French Negation Made Easy: How to Use ne... pas (A2)

You already know how to say “I speak French.” But how do you say “I don’t speak French yet”? Today we’ll make French negation with ne… pas feel natural. You’ll learn the basic rule, where to put pas with pronouns and in the passé composé, what changes in informal speech, and how to avoid classic mistakes.

The basic sandwich: ne … pas

In French, ne and pas go around the conjugated verb — they “sandwich” it.

  • Je parle. → Je ne parle pas. (I speak → I don’t speak)
  • Il travaille. → Il ne travaille pas. (He works → He doesn’t work)
French
Je ne mange pas de viande.
Lit: I not eat of meat
I don’t eat meat.

Je aime pas le café.

Two verbs? Use ne pas + infinitive

When you have a modal or preference verb followed by an infinitive (want, can, like, prefer…), put ne pas right before the infinitive.

French
Je préfère ne pas conduire la nuit.
Lit: I prefer not drive the night
I prefer not to drive at night.
🔠 Put the words in order

ne pas goes right before the infinitive.

ne… pas + pronouns (le, la, les, y, en)

Pronouns stay close to the verb, inside the negation. The order is: ne + pronoun(s) + verb + pas.

French
Je ne le connais pas.
Lit: I not him know not
I don’t know him/it.
French
Il n’y va pas.
Lit: He not there goes not
He isn’t going there.
French
Je n’en veux pas.
Lit: I not of-it want not
I don’t want any.
🧠 Check your understanding: placement

Passé composé and ne… pas

Put ne and pas around the auxiliary (avoir/être), not the past participle.

French
Je n’ai pas fini.
Lit: I not have not finished
I haven’t finished.
French
Elle n’est pas sortie.
Lit: She not is not gone-out
She didn’t go out.

Je n’ai pas voiture.

n’ ne (contracted before vowel) aime verb (aimer)

Negative commands (imperative)

To tell someone not to do something, use ne… pas around the imperative form.

  • Ne parle pas si vite ! (Don’t speak so fast!)
  • Ne le fais pas ! (Don’t do it!)
  • Ne m’attends pas ! (Don’t wait for me!)
Parle pas si vite ! → Ne parle pas si vite ! In writing (and formal speech), keep ne… pas for negative commands.

Real-life French: dropping ne

In casual spoken French, many people drop ne: Je sais pas, On va pas, J’ai pas envie. This is normal in conversation but avoid it in writing, at work, or with people you don’t know well.

💬 Arrange the mini-dialogue
pas
not (with ne)
adv.
Je ne viens pas.
I’m not coming.
jamais
never (with ne)
adv.
Il ne mange jamais tard.
He never eats late.
plus
no more / no longer (with ne)
adv.
Je ne fume plus.
I don’t smoke anymore.
rien
nothing (with ne)
pron.
Je ne veux rien.
I want nothing.
personne
no one / nobody (with ne)
pron.
Il n’attend personne.
He is waiting for no one.

Quick practice: mix and fix

Try these to lock it in.

Ils ne vont au bureau demain.

🔠 Put the words in order

Pronoun stays inside ne … pas.

Wrap-up

  • Use ne… pas around the conjugated verb.
  • With two verbs, place ne pas before the infinitive.
  • In passé composé, surround the auxiliary: Je n’ai pas… / Elle n’est pas…
  • Pronouns (me, le, y, en) stay inside ne… pas.
  • After negation, use de/d’ for indefinite quantities: pas de café, pas d’argent.
  • In casual speech, people drop ne, but keep it in writing.

Keep noticing negation in shows, podcasts, and messages. The more “sandwiches” you see, the more natural it gets. Tu ne t’arrêtes pas maintenant — keep going!