Grammar: Verbs - Negative and Interrogative Forms

Grammar: Verbs - Negative and Interrogative Forms

Section: Negative Forms of Verbs

  • The basic negative structure in French is ne…pas, sandwiched around the verb. For example, “Je ne mange pas” translates to “I do not eat.”

  • The words ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ can contract with the following word if it starts with a vowel or a mute h, for instance, “Je n’aime pas” means “I do not like.”

  • There are other negative expressions in French: ne…jamais (never), ne…plus (no more), ne…rien (nothing), and ne…personne (nobody). They all follow the same structure as ne…pas.

  • In spoken French, the ‘ne’ part of the negative can be often dropped. For instance, “Je sais pas.”

Section: Interrogative Forms of Verbs

  • The basic form of a question in French can simply be the declarative sentence with a rising intonation. For example, “Tu aimes le chocolat ?” (You like chocolate?).

  • Another way to form a question in French is by using inversion, where the verb and subject switch places. For instance, “Aimez-vous le chocolat ?” (Do you like chocolate?)

  • To ask a question, the phrase “est-ce que” can also be used at the start of a sentence. For example: “Est-ce que tu aimes le chocolat ?” (Do you like chocolate?)

Section: Negative-Interrogative Forms of Verbs

  • The negative and interrogative forms can be combined in French, where ne…pas is used along with either inversion or “est-ce que”.

  • For instance, “N’aimes-tu pas le chocolat ?” (Don’t you like chocolate?), or “Est-ce que tu n’aimes pas le chocolat ?” using “est-ce que”.

Section: Common Mistakes with Negative and Interrogative Forms

  • An important point to remember is that the “ne…pas” structure should always come around the verb, even in questions.

  • The word ne does not disappear in formal written French, even if often dropped in informal spoken language. Always include it in your written work.

  • The contraction of ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ with the following word requires an apostrophe, not a hyphen.

  • Be aware of where to place the subject and verb in interrogative sentences. The inversion (verb-subject) is commonly used in more formal French. When using “est-ce que”, the sentence structure is similar to a statement with the subject coming before the verb.