12 - Negation

Basic negation

Simple structure: ne + verb + pas (e.g., Je ne parle pas = “I don’t speak”).

Basic negation

Note that when the verb begins with a vowel, ne contracts into n' and it's added to the verb, like this:

These special negation words follow the general structure of (ne + verb + negative word).

Structure: Ne + verb + negative word (e.g., ne…jamais, ne…rien). Personne can also be the subject (Personne ne vient = Nobody comes).

jamais (never, nunca):
- Je ne vais jamais à Paris = (I never go to Paris, Nunca voy a París.)
rien (nothing, nada):
- Il ne fait rien aujourd’hui = (He does nothing today, No hace nada hoy.)
personne (nobody, nadie):
- Personne ne parle maintenant = (Nobody speaks now, Nadie habla ahora.)
plus (no more/no longer, ya no):
- Nous ne travaillons plus tard = (We no longer work late, Ya no trabajamos tarde.)

Negative Word	English	Spanish Equivalent	Example Sentence
ne…pas	not	no	Je ne parle pas français. (I don’t speak French.)
ne…jamais	never	nunca	Je ne vais jamais à Paris. (I never go to Paris.)
ne…rien	nothing	nada	Il ne fait rien aujourd’hui. (He does nothing today.)
Personne ne	nobody	nadie	Personne ne parle maintenant. (Nobody speaks now.)
ne…plus	no more	ya no	Nous ne travaillons plus tard. (We no longer work late.)

The “pas encore” combination in a negative sentence means “not yet” and can be used like so:

tip

Keep in mind the liason, pronouncing the "s" in "pas encore" as a soft "z"

In casual speech, the “ne” is often omitted, leaving only the negative words “pas, jamais, rien” as the indicators of a negative statement.