How to master the double negative in French

And what explains mysterious single “ne”

Let’s start with the obvious: most francophones drop the second negative when speaking French.

So, instead of saying:

• Je n’ai pas le temps

We say:

• J’ai pas le temps

You can sound more natural when speaking French if you also drop the double negative.

But, unless your French is advanced, I suggest using the double negation when you’re first learning French. When you feel you can carry a conversation with a certain degree of fluency, you can start dropping the ne. Otherwise, it will sound like you’re trying too hard to speak like a native.

Remember to only drop the ne, not the second negation!

A common mistake made by Spanish speakers and speakers of other romance languages, and people who have studied them, is to drop the second negative, but keep the ne.

For example:

• Je ne suis allé là-bas

  I didn’t go there

This is an important mistake to correct!

• Je ne suis pas allé là-bas

If you drop the double negative, can only remove the ne, not the second negative word.

You have to say, when using a simple negation:

• Je suis pas allé là-bas

When to use the double negative

Using a double negation in conversation is not a mistake and does not sound as outdated as using nous instead of on.

However, as I explained, most French speakers naturally drop the ne in most situations.

Even though most of the time, the double negative is omitted, we sometimes add it to clarify the meaning. But we use it in a different way.

For example:

• Je vous appelle à propos de mon abonnement. Je voulais ne pas le renouveler.

  I am calling about my subscription. I wanted to not renew it.

Here, there is difference in the word order:

• Je ne voulais pas le renouveler

  I didn’t want to renew it.

  ---

• Je voulais ne pas le renouveler

  I wanted to not renew it.

So, we’re using the ne to make sure the other person understands our request, as in the English, “to not do something.”

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To read about the usage of “nous” in French, go to:

Stop saying “nous"

Other negative words

⚠️ Be careful: the double negative can be used with other words than pas. For example rien, nulle part, jamais and personne (no one).

Don’t say:

• Personne ne savait pas d’où il venait

Because personne (no one) is a negative word, you would end up with three negations!

Instead, say:

• Personne ne savait d’où il venait

  No one knew where he was from

With personne and ne, there are already two negatives. If you skip one, it would be the ne.

• Personne savait d’où il venait

⚠️ In writing, always keep the double negative, including texting and emails, unless it is for very short messages to friends.

When only ne is used

When reading, you might come across cases where only the ne is used. Here are some examples.

Ne… Que

If you combine ne and que, the meaning is not a negation, but rather only. This usage is more formal.

• Je n’ai qu’un livre

  I have only one book

• Il ne voit que des films étrangers

  He only watches foreign movies

• Je n'ai lu que deux pages pour te faire plaisir

  I read only two pages to make you happy

Ne explétif

When reading in French, you might also come across a ne that doesn’t seem to be there for any good reason.

Let’s look at a very classic example to understand what this ne is doing.

• Je crains qu’il ne soit trop tard

  I fear that it’s too late

As you can see, the phrase is not negative. This ne is there for emphasis. It’s called the ne explétif, meaning that it’s not indispensable to the meaning or syntax of the sentence, and doesn’t have a negative meaning.

This ne explétif is used almost exclusively in writing. It’s often used in comparisons, with adverbs such as:

• Mieux que

• Pire que

It’s also used with:

• Avant que

• Moins que

• Craindre que

• Avoir peur que

• Redouter que

• Éviter que

• Empêcher que

Let’s look at a few examples.

• Il est bien moins grand que je ne le pensais

  He’s much smaller than I thought

• Nous craignons qu’il n’y ait encore plus de victimes dans l’accident

  We feared there would be more victims in the accident

• Il faut éviter qu’un autre drame ne se produise

  We have to avoid another tragedy (happening)

• Il faut partir avant qu’il ne soit trop tard

  We have to leave before it’s too late

Poetic negation

Finally, it’s also possible to find a simple negation using ne used in a poetic way, in writing only. When speaking, only drop the ne, never drop the second negative.

• Je ne puis demeurer loin de toi plus longtemps

  I can't stay away from you any longer

This is a quote from the famous poem by Victor Hugo, Demain, dès l’aube (read the first part above).

Exercise

Write in French, using ne, with or without a second negation.

1. We need to go before it’s too late.

2. I only have one thing on my mind (meaning: there’s only one thing on my mind).

3. I don’t believe it.

4. There’s nobody here.

5. I’m not going anywhere.

6. Poetic: I can’t live without you.

7. There is less (of it) than I thought.

8. I fear that it’s all lost.

9. No one knew the truth.

10. I don’t believe it.

Answers

1. Nous devons partir avant qu'il ne soit trop tard.

2. Je n'ai qu'une chose en tête

3. Je n'y crois pas.

4. Il n'y a personne ici.

5. Je ne vais nulle part.

6. Je ne puis vivre sans toi.

7. Il y en a moins que je ne le pensais.

8. Personne ne connaissait la vérité.

9. Je crains que tout ne soit perdu

10. Je n'y crois pas.