In this detailed lesson, we will explore the five important rules about using French articles after negation and negative expressions. Whether you’re just starting out and want to understand the basics or even if you’re fairly advanced but somehow missed this lesson, this guide will give you the knowledge and confidence to handle French articles after negation smoothly. You can download a PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
Let’s get right to the five rules you need to know in my short video lesson, and be sure download your free study guide to keep as a handy reference tool.
Using French Articles After Negation
French articles have a lot of little extra rules that you will want to follow to be sure you’re speaking and writing correctly. Here’s a list of 5 rules for using French articles after negation. The rules are quite simple, and there are only 5 of them! Once you start using them consistently, you’ll get the hang of it, and it won’t seem so complicated.
| INDEFINITE ARTICLES UN / UNE | CHANGE TO DE / D’ | TU AS UN CHAT NOIR ET BLANC? JE N’AI PAS DE CHAT NOIR ET BLANC. |
| PARTITIVE ARTICLES DU / DE LA / DES / DE L’ | CHANGE TO DE / D’ | TU AS DE LA CHANCE! JE N’AI JAMAIS DE CHANCE. |
| DEFINITE ARTICLES LE / LA / LES | DO NOT CHANGE AFTER NEGATION | TU AS ENTENDU LES OISEAUX CHANTER? JE N’AI PAS ENTENDU LES OISEAUX CHANTER. |
| VERBS OF PREFERENCE USE DEFINITE ARTICLES LE / LA / LES | DO NOT CHANGE AFTER NEGATION | TU AIMES LE CHOCOLAT AU LAIT? JE N’AI JAMAIS AIMÉ LE CHOCOLAT AU LAIT. |
| WHEN USING THE VERB ÊTRE | NO CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE | C’EST UN CHIEN MÉCHANT. CE N’EST PAS UN CHIEN MÉCHANT. |
Video Lesson – Using French Articles After Negation
