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A1 → A2 Lesson 3 of 3 · Negation: ne… pas, jamais, rien

Negation with the past tense and pronouns

Place the negation in compound tenses and with object pronouns.

13 min · 8 activities

In this lesson you will

  • Negate the passé composé
  • Place pronouns inside the negation
  • Know the special place of personne
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Lesson summary

The key points to remember, for revision.

  • 1Compound tenses: ne + auxiliary + pas + participle (je n’ai pas compris).
  • 2Personne goes after the participle: je n’ai vu personne.
  • 3Pronouns inside the negation, before the verb: je ne le connais pas.
  • 4Rien goes before the participle: je n’ai rien oublié.

Key vocabulary

comprendreto understand
rencontrerto meet
partirto leave