More Negative Adverbs by Bruce Sallee and David Hebert
Many of the negative expressions in this chapter are actually adverbs, used to modify the verb in a negative sense — in fact, ne…pas is an adverb! Some are used in special situations or to convey certain meanings, so study the subtleties. For practice, use the following negative adverbs to convert sentences to negative expressions — either make up sentences or practice with the examples in this book, turning those into negative expressions using these adverbs.
Ne…Aucunement
This expression, which means “not at all” or “not in the least,” is an emphatic form compared to ne…pas; use it when you want to make absolutely sure your listeners appreciate the intensity of your objection.
Ça ne me gêne aucunement. |
That does not bother me at all. |
Ne…Guère
This expression, which means “not much,” “not very,” or “only a little,” is the rough equivalent to such French phrases as pas beaucoup, pas très, peu de, presque pas, and à peine. Whenever those meanings are intended, you can use ne…guère to achieve the same result.
Il n'a guère d'imagination. |
He has hardly any imagination. |
Ne…Nullement
This expression, which means “not at all” or “by no means,” is like ne…aucunement: an emphatic form of ne…pas that can be used to express an absolute disagreement with a statement or an out-and-out denial of some point made by another speaker.
Il n'est nullement pressé. |
He is not at all in a hurry. |
Ne…Pas du Tout
This expression, which means “not at all,” is nearly identically to ne…aucunement and ne…nullement. It can also be used as an emphatic form of ne…pas.
Il n'est pas du tout perturbé. |
He is not at all perturbed. |
Ne…Pas Encore
This expression, which means “not yet,” is the opposite of déjà, which means “already.” This negative adverb is very close in meaning to ne…toujours pas, covered later in this section.
Il n'est pas encore arrivé. |
He hasn't arrived yet. |
Ne…Pas…Non Plus
This construction, which means “no longer,” can also be used in response to a negative question posed using pas. In that case, it is the opposite of aussi, meaning “also” or “too.” When used in this sense, the best English equivalent is probably “either,” as in “not me, either.”
Je ne suis pas pressé non plus. |
I am not in a hurry either. |
Ne…Point
Point tends to be an archaic negative adverb, used seldom in modern French. When it is used, however, it is more emphatic than pas, even though it means close to the same thing: “no,” “not at all,” or “none.” This tends to be a literary adverb; you may encounter it in written French, especially French from an earlier time period.
Non, Cyrano n'a point d'ennemis. |
Indeed, Cyrano has no enemies. |
Ne…Toujours Pas
While this basically shares the same meaning as ne…pas encore, it also carries with it a sense of impatience or apprehension: “not yet.” It does not carry the same meaning as pas toujours, which means “not always,” so don't confuse the two expressions.
Le train n'est toujours pas parti. |
The train has not yet (still hasn't) left. |
In these sections, you learned more negative expressions. Listen to the CD for the pronunciation of some of the expressions you have learned.
Je ne veux ni le pain ni le lait. |
I want neither the bread nor the milk. |
Ni Alain ni Paul ne vient ici. |
Neither Alain nor Paul come here. |
Il ne sait ni lire ni écrire. |
He can neither read nor write. |
Personne ne me voit. |
Nobody sees me. |
Rien ne m'inquiète. |
Nothing worries me. |
Ça ne me gêne aucunement. |
That does not bother me at all. |
Il n'a guère d'imagination. |
He has hardly any imagination. |
Il n'est nullement pressé. |
He is not at all in a hurry. |
Il n'est pas du tout perturbé. |
He is not at all perturbed. |
Il n'est pas encore arrivé. |
He hasn't arrived yet. |
Je ne suis pas pressé non plus. |
I am not in a hurry either. |
Non, Cyrano n'a point d'ennemis. |
Indeed, Cyrano has no enemies. |
Le train n'est toujours pas parti. |
The train has not yet (still hasn't) left. |
