Interrogative and Negative Form of French Sentences

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Interrogative Form 3 ways to ask questions

Inversion Switch position of subject and verb.

Comprenez-vous la question? Do you understand the question?

Parlez-vous espagnol? Do you speak Spanish?

If the third-person singular of a verb ends with a vowel, a -t- is inserted to facilitate the pronunciation.

Parle-t-elle russe? Does she speak Russian?

Est-ce que Begin the question with est-ce que. Est-ce que becomes est-ce qu' before a vowel.

Est-ce que vous courez dans le parc? Do you run in the park?

Est-ce qu'ills vendent des timbres? Do they sell stamps?

Intonation Keep word order and speak with an upward intonation.

Tu finis à cinq heurs? You're finishing at five o'clock?

Negative Form Ne...Pas Place ne...pas around the verb.

Elle ne travaille pas le lundi. She works on Mondays.

If ne precedes a verb that starts with a vowel or mute h, ne becomes n'.

Je n'habite pas à Strasbourg.

Other negations using ne... ne...personne not anybody

ne...jamais never

ne...plus de no more

ne...rien nothing

ne...guère hardly

Ni...Ni Precedes each noun it negates. Negative particle ne (n') comes directly before the verb. When a definite article is used (la, le, l', les) before the noun, the definite article remains when the verb is negated.

Il n'aime ni le café ni le chocolat. He likes neither coffee nor chocolate.

Elle n'aime ni le bleu ni le jaune. She likes neither blue nor yellow.

Whe the indefinite or partitive article is used before the noun in the affirmative sentence, the article disappears when the verb is made negative.

Elle commande de l'eau et du vin. She orders water and wine.

Elle ne commande ni eau ni vin. She orders neither water nor wine.