How to Make Negative Sentences in French

Making sentences negative in French is a bit more complicated than in English. This summary of the different kinds of negation and negation-related grammatical structures should help clear up some of the confusion. The title of each negation category links to a detailed lesson with examples of usage and a quiz. (Don't) just say nonNo, not a chance, I don't think so, and more. nonpas question ! Negative adverbsNegate or restrict the action of the verb they modify. ne... pasne... jamais Negative adjectivesNegate or cast doubt on a quality of the noun they modify. ne... nulne... aucun Negative pronounsNegate or cast doubt on the existence of the noun they replace. ne... rienne... personne Negative conjunctionThere's only one: ne... ni... ni... Negative questionsThere's a special French word to respond yes when someone else says no.lt;br - Non.- Si ! Negating infinitives2-part negative structures stay together in front of infinitives. Ne pas toucher.Ne jamais fermer. N'importe... expressionsDesignate an unspecified person, thing, or characteristic. n'importe quin'importe quel... PasNegate a non-verbal structure. pas beaucouppas souvent Double negativesTwo negatives don't make a positive in French. Ce n'est pas rien.Je n'ai jamais vu personne. Formal negationThere are three negative structures particular to formal French. ne... pointavant qu'il ne... Informal negationNe is often dropped in spoken French. Je sais pas.Bouge pas !