HenHanna
2024-03-12 11:17:01 UTC
French uses "ne" (or its contracted forms) in various situations where
English wouldn't directly translate with "not."
Here are some examples:
0.-- Negation with certain expressions:
English: I hardly ever see him.
French: Je ne le vois presque jamais. (Literally: I not him see almost
never)
Here, "ne" negates the verb "vois" (see), but "pas" isn't used. Instead,
"presque jamais" (almost never) conveys the idea of "hardly."
1.-- Idiomatic expressions:
English: It doesn't matter.
French: Ça ne fait rien (Literally: That not does nothing)
"Ne" negates the verb phrase "fait rien" (does nothing) to express that
something has no consequence.
2.-- Negation with "que":
English: I only have ten euros.
French: Je n'ai que dix euros. (Literally: I not have only ten euros)
Here, "ne" negates the verb "ai" (have), but "que" (only) emphasizes
the limited quantity, conveying the same meaning as the English sentence.
3.-- Negation with specific pronouns:
French: Personne ne sait.
English: Nobody knows.
French uses specific negative pronouns like "personne" (nobody) that
directly express negation, whereas English relies on the pronoun itself.
4.-- Negation with comparisons:
English: He is not as tall as me.
French: Il n'est pas aussi grand que moi. (Literally: He not is not as
big as me)
French uses "ne" before the verb "est" (is) and reinforces negation with
"pas" before the comparative adjective "aussi grand" (as big).
5.-- Negation with infinitives:
English: I told him not to come.
French: Je lui ai dit de ne pas venir. (Literally: I to him told of not
to come)
French places "ne" before the infinitive "venir" (to come) to express
the negative command.
______________________________The pleonastic ne
Examples:
Je crains qu'il ne pleuve. (I fear it may rain.) - "Ne" emphasizes the
possibility of rain, a negative outcome.
Ces exercices sont plus difficiles que je ne le pensais. (These
exercises are harder than I thought.) - "Ne" strengthens the unexpected
difficulty.
Crucially:
The pleonastic ne is optional. Sentences are grammatically correct
without it.
It's more prevalent in formal French and might be less common in spoken
language.
English wouldn't directly translate with "not."
Here are some examples:
0.-- Negation with certain expressions:
English: I hardly ever see him.
French: Je ne le vois presque jamais. (Literally: I not him see almost
never)
Here, "ne" negates the verb "vois" (see), but "pas" isn't used. Instead,
"presque jamais" (almost never) conveys the idea of "hardly."
1.-- Idiomatic expressions:
English: It doesn't matter.
French: Ça ne fait rien (Literally: That not does nothing)
"Ne" negates the verb phrase "fait rien" (does nothing) to express that
something has no consequence.
2.-- Negation with "que":
English: I only have ten euros.
French: Je n'ai que dix euros. (Literally: I not have only ten euros)
Here, "ne" negates the verb "ai" (have), but "que" (only) emphasizes
the limited quantity, conveying the same meaning as the English sentence.
3.-- Negation with specific pronouns:
French: Personne ne sait.
English: Nobody knows.
French uses specific negative pronouns like "personne" (nobody) that
directly express negation, whereas English relies on the pronoun itself.
4.-- Negation with comparisons:
English: He is not as tall as me.
French: Il n'est pas aussi grand que moi. (Literally: He not is not as
big as me)
French uses "ne" before the verb "est" (is) and reinforces negation with
"pas" before the comparative adjective "aussi grand" (as big).
5.-- Negation with infinitives:
English: I told him not to come.
French: Je lui ai dit de ne pas venir. (Literally: I to him told of not
to come)
French places "ne" before the infinitive "venir" (to come) to express
the negative command.
______________________________The pleonastic ne
Examples:
Je crains qu'il ne pleuve. (I fear it may rain.) - "Ne" emphasizes the
possibility of rain, a negative outcome.
Ces exercices sont plus difficiles que je ne le pensais. (These
exercises are harder than I thought.) - "Ne" strengthens the unexpected
difficulty.
Crucially:
The pleonastic ne is optional. Sentences are grammatically correct
without it.
It's more prevalent in formal French and might be less common in spoken
language.