You already know how to make negative sentences with simple tenses. Find out how to do the same with compound tenses.
How to make negative sentences in compound tenses in French
Look at these examples:
- Vous êtes allés au cinéma ? Non, nous ne sommes pas allés au cinéma.- Did you go to the cinema? - No, we didn't go to the cinema.
In compound tenses like Le Passé Composé (Indicatif), where there is an auxiliary verb (être / avoir), the sentence is negated by placing the two parts of the negation (ne / pas) on each side of the auxiliary verb.
Remember that ne becomes n' in front of a vowel.
Remember that ne becomes n' in front of a vowel.
Here are more examples of negative sentences in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif):
-> used to put someone over-familiar back in their place :)
See also how ne ... pas behaves with simple tenses: Ne ... pas = Not - with simple tenses (French Negations)
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Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
- Ils ont joué au foot ce weekend? - Non, ils n'ont pas joué au foot ce weekend.- Did they play football this weekend ? - No, they didn't play football this weekend.
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CKIkzmfipVA/hqdefault.jpg)
- Tu as fini à temps ? - Non, je n'ai pas fini à temps.- Did you finish on time? - No, I didn't finish on time.