Sentence structureA1 · Beginner
Negation with ne… pas
To make a sentence negative, French wraps the verb in two parts: ne before the verb and pas after it.\n\nJe parle → *Je ne parle pas*.\n\nBefore a vowel or silent h, ne becomes n': *Je n'aime pas. In casual speech the ne is often dropped (je sais pas*), but in writing and exams you keep both parts.
Examples
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je ne comprends pas. | I don't understand. |
| Elle n'aime pas le café. | She doesn't like coffee. |
| Nous ne sommes pas prêts. | We are not ready. |
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