Simple negation in French is used to express the negativity of an action or a state. The most common forms are ne...pas, ne...plus, ne...jamais, and ne...ni...ni. They frame the conjugated verb to change the meaning of the sentence by making it negative.
Ne...pas
Expresses the general negation of an action or a state.
- Je ne travaille pas aujourd'hui. (I am not working today.)
- Il ne mange pas de viande. (He does not eat meat.)
Ne...plus
Indicates the cessation of an action or a state.
- Elle ne fume plus. (She no longer smokes.)
- Nous ne sortons plus le soir. (We no longer go out in the evening.)
Ne...jamais
Means that the action or state has never taken place.
- Tu ne vas jamais au cinéma. (You never go to the cinema.)
- Je ne l'ai jamais rencontré. (I have never met him.)
Ne...ni...ni
Used to express the negation of two or more elements.
- Il ne lit ni journaux ni magazines. (He reads neither newspapers nor magazines.)
- Elle ne parle ni anglais ni espagnol. (She speaks neither English nor Spanish.)
These negation structures are important. They must be memorized.
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