(jamais without ‘ne’ means ‘ever’)
Did you ever go to Paris?
ne…guère
Il n’a guère le temps.
hardly
He hardly has the time.
ne…aucun(e)
Il n’a aucun livre.
Je n’ai aucune idée.
no, not any
He hasn’t a single book.
I have no idea.
ne…plus aucun(e)
Il n’a plus aucun livre.
no longer any
He no longer has any books.
ne…que
Il n’a que deux chambres.
Il n’a lu que des journaux.
only
He has only two rooms.
He has read only newspapers.
ne…rien
Il ne voit rien.
Qu’est-ce qu’il voit? Rien.
nothing, not anything
He sees nothing. (He doesn’t see anything.)
What does he see? Nothing.
ne…personne
Elle ne regarde personne.
Elle n’a vu personne.
no one, not anyone
She is not looking at anyone. (she is looking at no one.)
She saw no one.
Nul(le) ne…
Nul ne sait la vérité.
no one
No one knows the truth.
ne…nul(le)
Nul film ne l’intéresse.
no, not any
No film interests him/her.
ne…nulle part
Elle ne va nulle part.
nowhere, not anywhere
She is not going anywhere. (She is going nowhere.)
ne…ni…ni
Il n’a ni père ni mère.
Il n’a écrit ni à son père ni à sa mère.
neither…nor
He has neither a father nor a mother.
He wrote neither to his father nor to his mother.
Il ne veut ni lire, ni écrire, ni étudier.
He wants neither to read nor to write nor to study.
ni l’un(e) ni l’autre ne…
Ni l’un ni l’autre n’est venu.
neither one
Neither one came.
non plus
Il ne le sait pas. Je ne le sais pas non plus.
neither, either
He doesn’t know it. I don’t know it either.
After ne…pas, ne…plus, ne…jamais use ‘de’
Je n’ai pas de livres.
Elle n’a plus d’argent.
Il ne mange jamais de tomates.
After ne…pas, ne…plus, ne…jamais use ‘de’
I don’t have any books.
She doesn’t have any more money.
He never eats tomatoes.
After ne…que use du/ de la/ de l’, des
Je n’ai que des livres.
After ne…que use du/ de la/ de l’, des
I have only books.
Il ne dit jamais rien à personne.
He never says anything to anyone.
