Negatives and questions in French

MFL, French grammar. Usually met in years 7 to 11.

Make French sentences negative with ne … pas and other negatives, and ask questions the ways French speakers do.

What you practise

ne … pas, ne … jamais, ne … plus and ne … rien
Question words
Turning a statement into a question

Starts with ne … pas and builds to other negatives and inverted questions. Practice moves up a level when a round goes well and down when it does not.

Sample questions

Each sample comes with the method and the reason every wrong option is wrong. Real practice rounds are ten questions at your level.

Sample question, level 2 of 5

Which question word means ‘where’?

ou
quand
où
pourquoi
comment

Show the answer and method

Answer: C, où

The method: Où (with an accent) means where.

Why the other options are wrong:

A, ou: Without the accent, ou means ‘or’.
B, quand: Quand means when.
D, pourquoi: Pourquoi means why.
E, comment: Comment means how.

Sample question, level 4 of 5

What does ‘il n’y a rien’ mean?

There is nothing
There is nobody
There is no longer
There is something
There is not much

Show the answer and method

Answer: A, There is nothing

The method: Ne … rien means nothing: il n’y a rien.

Why the other options are wrong:

B, There is nobody: Nobody would be ne … personne.
C, There is no longer: No longer would be ne … plus, and needs more after it.
D, There is something: Something is quelque chose.
E, There is not much: Not much would be pas beaucoup.

See where this fits: every language topic and Key Stage 3.