Negation & Questions
Negation patterns and three ways to ask questions in French
Negation
Basic Structure: ne + verb + pas
- Je ne parle pas français. (I don't speak French.)
- Il **n'**aime pas le café. (He doesn't like coffee.)
Note: Before a vowel, ne becomes n'.
Other Negation Words
| Structure | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ne...pas | not | Je ne sais pas. (I don't know.) |
| ne...plus | no longer / not anymore | Je ne fume plus. (I don't smoke anymore.) |
| ne...jamais | never | Je ne bois jamais d'alcool. (I never drink alcohol.) |
| ne...rien | nothing | Je ne vois rien. (I see nothing.) |
| ne...personne | nobody | Je ne connais personne. (I know nobody.) |
| ne...ni...ni | neither...nor | Je n'aime ni le thé ni le café. (I like neither tea nor coffee.) |
| ne...que | only | Je ne bois que de l'eau. (I only drink water.) |
In spoken French: The ne is very often dropped! You'll hear "Je sais pas" instead of "Je ne sais pas", and "C'est pas vrai" instead of "Ce n'est pas vrai."
TCF Listening: Pay close attention for dropped ne — the second part (pas, plus, jamais, etc.) is your key signal that the sentence is negative.
Negation in Compound Tenses
ne + auxiliary + pas + past participle:
- Je **n'**ai pas mangé. (I didn't eat.)
- Elle **n'**est pas venue. (She didn't come.)
Note: rien and personne behave differently:
- Je n'ai rien mangé. (rien goes before the past participle)
- Je n'ai vu personne. (personne goes after the past participle)
Three Ways to Ask Questions
1. Rising Intonation (most informal)
Simply raise your voice at the end of a statement: Tu viens ? (You're coming?)
2. Est-ce que (standard / all-purpose)
Add Est-ce que before a statement: Est-ce que tu viens ? (Are you coming?)
3. Inversion (most formal)
Swap the verb and subject: Viens-tu ? (Are you coming?)
Inversion note: When the verb ends in a vowel and the subject is il/elle/on, add a -t- for pronunciation: Parle-t-il français ? (Does he speak French?)
TCF Strategy: All three forms appear in the exam. Intonation questions are most common in informal listening dialogues. Inversion is more frequent in reading passages and formal listening texts.
Question Words
| Question word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Qui | Who | Qui est-ce ? (Who is it?) |
| Que / Quoi | What | Que fais-tu ? / Tu fais quoi ? |
| Où | Where | Où habites-tu ? (Where do you live?) |
| Quand | When | Quand pars-tu ? (When are you leaving?) |
| Comment | How | Comment vas-tu ? (How are you?) |
| Pourquoi | Why | Pourquoi pleures-tu ? (Why are you crying?) |
| Combien | How much/many | Combien ça coûte ? (How much does it cost?) |
| Quel/Quelle | Which / What | Quel âge as-tu ? (How old are you?) |
Tip: Que is used at the beginning of a sentence (formal), while quoi is used at the end (informal): "Que veux-tu ?" = "Tu veux quoi ?" Both mean "What do you want?"
Quel agrees in gender and number: quel (m.sg.), quelle (f.sg.), quels (m.pl.), quelles (f.pl.).