Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Verbs: 1
- Chapter 2 Verbs: 2
- Chapter 3 Tabular treament of verbs
- Chapter 4 Verb list
- Chapter 5 Nouns and adjectives
- Chapter 6 Pronouns
- Chapter 7 Determiners
- Chapter 8 Prepositions
- Chapter 9 Adverbs and adverbial expressions
- Chapter 10 Negation
- Chapter 11 Numerals
- Chapter 12 Sentences and clauses
- Key to exercises
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 10 - Negation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Verbs: 1
- Chapter 2 Verbs: 2
- Chapter 3 Tabular treament of verbs
- Chapter 4 Verb list
- Chapter 5 Nouns and adjectives
- Chapter 6 Pronouns
- Chapter 7 Determiners
- Chapter 8 Prepositions
- Chapter 9 Adverbs and adverbial expressions
- Chapter 10 Negation
- Chapter 11 Numerals
- Chapter 12 Sentences and clauses
- Key to exercises
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Negation + verb
To negate a verb, the negative particle ne is used:
alone (but very rarely) –
Si ce n'est de garder cette bonne habitude d'avoir toujours une bouteille d'eau à portée de main = unless it is to keep this good habit of always having a bottle of water to hand
in conjunction with another item which may be
a negative particle –
Monogamie ne rime pas avec monotonie = monogamy and monotony are not the same thing
a pronoun –
Personne ne veut provoquer un oedème des cordes vocales et une laryngite chronique – ne fumez donc pas– no one wants to cause oedema of the vocal cords and chronic laryngitis – so don't smoke
a determiner –
D'autres objets ne doivent en aucun cas être introduits dans la bouche de l'enfant = under no circumstances must other objects be placed in the child's mouth
an adverb –
Un tiers des couples français ne font plus l'amour = a third of French couples no longer make love
All these items require ne when negating a verb – except in informal French when the ne is often dropped – see 431. However, when they are used without a verb, they still retain their negative values; in other words, personne = no one (but une personne = a person), aucun = no, none, jamais = never (but in certain circumstances, it can also = ever).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- A Student Grammar of French , pp. 309 - 325Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006