Unlike English, French negation normally comes in two parts that wrap around the verb: ne before it, pas (or another negative word) after it.
1. The basic pattern: ne (n') ... pas
| Je ne parle pas anglais. | I don't speak English. |
| Elle n'aime pas le sport. | She doesn't like sports. |
| Nous ne sommes pas prêts. | We are not ready. |
Ne → n': before a verb starting with a vowel sound (or a mute h), ne elides to n': elle n'aime pas, ils n'habitent pas ici. And a heads-up for when you're listening to native speakers: in casual spoken French, ne is very often dropped entirely ("je sais pas" instead of "je ne sais pas"), but always keep it in writing and in class.
2. Beyond "pas": other negative expressions
Other negative words slot into the same "ne ... ___" frame, replacing pas.
| ne ... jamais | never |
| ne ... plus | no longer, not anymore |
| ne ... rien | nothing |
| ne ... personne | nobody, no one |
| ne ... pas encore | not yet |
| ne ... que | only |
| Il ne fume plus. | He doesn't smoke anymore. |
| Je ne vois personne. | I don't see anyone. |
| Elle ne mange que des légumes. | She only eats vegetables. |
3. Negating an infinitive: keep "ne pas" together
When the negated verb is an infinitive (not a conjugated verb), ne and pas stay together, both placed before the infinitive.
| Il préfère ne pas sortir. | He prefers not to go out. |
| Elle a décidé de ne plus fumer. | She decided to stop smoking. |
4. Negation in the passé composé
In compound tenses, ne ... pas wraps around the auxiliary verb (avoir or être), not the past participle.
| Je n'ai pas mangé. | I didn't eat. |
| Elle n'est pas venue. | She didn't come. |
5. Reminder: negation shrinks the indefinite/partitive article to "de"
Elle a un chien. → Elle n'a pas de chien. (She doesn't have a dog.) See our articles lesson for the full rule.