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 | Pattern | 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.
Examples from our dialogues 5 · 4 with audio
- 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 appointment
- 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.
Check The Full DialogueTalking about hobbies and interests over a coffee
- Listen
Bonjour. Mon internet ne fonctionne plus depuis ce matin.
Hello. My internet has been down since this morning.
Check The Full DialogueCalling tech support
- 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.
Check The Full DialogueGetting to know people at a condo meeting
Il n'y a personne au comptoir ce matin.
There is nobody at the counter this morning.
Common mistakes
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.
Practise speaking
Santé et urgencesHealth and emergencies
The clinic, the pharmacy, emergencies — the French of healthcare.
These dialogues use this point. They open on the dialogue page (audio, vocabulary to save).