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      What isn't happening: 'ne … pas' negation

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use negation with 'ne … pas' to describe what isn’t happening in everyday life.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. [oi] sounds like 'voir'
      2. The verb 'dormir' means 'to sleep'. Singular forms 'dors' and 'dort' sound the same due to silent final consonants.
      3. To say what doesn't happen, we use 'ne ... pas' around the verb; this is one form of negation.

      Keywords

      • [oi] - pronounced as in 'voir'

      • Negation - two elements, e.g. 'ne … pas', around the main verb expressing negative meaning

      • Ne ... pas - French negative structure that translates as 'not' or 'don't', e.g. 'je ne parle pas' - 'I don't talk, I am not talking'

      Common misconception

      Using 'ne' before the verb makes verbs negative, like 'don't' in English.

      In French, there are two parts to negation, 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after.

      Teacher tip

      Activity B1 could be used a number of times if you feel students need more vocabulary practice to build confidence.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the opposites.

      Correct Answer:prendre,donner

      donner

      Correct Answer:facile,difficile

      difficile

      Correct Answer:faux,vrai

      vrai

      Correct Answer:sympa,méchant

      méchant

      Correct Answer:bonjour,au revoir

      au revoir

      Correct Answer:fils,fille

      fille

      Q2.
      Tick any of the nouns which are places.

      Correct answer: le collège
      le jour
      Correct answer: le parc
      l'année
      Correct answer: l'université

      Q3.
      Match the English and the French.

      Correct Answer:quand,when

      when

      Correct Answer:comment,how

      how

      Correct Answer:pourquoi,why

      why

      Correct Answer:,where

      where

      Correct Answer:quoi,what

      what

      Correct Answer:qui,who

      who

      Q4.
      What is 'to learn' in French?

      Correct answer: apprendre
      comprendre
      dire
      montrer
      penser

      Q5.
      Put the French subject pronouns and verbs in the following order, 'I go, you go, he goes, going'

      1 - je
      2 - vais
      3 - tu
      4 - vas
      5 - il
      6 - va
      7 - aller

      Q6.
      Fill in the missing word in the sentence 'I am telling the truth'. 'Je la vérité'.

      Correct Answer: dis

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Tick any words with the [oi] sound.

      ou
      quand
      Correct answer: pourquoi
      Correct answer: parfois
      souvent

      Q2.
      What is the preposition 'under' in French?

      à
      dans
      en
      Correct answer: sous
      sur

      Q3.
      Match the parts of the French verb 'to sleep'.

      Correct Answer:dormir,to sleep, sleeping

      to sleep, sleeping

      Correct Answer:je dors,I sleep/am sleeping

      I sleep/am sleeping

      Correct Answer:tu dors,you sleep/are sleeping

      you sleep/are sleeping

      Correct Answer:il dort,he sleeps/is sleeping

      he sleeps/is sleeping

      Correct Answer:elle dort,she sleeps/is sleeping

      she sleeps/is sleeping

      Q4.
      How do you say the post office in French?

      Correct Answer: la poste

      Q5.
      To say what there isn't in French, you need two words, ne goes before the verb and goes after the verb. Fill in the missing word.

      Correct Answer: pas

      Q6.
      Order the sentence in French 'I don't like doing the cooking'.

      1 - je
      2 - n'
      3 - aime
      4 - pas
      5 - faire
      6 - la
      7 - cuisine

      To help you plan your 7 French lesson on: What isn't happening: 'ne … pas' negation, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...