Ne littéraire vs Ne expletif

Amon S.C1Kwiziq community member

Ne littéraire vs Ne expletif

I know there's also a 'ne' littéraire where you can indicate negation while dropping 'pas'. This applies exclusively for a short list of verbs, like pouvoir.

If I were to see a sentence like "J'ai peur qu'il ne puisse le faire", would the 'ne' here be a 'ne' expletif or a 'ne' littéraire? In other words, am I afraid that he can do it or that he cannot do it?

This question relates to:French lesson "What is the ne explétif and when to use it in French"
Asked 3 years ago
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CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Amon,

This is an excellent question ! In the example you wrote, it is a 'ne explétif' as 'j'ai peur que...' expresses fear. See link here for further explanation: 'ne explétif' 

Here is another link on 'ne littéraire'.

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

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Amon S. asked:View original

Ne littéraire vs Ne expletif

I know there's also a 'ne' littéraire where you can indicate negation while dropping 'pas'. This applies exclusively for a short list of verbs, like pouvoir.

If I were to see a sentence like "J'ai peur qu'il ne puisse le faire", would the 'ne' here be a 'ne' expletif or a 'ne' littéraire? In other words, am I afraid that he can do it or that he cannot do it?

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