French word

pas

Pronunciation

IPA/pa/

Meaning

  • adverbnot

Example

Je n'ai pas faim.

I'm not hungry.

Illustration for pas (not)

More examples

Il n'est pas content de la décision.

He is not happy with the decision.

Core concept

A small stop beside an action, shutting the action out.

Common phrases

  • ne ... pas

    not

  • pas vraiment

    not really

  • pas mal

    not bad

Similar words

jamais: Indicates that something never happens.
plus: Indicates that something no longer continues or exists.
encore: Indicates that an action or state is still continuing.
toujours: Indicates that a state or habit always continues in the same way.

Definition in French

Marque la négation, généralement placé après le verbe dans la construction « ne ... pas », et servant à nier une proposition.

Word origin

French pas comes from Old French pas, 'step', from Latin passus; in ne ... pas, it first reinforced negation through the idea of not even a step before becoming the general negative marker.

Usage tips

  • In careful standard writing, ne normally accompanies pas, but everyday speech often drops ne, as in Je sais pas.

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