In French, negation is formed using two parts: "ne" before the verb and another word after the verb. These pairs work together to change the statement to a negative one. Below are explanations and examples for some common negations in French.

Simple Negation Patterns

1. ne...pas (not)

   • The basic form of negation in French, equivalent to "not" in English.
   • Je ne comprends pas. (I do not understand.)
   • Il ne parle pas anglais. (He does not speak English.)

2. ne...jamais (never)

   • Indicates something that never happens.
   • Elle ne mange jamais de viande. (She never eats meat.)
   • Ils ne voyagent jamais en hiver. (They never travel in winter.)

3. ne...personne (nobody, no one)

   • Used to express that no one does an action.
   • Je ne vois personne. (I see nobody.)
   • Il n'invite personne à sa fête. (He invites no one to his party.)

4. ne...plus (no more, not anymore)

   • Indicates the cessation of an action.
   • Nous ne mangeons plus de sucre. (We do not eat sugar anymore.)
   • Elle ne travaille plus ici. (She does not work here anymore.)

5. ne...rien (nothing, not anything)

   • Used to express the absence of anything.
   • Il ne dit rien. (He says nothing.)
   • Je ne veux rien acheter. (I do not want to buy anything.)

Guidelines for Usage

• The word "ne" generally comes before the conjugated verb and the second part of the negation comes immediately after.
• If the verb begins with a vowel or a mute "h", "ne" becomes "n'" to ease pronunciation.
  • Je n'ai rien. (I have nothing.)
  • Il n'est plus là. (He is no longer there.)
• With compound tenses (like the passé composé), "ne" and the second part of the negation usually surround the auxiliary verb.
  • Je n'ai jamais vu ce film. (I have never seen this movie.)
  • Elle n'a rien dit. (She said nothing.)

Negation forms alter the meaning of statements profoundly, similar to English, but their structure in French is distinct and must be placed correctly in relation to verbs and other components of the sentence.