Where does pas go with two verbs?

Around the conjugated one: je ne veux pas partir, je ne vais pas rester. The infinitive stays outside the sandwich.

Is “pas de” or “pas du”?

After a negative, the article often becomes de: je n’ai pas de lait, je n’ai pas de questions. Frozen phrases still exist — you will hear pas du tout (not at all).

How do I say “I have nothing”?

Je n’ai rien. Rien is the noun here. Je n’ai pas rien is a double negative you do not want.

A1 · Sentences

French negation: ne…pas and what people actually say

English puts “not” after the first helper: I do not know. French wraps the verb: je ne sais pas. Two little words, one on each side. In careful French both are there. In the street, the ne often falls out — and you still need to understand the sentence.

All French grammar See the programs

The sandwich

Put ne (or n’ before a vowel) before the verb, pas after it. In a compound tense, the sandwich hugs the helper, not the participle.

Je ne sais pas.
I don’t know.
Je n’habite pas ici.
I don’t live here.
Je n’ai pas compris.
I didn’t understand. — ne…pas around ai
Ne partez pas.
Don’t leave. — same wrap on the vous form

Never, nothing, no longer

Instead of pas	Meaning	Example
jamais	never	Je ne fume jamais.
rien	nothing	Je ne vois rien.
plus	no longer	Je n’habite plus là.
personne	nobody	Je ne connais personne.
aucun(e)	not a single	Je n’ai aucune idée.

Do not stack pas with these. Je ne sais jamais, not je ne sais pas jamais.

Je n’ai plus le temps.
I don’t have time any more.
On n’a rien dit.
We didn’t say anything.

What you will hear

Written / careful

Je ne sais pas.
I don’t know.
Je n’en veux pas.
I don’t want any.

Spoken

Je sais pas.
Same meaning — ne dropped
J’en veux pas.
You’ll hear this all day

Try this out loud

Refuse three things politely, then plainly.

Je ne peux pas ce soir.
I can’t this evening.
Je n’ai pas compris.
I didn’t understand.
Non, merci. Je n’en veux pas.
No thank you. I don’t want any.

Questions this page usually raises

Keep going

Next grammar pages — same English, next rule.

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