Hi Tien,
Ne pas is just plain ‘not’ and ‘ne....plus’ is no longer/no more.
The Kwiziq lesson for ne...plus is the following -
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/grammar/how-to-say-no-more-no-longer-ne-plus
Hope this helps!
Look at these negative complex sentences:
Tu ne veux pas venir ce soir ?
Don't you want to come tonight?
Je ne vais plus faire ton travail pour toi.
I'm not going to do your work for you anymore.
In sentences with both a conjugated verb AND an infinitive, the negations ne...pas / ne...jamais / ne...plus etc are placed on each side of the conjugated verb.
ATTENTION:
You cannot say: Tu ne veux venir pas ce soir.
BUT
You can say: Tu peux ne pas venir.
However, in that case, it means: You can not come / You're allowed not to come.
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Je ne vais plus faire ton travail pour toi.
I'm not going to do your work for you anymore.
Je ne sais pas jouer du piano.
I don't know how to play piano.
Tu ne dois pas crier.
You mustn't shout.
Ils ne doivent jamais mentir.
They must never lie.
Nous n'aimons pas cuisiner.
We don't like cooking.
Il ne va jamais arrêter.
He's never going to stop.
Tu ne veux pas venir ce soir ?
Don't you want to come tonight?
Elle ne peut pas chanter à cause de sa toux.
She can't sing because of her cough.
Q&A Forum 12 questions, 26 answers
TiênKwiziq community member
i dont know when we use " pas" or when we use "plus" ~ Can you help me with this
Asked 7 months ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
ne..pas = not: Il n'y a pas de lait dans le frigo. -- There is no milk in the fridge.
ne..plus = not (any)more: Il n'y a plus de lait dans le frigo. -- There is no more milk in the fridge.
Tiên asked:View original
i dont know when we use " pas" or when we use "plus" ~ Can you help me with this
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SaraKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
‘ne pas + infinitif’
Could someone kindly elaborate on the grammatical structure behind instances when ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ occur side-by-side, like ‘Tu peux ne pas venir’ and ‘Prière de ne pas déranger’ please?
Asked 7 months ago
If ne..pas are used to negate a conjugated verb, they bracket the verb. If they negate an infinitive, the are both in front of the infinitive: ne pas + infinitive.
Sara asked:View original
‘ne pas + infinitif’
Could someone kindly elaborate on the grammatical structure behind instances when ‘ne’ and ‘pas’ occur side-by-side, like ‘Tu peux ne pas venir’ and ‘Prière de ne pas déranger’ please?
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Shrey Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Madame ! I suppose ‘ne....nullepart’ and ‘ne........aucun(e)’ are pretty much exceptions to this rule ? Can this be highlighted further? Merci
Asked 10 months ago
Shrey Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Il ne veut dire quelquechose.
Il ne veut rien dire. / Il ne veut dire rien.
So I think ne.....rien too.
Shrey asked:View original
Bonjour Madame ! I suppose ‘ne....nullepart’ and ‘ne........aucun(e)’ are pretty much exceptions to this rule ? Can this be highlighted further? Merci
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AaronKwiziq community member
What are some examples with COD/COI + La negation + Conj Verb, Infi. Verb?
Asked 1 year ago
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BillKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Asking negative vs positive questions
Am i understanding the lesson correctly by following the below example for the following translation?
English: How can I not go? Here, i'm intending to mean the sense that I don't want to go, am searching for a reason to not go, but i need to go or am required to go, etc.
Would that be: comment puis-je ne pas aller ?
Merci!
Asked 1 year ago
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
I’m interested to know the answer to this as well.
Cécile and Aurélie - please advise?
Bill asked:View original
Asking negative vs positive questions
Am i understanding the lesson correctly by following the below example for the following translation?
English: How can I not go? Here, i'm intending to mean the sense that I don't want to go, am searching for a reason to not go, but i need to go or am required to go, etc.
Would that be: comment puis-je ne pas aller ?
Merci!
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Kwiziq community member
Bojour, Why is "Nous ne savions pas lire avant" translated as "We couldn't read before" !! Whereas it ought to be "We did not know how to read before.
Asked 1 year ago
To me, either version is OK in English because "can" carries both meanings (to be able to something -- savoir, and to have the opportunity to do somtehing -- pouvoir).
"I can read" thus can both mean that I have learned to read in school and also that I am in a position to read (as in "I can read the text if you want.")
For the sake of clarity, however, and to be absolutely clear, the translation "We didn't know how to read" would be better.
AurélieKwiziq team member
I completely agree with Chris's comprehensive answer :)
I've now changed the English accordingly.
Bonne journée !
Jerin asked:View original
Bojour, Why is "Nous ne savions pas lire avant" translated as "We couldn't read before" !! Whereas it ought to be "We did not know how to read before.
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BillKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Various verb tenses
Hello, i'm probably getting ahead of myself (only been studying French for 2 months) but wanted to see if anyone would be willing to let me know if I'm correct or not on below conjugations.
I ate = j'ai mangé
I was eating / used to eat = je mangaisI should eat = je devrais mangerI will eat = je mangeraiI should not eat = je ne devrais pas mangerI will have eaten = j'aurai mangéI will not have eaten yet = je n'aurai pas mangé encoreI had eaten = j'avais mangéI had not eaten yet = je n'avais mangé encoreI have to eat = je doit mangerI can't eat right now = je ne peux pas manger maintenant/tout de suite?I should have eaten = j'aurais pas dû mangerIt seems in general that "should" future uses conditional present and "should" future uses conditional past.I apologize in advance if this is too much for a single post :(Asked 1 year ago
I had not eaten yet -- Je n'avais pas encore mangé
I have to eat -- Je dois manger
I should have eaten -- J'aurais dû manger
BillKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Merci beaucoup! I realized I had a couple stupid errors in my original post (je doit, par exemple eek) & the "pas" in my translation of I should have eaten - oops!
I understand my error in reposting "Je aurai dû..." should have been "aurais", (because doubt, certainty, wish, etc. requires conditional?) i think that was a typo the 2nd time around. I guess i had that correct initially (minus the "pas"), and shouldn't have changed the verb form for manger.
I need to read up more on the placement of adverbs such as "encore" around the pas, that is a little confusing to me. To me, the "encore" sounds better after pas, but that obviously doesn't mean anything.
Oh also to say "right now" in that context is it better to say maintenant or tout de suite?
Thanks so much! This site is awesome, i'm learning a lot from it.
BillKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
oh and i had a spelling error. I used to eat s/b Je mangeais.
thanks again.
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
For "right now", either maintenant or tout de suite is fine. For my feeling, tout de suite carries a bit more urgency, but I might be wrong.
Bill asked:View original
Various verb tenses
Hello, i'm probably getting ahead of myself (only been studying French for 2 months) but wanted to see if anyone would be willing to let me know if I'm correct or not on below conjugations.
I ate = j'ai mangé
I was eating / used to eat = je mangaisI should eat = je devrais mangerI will eat = je mangeraiI should not eat = je ne devrais pas mangerI will have eaten = j'aurai mangéI will not have eaten yet = je n'aurai pas mangé encoreI had eaten = j'avais mangéI had not eaten yet = je n'avais mangé encoreI have to eat = je doit mangerI can't eat right now = je ne peux pas manger maintenant/tout de suite?I should have eaten = j'aurais pas dû mangerIt seems in general that "should" future uses conditional present and "should" future uses conditional past.I apologize in advance if this is too much for a single post :(Don't have an account yet? Join today
BillKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Trying to say..
I shouldn't have eaten so much...
Je n'ai devrais pas trop mangé
I know this is incorrect, but would like some guidance on how to correctly state this.
Thank you
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Bill,
Actually the correct translation of 'I shouldn't have eaten so much' would be :
Je n'aurais pas dû autant manger
Hope this helps!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Je n'aurais pas dû trop manger.
You need the conditionel passé because the action is already in the past.
Bill asked:View original
Trying to say..
I shouldn't have eaten so much...
Je n'ai devrais pas trop mangé
I know this is incorrect, but would like some guidance on how to correctly state this.
Thank you
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LewisKwiziq community member
Correction of conjugated verb
The test question: My mates are not going to celebrate the new year.
HINT: Use Le Futur Proche
I wrote: Mes potes n'iront pas célébrer la nouvelle année.
Correct answer: Mes potes ne vont pas célébrer la nouvelle année.
If 'vont' is Le Présent and 'iront' is Le Futur, then why would my answer be incorrect?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Lewis,
The futur proche is constructed by the conjuaged form of "aller" + infinitive:
Je vais célébrer. -- I am going to celebrate.
Ils vont célébrer. -- They are going to celebrate.
-- Chris.
LewisKwiziq community member
Ok, I see the problem now. I used 'iront' which is futur presént, and completely forgot about the three A1 lessons on futur proche. Thanks.
Lewis asked:View original
Correction of conjugated verb
The test question: My mates are not going to celebrate the new year.
HINT: Use Le Futur Proche
I wrote: Mes potes n'iront pas célébrer la nouvelle année.
Correct answer: Mes potes ne vont pas célébrer la nouvelle année.
If 'vont' is Le Présent and 'iront' is Le Futur, then why would my answer be incorrect?
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SueKwiziq community member
Why is it ‘ne devrions fumer plus’ when there is a conjugated and an infinitive?
Asked 1 year ago
AliciaKwiziq community member
Hi Sue,
What is your question exactely ? Is it about the verbal forms?
The correct way to say it is 'Nous ne devrions plus fumer' (Nous ne devrions plus + inf)
Do we say 'She shouldn't smokes anymore' ?
Je te laisse réfléchir à tout ça (I let you think!)
Sue asked:View original
Why is it ‘ne devrions fumer plus’ when there is a conjugated and an infinitive?
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SueKwiziq community member
Why is the future tense suggested and then not used in the given answer.?
Asked 1 year ago
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DingdongKwiziq community member
'Nous ne savions pas lire avant' why we use indicatif imparfait of 'savoir' in here ?
Asked 2 years ago
The imperfect tense is used because it refers to a longer lasting state as kind of a background description.
Another example:
Nous avions froid et faim à cette époque-là.
We were cold and hungry those days.
Hier nous avons eu faim donc on est rentrés.
Yesterday we were hungry, so we returned.
We were cold and hungry those days.
Hier nous avons eu faim donc on est rentrés.
Yesterday we were hungry, so we returned.
In the first example the description is about a longer lasting state and describes sets the scene for maybe a further statement whatever might have happened then.
In the second example it is about getting hungry and then returning, i.e., two occurences which both describe what HAPPENED (i.e., an action) and not what WAS (i.e., a state of being).
I hope that helps,
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
AurélieKwiziq team member
To complete Chris' excellent answer, here are links to our lessons on how to use L'Imparfait :
Bonne journée !
Dingdong asked:View original
'Nous ne savions pas lire avant' why we use indicatif imparfait of 'savoir' in here ?
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