is23lame

[lofty prawn]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[rugged crescent]

Omission of the adverb « pas » in the negative construction « ne … pas » is rather literary and is usually limited to three verbs: « cesser, oser, and pouvoir ». You can read the article above for more details. That being said, « ne » can appear alone in certain cases and that's called the expletive ne which is also linked in the article (but I'm linking it too).

[low plover]

as it is literary would using it while talking make me sound more proficient with the language or not?

[rugged crescent]

nah they'd think you're taking the piss

[low plover]

taking the piss? wdym?

[rugged crescent]

as in you're making fun of them

acting condescending

stuff like that

[low plover]

oh alright

but the omission of ne is done everywhere in every sentence so it would sound as strange and condescending?

[rugged crescent]

It's the opposite, omitting « ne » is informal and at this point conversational

Unless you're in a formal setting, « ne » is always dropped

Negation originally came from just « ne » placed between the subject and the verb, but as French evolved from Late Latin to Old French, that « ne » becomes weakened and so people added an adverb after the verb to strengthen it; you have « ne … goutte (not a drop), ne … point (not a [single] point), ne … pas (not a [single] step) ». The one that survives to us now is « ne … pas » and this trend of « ne » weakening has continued to the point where you can omit « ne » and no one can still understand you as long as you have that adverb be it « jamais, rien, personne, pas » but if you drop the adverb instead, no one will understand you. That's why, even in literary contexts, only a handful of verbs can take « ne » alone; the vast vast majority of verbs require both.

[tranquil owl]

Follow up question: since jamais can mean never, and ever - if the ne is dropped, how would you identify the correct meaning? Context?

[timid slate]

Context, yeah.

[rugged crescent]

Context as Albatross said but to expand on that, « jamais » means 'ever' in a set number of contexts like in comparisons, « Cette chaise est la chaise la plus grande que j'aie jamais vue » or in an if-statement like 'if ever' « si jamais ». Otherwise, it's going to be taken as negative.