What people do and don't do: 'ne … pas' negation | French

Starter quiz

Tick any of the phrases with liaison.
- les devoirs
- les magasins
- les hommes ✓
- les élèves ✓
- les partenaires
Match the high frequency verbs.
- apprendre
  
  ⇔
  
  to learn ✓
- dire
  
  ⇔
  
  to say ✓
- comprendre
  
  ⇔
  
  to understand ✓
- travailler
  
  ⇔
  
  to work ✓
- prendre
  
  ⇔
  
  to take ✓
- dormir
  
  ⇔
  
  to sleep ✓
Which question word is 'how' in French?
- comment ✓
- pourquoi
- quand
- qui
- où
Fill in the missing word in the sentence 'I don't watch the TV'. Je ______ regarde pas la télé.
- 'ne' ✓
Which word is the French for 'sometimes'?
- rarement
- souvent
- pas
- parfois ✓
- aussi
Order the sentence in French, 'The book is on the desk'.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Le
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  livre
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  est
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  sur
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  le
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  bureau

What is 'under' in French?
- à
- dans
- en
- sous ✓
- sur
Tick any sentences with liaison.
- Je n'aime pas le vélo jaune.
- Je ne vais pas à l'école aujourd'hui. ✓
- Je ne suis pas anglaise. ✓
- Je n'ai pas le temps.
- Ce n'est pas moderne.
Match the French and English verbs.
- je prends
  
  ⇔
  
  I take ✓
- tu prends
  
  ⇔
  
  you take ✓
- il prend
  
  ⇔
  
  he takes ✓
- elle prend
  
  ⇔
  
  she takes ✓
- prendre
  
  ⇔
  
  to take, taking ✓
Add the missing word to the sentence, 'She doesn't sleep well' 'Elle ne dort ______ bien.
- 'pas' ✓
Order the sentence, 'The book isn't on the desk'.
- 1
  
  ⇔
  
  Le
- 2
  
  ⇔
  
  livre
- 3
  
  ⇔
  
  n'
- 4
  
  ⇔
  
  est
- 5
  
  ⇔
  
  pas
- 6
  
  ⇔
  
  sur
- 7
  
  ⇔
  
  le bureau

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Prepositions like dans, sur and sous tell us where objects are.
To say what doesn't happen, use ne... pas around the verb.
Ne shortens to n’ before a verb starting with a vowel.
You can pronounce the ‘s’ in ‘pas’ when it is followed by a word starting with a vowel; this is liaison.

Using ne/n' makes verbs negatives in French like 'not' in English.

French negation has two parts, 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after to say what there isn't.

Liaison - pronouncing a usually silent final consonant because a vowel follows
Preposition - a word that is used before a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun, connecting it to another word
Negation - two elements e.g. ne … pas around the main verb expressing negative meaning