2.5 basic negation (ne...pas)

Basic negation is formed by placing ne...pas around the conjugated verb. Ne becomes n' before a verb beginning with a vowel or a mute h. Here are some examples of sentences in which the verb is negated. 

Note that in spoken French, the ne / n' is sometimes dropped. In familiar speech, tu is often pronounced as t' before a vowel. However, we should avoid these patterns of casual speech in writing, especially as we are just beginning to learn the proper rules.

Exercise: The following affirmative sentences are untrue. Correct the sentences by making them negative using ne...pas. Place ne...pas or n'...pas around the verb as described above. Rewrite the entire sentence, including punctuation. 

1. Marc danse bien. 

2. Tu étudies beaucoup.

3. J'ai vingt ans. 

4. Nous voyageons souvent.

5. Hélène parle espagnol.

6. Vous mangez?

7. Le chat est noir.

8. Georges et Luc écoutent le concert?