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      What people do and don't do: 'ne … pas' negation

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can use simple prepositions to say where objects are and describe what someone does and doesn’t do in everyday life.

      Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

      Key learning points

      1. Prepositions like 'dans', 'sur' and 'sous' tell us where objects are.
      2. To say what doesn't happen, use 'ne ... pas' around the verb.
      3. 'Ne' shortens to 'n’' before a verb starting with a vowel.
      4. You can pronounce the ‘s’ in ‘pas’ when it is followed by a word starting with a vowel; this is liaison.

      Keywords

      • Liaison - pronouncing a usually silent final consonant because a vowel follows

      • Preposition - a word that is used before a noun, a noun phrase, or a pronoun, connecting it to another word

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

      Common misconception

      Using 'ne'/'n' makes verbs negatives in French, like 'not' in English.

      French negation has two parts, 'ne' before the verb and 'pas' after, to say what there isn't.

      Teacher tip

      Teachers could consider using real life objects in the classroom to bring the prepositions to life and for more speaking and listening practice.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), 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.
      Tick any of the phrases with liaison.

      les devoirs
      les magasins
      Correct answer: les hommes
      Correct answer: les élèves
      les partenaires

      Q2.
      Match the high frequency verbs.

      Correct Answer:apprendre,to learn
      Correct Answer:dire,to say
      Correct Answer:comprendre,to understand
      Correct Answer:travailler,to work
      Correct Answer:prendre,to take
      Correct Answer:dormir,to sleep

      Q3.
      Which question word is 'how' in French?

      Correct answer: comment
      pourquoi
      quand
      qui

      Q4.
      Fill in the missing word in the sentence 'I don't watch the TV'. Je regarde pas la télé.

      Correct Answer: ne

      Q5.
      Which word is the French for 'sometimes'?

      rarement
      souvent
      pas
      Correct answer: parfois
      aussi

      Q6.
      Order the sentence in French, 'The book is on the desk'.

      1 - Le
      2 - livre
      3 - est
      4 - sur
      5 - le
      6 - bureau

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      What is 'under' in French?

      à
      dans
      en
      Correct answer: sous
      sur

      Q2.
      Tick any sentences with liaison.

      Je n'aime pas le vélo jaune.
      Correct answer: Je ne vais pas à l'école aujourd'hui.
      Correct answer: Je ne suis pas anglaise.
      Je n'ai pas le temps.
      Ce n'est pas moderne.

      Q3.
      Match the French and English verbs.

      Correct Answer:je prends,I take
      Correct Answer:tu prends,you take
      Correct Answer:il prend,he takes
      Correct Answer:elle prend,she takes
      Correct Answer:prendre,to take, taking

      Q4.
      Add the missing word to the sentence, 'She doesn't sleep well' 'Elle ne dort bien.

      Correct Answer: pas

      Q5.
      Order the sentence, 'The book isn't on the desk'.

      1 - Le
      2 - livre
      3 - n'
      4 - est
      5 - pas
      6 - sur
      7 - le bureau

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