The basic word order in a declarative sentence in French is the same as in English: Subject + Verb + Object.
| Subject | Verb | Object |
|---|---|---|
| Edward | aime | le foot. |
| Il | regarde | la télé. |
| Elle | mange | Son sandwich. |
| Nous | ne mangeons pas | de viande. |
To form a negative sentence in French, you need to add the negation words ne…pas on each side of the verb. Ne is shortened to n’ before a verb starting with vowel or a silent h. Ne is often dropped altogether in spoken French:
Je n’aime pas cuisiner.
I don’t like cooking.
On ne mange pas de viande.
We don’t eat meat.
If there is an auxiliary verb, the negation words ne…pas go on each side of the auxiliary verb:
Nous n’avons pas mangé de petit-déjeuner.
We haven’t eaten breakfast.
The following negation words occupy the same place as ne… pas on each side of the verb:
ne…personne = “nobody / not…anybody”:
Manon n’invite personne chez elle.
Manon doesn’t invite anyone to her place.
ne…plus = ” not anymore – no longer”:
Tu n’habites plus en Italie?
You’re not living in Italy anymore?
ne…rien = “nothing / not…anything”:
Il ne veut rien.
He doesn’t want anything.