The Negative Form

French negatives are used to turn a positive statement into a negative one.

It's like saying "not" in English, but in French, you typically use two parts around the verb.

French	English
Ne...pas	not
Ne...point	not at all
Ne...nullement	not at all
Ne...plus	no more / no longer
Ne...guère	scarcely / hardly
Ne...jamais	never
Ne...rien	nothing
Ne...personne	no-one / nobody
Ne...que	only
Ne...nul(le)	no / none / not any
Ne...nulle part	nowhere / not anywhere
Ne...ni...ni	neither...nor
Je ne mange ni viande ni poisson	I eat neither meat nor fish

Let's break it down with some examples and explanations:

1. Ne... Pas (Not)

• Je cours à l'école. (I run to school.)
• Je ne cours pas à l'école. (I do not run to school.)
• The word ne is placed before the verb, and pas is placed after the verb.

2. Ne... Jamais (Never)

• Je cours à l'école. (I run to school.)
• Je ne cours jamais à l'école. (I never run to school.)
• The word ne is placed before the verb, and jamais is placed after the verb.

3. Ne... Plus (No More)

• Elle boit du thé. (She drinks tea.)
• Elle ne boit plus de thé. (She no longer drinks tea.)
• The word ne is placed before the verb, and plus is placed after the verb.