French Grammar Explained /
Negation - How to use "ne...pas"
Negation in French uses two particles: ne and pas. These two particles sandwich the verb, so let's just say that you're making a verb sandwich with ne and pas.
Now I'm hungry.
Let's take a look:
Je parle français
I speak French.
Je ne parle pas français
I don't speak French.
That's it?
Yup! Now you can make negative statements, isn't that handy?
Je ne sais pas !
Well done! And remember, if the ne comes before a vowel or an h, it turns into n'. So it's Je n'aime pas and not Je ne aime pas.
Of course, the French flow of speech...
Notes
In less formal speech the ne may be reduced to just an n sound, and is frequently dropped altogether, leaving just a lonely pas after the verb. Keep your ears tuned for this when listening to French speakers!
J'aime pas !
Je sais pas !