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ne

not

adverb nuh Common
Grammar & Structure Negation

Usage Note

Ne is the first half of French negation, almost always paired with a second word in patterns like ne… pas, ne… jamais, or ne… rien. In casual speech the ne often vanishes entirely, so 'I don't know' comes out as je sais pas, yet it stays obligatory in careful writing.

Examples

"Je ne sais pas."

Natural Translation

I don't know.

Literal Translation

I not know not

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