1. The Basic Formula
The negative form of a verb in French is constructed like this:
* Subject Pronoun + Ne + Verb + Pas
Examples:
* Je ne mange pas. (I don't eat.)
* Tu ne parles pas français. (You don't speak French.)
* Il ne joue pas au foot. (He doesn't play soccer.)
2. Important Notes
* Ne always comes before the verb, and pas always comes after.
* Ne is often shortened to n' when it precedes a vowel or a silent "h".
* Je n'aime pas le chocolat. (I don't like chocolate.)
* Il n'habite pas ici. (He doesn't live here.)
* Pas is not always the only negative particle. Others include:
* jamais (never)
* plus (no longer)
* rien (nothing)
* personne (no one)
* aucun (no)
These particles typically come after the verb, and sometimes replace pas.
* Je ne mange jamais de viande. (I never eat meat.)
* Il ne parle plus anglais. (He doesn't speak English anymore.)
* Tu ne vois rien ? (You don't see anything?)
* Elle n'a rencontré personne. (She didn't meet anyone.)
3. Negative Imperative
To make a negative imperative, use ne followed by the verb form without the "s" for "tu", and then pas:
* Ne mange pas! (Don't eat!)
* Ne parle pas français! (Don't speak French!)
4. Negative Questions
To form a negative question, put Est-ce que before the negative construction:
* Est-ce que tu ne manges pas ? (Don't you eat?)
* Est-ce qu'il ne joue pas au foot? (Doesn't he play soccer?)
5. Double Negatives
Double negatives are common in French, but they can be tricky.
* In most cases, the use of two negative words creates a positive meaning:
* Je ne veux rien. (I want something.)
* Il n'a jamais vu personne. (He has seen someone.)
* However, if the second negative word is part of a prepositional phrase, it doesn't cancel out the first negative.
* Je n'ai pas de chien. (I don't have a dog.)
* Il n'a jamais eu d'argent. (He never had any money.)
Practice makes perfect! Try to conjugate verbs in the negative in different situations to master this important grammatical concept.