This is in one of the green callout boxes in the lesson: "In this negative structure, you only use de or d' in front of a vowel or mute h." This really confused me when I first read it because it seems to say you shouldn't use either one if there's no vowel/mute h. I think a comma or parens would make it clearer: "In this negative structure, you only use de (or d' in front of a vowel or mute h)."
To say you have none left in French, you wrap the expression ne ... plus de around the verb avoir (to have).
Look at these examples:
When the object is countable (apples, marbles etc.), the -s remains at the end.
ATTENTION:
As this is a negative structure, you only use de (or d' in front of a vowel or mute h).
See also Du, de la, de l', des all become de or d' in negative sentences (partitive articles)
See also Du, de la, de l', des all become de or d' in negative sentences (partitive articles)
Pronunciation Note:
When plus has a negative meaning (no more), you never pronounce the final -s.
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Q&A Forum 13 questions, 30 answers
Indeed, that's much clearer :)
The lesson has now been amended accordingly to your great suggestion!
Merci et bonne journée !
Margaret asked:View original
Clarification of the tip about 'de'
This is in one of the green callout boxes in the lesson: "In this negative structure, you only use de or d' in front of a vowel or mute h." This really confused me when I first read it because it seems to say you shouldn't use either one if there's no vowel/mute h. I think a comma or parens would make it clearer: "In this negative structure, you only use de (or d' in front of a vowel or mute h)."
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MadelineKwiziq community member
I was always taught that "ne...plus" meant "no more" or "no longer". Therefore to say one has "no milk" is would be a simple negation vs. "ne..plus"
Asked 9 months ago
Hi Madeline,
Je n'ai pas de lait = I don't have any milk
Je n'ai plus de lait = I don't have any milk left
Hope this helps!
Hi Shrey,
If you say,
'Je n'ai plus de lait'
It simply means that you have ran out of the milk you normally use in your house. Probably cow's milk in France.
However, If you say for example,
'Je ne bois plus aucun lait' , we would assume you are talking about all the different types of milk (including cow's milk) now available in shops - lait de chêvre, lait d'amande, lait de riz, lait de coco, etc.
So quite a difference...
BillKwiziq community member
Another good example of kwiziq's confusing pedagogy. 'no more' corresponds to 'ne plus' and is a very straightforward explanation. It of course is then equivalent to english 'none left'. I find your approach unnecessarily confusing. If 'none left' is so much more important conceptually, perhaps some explanation is in order.
Shrey Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Bonjour Madame Cécile !
For “I don’t have any milk left.” Can one say- Je n’ai aucun lait ? How does it differ from ‘Je n’ai plus de lait’ ? Merci encore!
Madeline asked:View original
I was always taught that "ne...plus" meant "no more" or "no longer". Therefore to say one has "no milk" is would be a simple negation vs. "ne..plus"
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PhilKwiziq community member
Hello, I don't see any reference to "Il y a" so just to check. Can you say: "In n'y a plus de pommes?"
ou avec "exister"
"Il n'existe plus de chocolat?
Sorry, I pressed enter on previous question, please ignore.
Asked 10 months ago
Hi Phil
Il n'y a plus de pommes /de chocolat/de beurre
is correct...
Phil asked:View original
Hello, I don't see any reference to "Il y a" so just to check. Can you say: "In n'y a plus de pommes?"
ou avec "exister"
"Il n'existe plus de chocolat?
Sorry, I pressed enter on previous question, please ignore.
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PhilKwiziq community member
Hello, I don't see any reference to "Il y a" so just to check. Can you say:
Asked 10 months ago
Hi Phil,
If you mean, is it correct to say -
‘Il n’y a plus de lait, de beurre, de pain ...’
It is, but makes for a more general comment although if you say -
Il n’y a plus d’encre dans mon stylo‘ it is exactly the same as saying, ’Je n’ai plus d’encre dans mon stylo’.
Hope this helps!
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Kwiziq community member
What about à?
Je vais à Paris.
devient:
Je ne vais plus de Paris?
ou
Je ne vais plus à Paris?
Merci :)
Asked 1 year ago
Dylan asked:View original
What about à?
Je vais à Paris.
devient:
Je ne vais plus de Paris?
ou
Je ne vais plus à Paris?
Merci :)
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AhmadullahKwiziq community member
Hi
how we can say this exemple :this,that don't have more petrol.
Asked 1 year ago
AngieKwiziq community member
Sorry for inserting myself into this conversation. But, I believe the question might have been 'how to say, "We don't have gas/gasoline/petro/petroleum anymore." Is that Nous n'avons plus de gasoline?
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RoyKwiziq community member
"Plus" usually means "more". Then the sentance, Il n'a plus de billes, should read, I do not have anymore marbles. Where does "left" come from?
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Roy,
Translating between languages isn't a mathematical science. The upshot is that the sentence Je n'ai plus de billes carries the same meaning as the English "I don't have anymore marbles" or "I don't have anymore marbles left". Either of those English versions would translate to the same French sentence.
RoyKwiziq community member
Thanks guys. My problem was that my answer to a recent kwiz question was determined, not "right" because I "left" out the "left". Lol. Salut
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I empathize with you. It is, after all, just a dumb computer comparing strings of letters without regard for their meaning.
Roy asked:View original
"Plus" usually means "more". Then the sentance, Il n'a plus de billes, should read, I do not have anymore marbles. Where does "left" come from?
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MouseKwiziq community member
Vous n'avez plus de pommes à la maison - why isn’t it des pommes here if there are multiple apples?
Asked 1 year ago
Bonjour Mouse !
As stated in the lesson, with that negative structure (no more left), the articles follow the established rule of becoming de or d' .
Have a look at the related lesson:
https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/grammar/the-partitive-article-in-negative-sentences
I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !
Kwiziq community member
Thank you Aurélie. But, do you know the reason why de is used always even for plurals instead of des? It's not intuitive for me.
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Dylan wrote:
"Thank you Aurélie. But, do you know the reason why de is used always even for plurals instead of des? It's not intuitive for me"
Hi Dylan. I cant seem to reply directly under your question. I too struggled with an 'intuitive' feeling of clarity re the use of the invariable 'de' and not the 'de+article' variations to express the negative.
Until I started mentally processing all french negation as meaning "NOT ONE OF" meaning singular.
And since I have 'NOT ONE' (meaning singular), then I dont need the qualifying article. LOL. It became easier to think 'not one..noun' and to see the 'singular' stand alone 'de' and NOT its constructed forms because my mind is thinking 'not one... NOUN'.
I use that 'not one' ' thinking fairly successfully and easily even for the double/triple negatives.
I have NOT ONE 'ne ..personne' (person) 'ne... rien' not one thing and the general 'ne...PAS ... de'.
Of course those de 'idioms/phrases still catch me sometimes.
Why 'beaucoup de'; 'trop de' (never des) BUT 'à cote de l''enfant AND 'à cote des enfants''.
All I could come up with intuitively is "if the idiom is talking about 'how much/many' , the 'de' is usually neutral but otherwise you have to match it with gender;spelling and plurality of the noun. Works enough to get me a passing grade.LOL!
Mouse asked:View original
Vous n'avez plus de pommes à la maison - why isn’t it des pommes here if there are multiple apples?
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HelenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Could you also use aucun?
She doesn't have any milk left. "Elle n'a plus aucun de lait" Would that be considered wrong?
Asked 2 years ago
Hi Helen,
It is incorrect to say what you suggest for, She doesn't have any milk left .
You would say , Elle n'a plus de lait or even, Elle n'a plus du tout de lait.
For the double negatives using aucun here are a couple of examples using ne plus and aucun , Elle n'a plus aucun respect pour lui, or, Elle n'a plus aucun ami, which will translate as, She has no respect left for him whatsoever, She has no friends left whatsoever.
Hope this helps!
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
That sounds wrong to my ears, Helen. "Aucun" refers to countable objects. But:
Elle n'a aucune de bouteilles de lait. -- She hasn't got any milk bottles.
Elle n'a plus de bouteilles de lait. -- She has no more milk bottles.
Elle n'a pas de bouteilles de lait. -- She has no milk bottles.
In this examples the bottles of milk are individually countable and therefore "aucune" works in this case. But I don't think you can use "aucune" and "plus" together.
-- Chris (not a native speaker).
HelenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thank you, Chris...
I was also looking for Aucun/e in the double negative lesson and didn't find it. I really appreciate your help.
Helen asked:View original
Could you also use aucun?
She doesn't have any milk left. "Elle n'a plus aucun de lait" Would that be considered wrong?
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AnnKwiziq community member
Il n'ya plus de billes = There are no more marbles left. correct?
Asked 3 years ago
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AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Chris!
You would say: "Je n'AI plus d'eau.".
"a" is the verb form for "il/elle/on" : e.g. "Il n'a plus d'eau."
A bientôt !
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JohnKwiziq community member
Hi Laura - can you invert "n'avoir plus de" to form a question?
ie - Don't you have any money left?
Asked 3 years ago
Bonjour John,
This is a very interesting question.
You could indeed form the following question:
"N'as-tu plus d'argent ?"
But you could also use "As-tu encore de l'argent ?" which would be "Do you still have some money?".
I hope that's helpful!
This is a very interesting question.
You could indeed form the following question:
"N'as-tu plus d'argent ?"
But you could also use "As-tu encore de l'argent ?" which would be "Do you still have some money?".
I hope that's helpful!
JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Does "est-ce que tu n'as plus d'argent?" mean the same as "don't you have any money left?"
AurélieKwiziq team member
@ John and Shruti
Yes, both your sentences are valid to ask "Don't you have any money left?" :)
Bonne journée!
John asked:View original
Hi Laura - can you invert "n'avoir plus de" to form a question?
ie - Don't you have any money left?
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