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French frequency list

No. 14 in French

ne

The French word "ne" is a particle used in negation, typically paired with another word like "pas" to mean "not."

In a sentence

  • Je ne sais pas.

    I don't know.

    In this sentence, 'ne' is part of the negation construction 'ne...pas,' used to negate the verb 'sais' (know).

  • Il ne mange jamais.

    He never eats.

    Here, 'ne' is used with 'jamais' to express negation meaning 'never,' negating the action of eating in the verb 'mange' (eats).

  • Si je ne me trompe pas, c'est correct.

    If I'm not mistaken, that's correct.

    In this case, 'ne' is used with 'trompe pas' to negate the reflexive verb 'me trompe,' indicating the condition of not being mistaken.

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