Practice FrenchC1
Negation, scope, and emphasis
At C1, negation is not just about ne...pas. You need to track scope, emphasis, and whether the negative form applies to a verb, a noun, or a whole clause.
Main patterns
- ne...que means only.
- ne...ni...ni links two exclusions.
- ne...plus can mean no longer, not anymore, or no more.
- ne...guère is literary and means hardly / very little.
- In compound tenses, the negative frame surrounds the auxiliary: je n'avais rien vu.
Watch out
Negation is often about what is excluded from the sentence, not just about the presence of pas. Read the scope carefully before choosing the form.
Try three examples
Example 1
Choose the correct form in standard written French, preserving the meaning shown.
- Je ne dors pas ces jours-ci.
- Je ne dors guère ces jours-ci.
- Je dors guère ces jours-ci.
- Je dors encore ces jours-ci.
Show answer
Je ne dors guère ces jours-ci.
I hardly sleep these days.
Example 2
Type the missing word.
Je ne voulais ___aider.
Show answer
qu'
I only wanted to help.
Example 3
Complete with the imparfait form of «avoir» that fits the sentence.
Je n'___ rien vu avant l'appel.
Show answer
avais
I had seen nothing before the call.
Practice this lesson
Continue with the interactive exercise set and save your progress.