divergingdiamond

[regal wadi]

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.

[hushed skiff]

The standard form of negation is « ne » after the subject and the adverb « pas » after the conjugated verb. It used to be that the negation is just « ne » but over time it weakened to the point where people added adverbs like « pas ». It continued to weaken until you can drop the negation « ne » and just keep the adverb « pas », and people will still understand it as negative.

« ne … pas » is not the only negation, there are others « ne … jamais (never), ne … rien (nothing), ne … plus (no longer), ne … personne (no one), ne … nulle part (nowhere) »

[vestal crescent]

Merci!

[hushed skiff]

By the way, dropping « ne » is colloquial and in more standard or formal registers you keep it.