Do you you know how to use the negative form? In French ne ... pas means 'not' and it is used around the main verb of sentence to turn it from a positive into a negative.
There are other useful negatives that work in the same way as ne ... pas:
Negative form | English | Example |
---|---|---|
ne ... plus | not anymore, no longer | Il ne travaille plus - He doesn't work anymore |
ne ... rien | nothing, not anything | Elle ne voit rien - She can't see anything |
ne ... jamais | never | Je ne vais jamais à la piscine - I never go to the swimming pool |
ne ... personne | nobody, not anybody | Ils ne connaissent personne à Paris - They don't know anybody in Paris |
ne ... que | only | Vous ne regardez que des films d'action - You only watch action films |
ne ... ni ... ni | neither ... nor | Je ne vais ni au cinéma ni au théâtre - I neither go to the cinema nor to the theatre |
Remember that ne becomes n' before a vowel or silent -h: