English–French
“not” in French
How to say “not” in French
“Not” in French is ne.
A small negative marker stands before the verb and helps turn the whole clause toward negation with words such as pas or jamais.
Example sentences with ne
Elle ne comprend pas la question.
She does not understand the question.
Tips for using ne
- In careful writing, ne normally appears with pas, but it is often omitted in informal speech, as in Je sais pas.
Other French words for “not”
Je n'ai pas faim.
I'm not hungry.