Why is it "N'ayons" yet "ne sois pas" - i.e. one has the "pas" but the other doesn't?
The verbs 'être', 'avoir' and 'savoir' are irregular in L'Impératif:
être | avoir | savoir | |
tu | sois | aie | sache |
nous | soyons | ayons | sachons |
vous | soyez | ayez | sachez |
On their own, they're not terribly useful, but they are essential to express some commands.
Ne sois pas méchant!
Don't be mean!
N'aie pas peur!
Don't be afraid!
Sache que je pense toujours à toi.
Know that I'm still thinking of you
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 7 questions, 21 answers
Hi Rob,
Having looked at the lesson I cannot see the case you are refering to.
Just to confirm : Normally, ALL negative commands enclose the positive command form with "ne...pas"
e.g. "N'ayons pas peur de mourir" - "Let's not be afraid to die"
There are exceptions in some proverbes and fixed expressions, usually hangovers from medieval French where 'ne' was frequently used on its own.
e.g." N'ayez crainte!" - "Never fear!"
but normal speech requires the "ne...pas" construction.
Hope this helps.
Tom

Negative command
Why is it "N'ayons" yet "ne sois pas" - i.e. one has the "pas" but the other doesn't?
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Dictionary examples using "en" for people
Could a native speaker weigh in on the following dictionary examples that use "en" for people?
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/en
>> Combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ta classe ? – Il y en a trente. — How many pupils are there in your class? – There are 30.
- https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/en/28919
>> Tous les invités ne sont pas arrivés, il en manque deux. — All the guests haven't arrived yet, two are missing.

Hi Aaron,
Both sentences are correct -
The first 'en' replaces élèves in -
il y en a trente
You could add, of them to the translation but it is often superfluous in English.
Int the second example 'en' replaces 'invités'.
In the translation of -
Il en manque deux
You could say
two of them are missing
but again superfluous in English.
Necessary in French I am afraid...
Possibly you are thinking of lessons like this one:
En can replace de + phrase (adverbial pronoun)
The lesson says to use en for things, but stress pronouns for people. However that doesn't apply when en is used for quantities. You can't say "il y a trente d'eux."

Thanks Alan. That's exactly the sort of thing I was thinking about, and why I asked the question.

Dictionary examples using "en" for people
Could a native speaker weigh in on the following dictionary examples that use "en" for people?
- https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/french-english/en
>> Combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ta classe ? – Il y en a trente. — How many pupils are there in your class? – There are 30.
- https://www.larousse.fr/dictionnaires/francais-anglais/en/28919
>> Tous les invités ne sont pas arrivés, il en manque deux. — All the guests haven't arrived yet, two are missing.
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Does this mean that these commands always use the subjunctive cSe

Hi Robin,
Not sure if it is useful to learn the imperative of these verbs by comparing them with their subjunctive forms as Jim rightly says they convey totally different things.
It doesn't follow the pattern in the case of savoir (See nous).
The imperative mood is used to give instruction or command or orders.
The subjunctive mood is used to indicate uncertainty / doubt / emotion / desire.
So given that it does not follow at least in the case of savoir (nous) then I would say that it does not mean that "these commands always use use the subjunctive"
Yes, nous sachons is the exception of the exception. Go figure! :)
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Hi John.
There are two expressions, 'avoir du courage' (to have courage ) or 'être courageux' (to be brave/courageous) .
So it will depend which you choose to use :
"Ayons du courage! " or
"Soyons courageux! "
Hope this helps!
Sorry Chris, I've lost this now but as I remember it the answer to 'Let's be courageous' is given as 'Soyons courageux'. My Collins-Robert dictionary gives 'Avoir du courage' as 'to have courage'. As with 'raison' and 'peur' shouldn't courage take avoir?
Regards
John
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Faire confiance
The quiz asked: How would you tell your friends to have faith? "____ confiance, mes amis!" Have faith, my friends.
I answered "Faites" but it wanted "Ayez". Nearly all lessons here that refer to "confiance" associate it with "faire" - not "avoir". There does not seem to be one specifically on "Have faith". What is the grammar rule here?

Hi all,
In my opinion, both expressions can be used to indicate the idea of trust .
Avoir confiance en = to have faith/trust/confidence in something or someone
Faire confiance à quelque chose/quelqu'un = to trust something or someone
e.g.
J'ai confiance en toi= Je te fais confiance
Tu ne me fais pas confiance = Tu n'as pas confiance en moi.
This particular quiz was asking you to use 'avoir confiance', the interesting element being the imperative of avoir which is 'Ayez'..
Hope this helps!
Hi David,
Recommended reading with respect to your question:
http://parler-francais.eklablog.com/avoir-confiance-en-dans-a4936709
-- Chris.


Thank you Cécile.
Your answer help me in understanding the usage.
The issue this illustrates with Kwiziq is that often the quizzes are encountered a long way from the lessons and the only standard one can apply, in attempting to answer them correctly first time, is what is correct French usage - not what has appeared in some Kwiziq lesson.
After getting them "wrong" one can attempt to memorize what the acceptable answer is so that one will not be penalized in future, which is essential if, like me, you are attempting to get 100% in each level. (Currently I am at 100% on levels A0,A1,A2,B1 and at 99+% on level B2). Of course a bigger problem, for me, is my own stupid mistakes.

Faire confiance
The quiz asked: How would you tell your friends to have faith? "____ confiance, mes amis!" Have faith, my friends.
I answered "Faites" but it wanted "Ayez". Nearly all lessons here that refer to "confiance" associate it with "faire" - not "avoir". There does not seem to be one specifically on "Have faith". What is the grammar rule here?
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the quiz gave the answer to "let's not be scared any more as "n'ayons" - why is it not "ne soyons"?
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
the quiz gave the answer to "let's not be scared any more as "n'ayons" - why is it not "ne soyons"?
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When to use the imperative vs subjunctive
When to use the imperative vs subjunctive
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