Practice FrenchB1
Nuanced negation
At B1, you need more than ne...pas. French has several negative expressions that let you say "never", "no longer", "nothing", "nobody", and "only".
Common forms
| Meaning | French | Example |
|---|---|---|
| never | ne...jamais | Je ne voyage jamais en hiver. |
| no longer / not anymore | ne...plus | Elle ne travaille plus ici. |
| nothing | ne...rien | Nous ne comprenons rien. |
| nobody / no one | ne...personne | Il ne connaît personne. |
| only | ne...que | Je n'ai que dix euros. |
Word order
Most negative words go around the conjugated verb: Je ne mange jamais ici. In the passé composé, they usually surround the auxiliary: Je n'ai rien vu.
Watch out
Ne...que is restrictive, not fully negative: Je n'ai que dix euros means "I only have ten euros", not "I don't have ten euros". In everyday speech, people often drop ne, but formal written French keeps it.
Try three examples
Example 1
Her job here ended; she does not work here anymore.
- Elle ne travaille jamais ici.
- Elle ne travaille plus ici.
- Elle ne travaille rien ici.
- Elle ne travaille personne ici.
Show answer
Elle ne travaille plus ici.
She no longer works here.
Example 2
Only ten euros, not a full negation: *Je n'ai ___ dix euros.*
Je n'ai ___ dix euros.
Show answer
que
I only have ten euros.
Example 3
Never in winter: *Je ne voyage ___ en hiver.*
Je ne voyage ___ en hiver.
Show answer
jamais
I never travel in winter.
Practise this lesson
Continue with the interactive exercise set and save your progress.