A2BeginnerNegation · Point 17 / 40
ne… jamais, ne… rien, ne… plus, ne… personne
Negation is built in two pieces around the verb: “ne” before it and a second word after it.
| Negative word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ne… jamais | “jamais” means “at no time, never”. |
| ne… rien | “rien” means “nothing at all”. |
| ne… plus | “plus” means “no longer, it’s finished”. |
| ne… personne | “personne” means “nobody”. |
“Jamais”, “rien”, “plus” and “personne” replace “pas”: you do not use both together. Before a vowel “ne” becomes “n’”. In speech “ne” often drops out, but in writing you keep it.
In context
Examples from our dialogues
Lines taken from our dialogues. Listen to them, then open the full dialogue to hear them in a real situation.
- Listen
Pas de problème. Je regarde les disponibilités… La docteure n'a rien avant la semaine prochaine.
No problem. I'll check the availabilities… The doctor has nothing before next week.
Check The Full DialogueCancelling or rescheduling a medical appointmentAnnuler ou reporter un rendez-vous médical
A2 - Listen
Avec plaisir ! On se voit tous les jours, mais on n'a jamais vraiment le temps de jaser.
My pleasure! We see each other every day, but we never really have time to chat.
- Listen
Bonjour. Mon internet ne fonctionne plus depuis ce matin.
Hello. My internet has been down since this morning.
Check The Full DialogueCalling tech supportAppeler le support technique
B1 - Listen
Justement, je me demandais — comment ça se passe pour voter ? Je n'ai jamais fait ça.
Speaking of which, I was wondering — how does the voting work? I've never done it before.
Il n'y a personne au comptoir ce matin.
There is nobody at the counter this morning.
Watch out
Common mistakes
Mistakes you will often hear, and the right way to say it.
Je n'ai pas jamais fait ça.Je n'ai jamais fait ça.
“Jamais”, “rien”, “plus” and “personne” replace “pas”: you do not use both together.
Read
Related readings
Short texts where this point comes up. Read them to see it inside a story.