French 2 / Unit 2: The Passé Composé with Avoir
2.3 Negation in the Passé Composé
Notes
Put ne ... pas around the auxiliary verb (avoir), not around the participle.
- Structure: subject + ne + avoir + pas + participle.
- Example: Je n'ai pas mangé. Elle n'a pas fini. Nous n'avons rien vu (nothing). Ils n'ont jamais voyagé (never).
- Use n' before a vowel: Tu n'as pas compris.
- Other negatives follow the same pattern: ne ... jamais, ne ... rien, ne ... plus. (ne ... personne puts personne after the participle: Je n'ai vu personne.)
Practice
Which sentence is correct?
Ne and pas surround the auxiliary avoir.
How do you say "They never traveled"?
Jamais comes between the auxiliary and the participle.
Which sentence means "We did not understand"?
Use ne ... pas around avoir, followed by the participle compris (past tense, not present).
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