Grammar rule
Negation with “ne … pas”
French negation wraps around the conjugated verb.
Explanation of the rule
The rule
Simple negation wraps the conjugated verb: ne before, pas after.
- Je ne comprends pas.
- Nous n'avons pas fini. (in compound tenses it wraps the auxiliary)
Other negations
ne … jamais, ne … plus, ne … rien and ne … personne take the same position, except personne, which follows the participle: je n'ai vu personne.
Common mistake
In speech ne often disappears: je sais pas. In writing it stays required.