French Negatives and Articles | Changes in Articles in Negative Sentences

In French, when forming a negative sentence, the construction ne … pas (and its variations) is used.

However, in negative sentences, the article that comes before a noun may change. In particular, indefinite articles and partitive articles often change to de, which is an essential rule to master.

In this lesson, I will explain the cases in which articles change in negative constructions, with examples.

1. Articles That Change in Negative Constructions

A basic French negative sentence is formed by placing ne (or n’) before the verb and pas after it.

Here, une pomme in the affirmative sentence becomes de pomme in the negative sentence. This is the change of articles in negative constructions.

2. Cases Where Articles Change

The following articles change to de or d’ in negative sentences.

2-1. Indefinite Articles (un, une, des)

Indefinite articles change to de or d’ in negative constructions.

2-2. Partitive Articles (du, de la, de l’)

Partitive articles, used for uncountable nouns, also change to de or d’ in negative sentences.

3. Cases Where Articles Do Not Change

There are also cases where the article remains unchanged.

3-1. Definite Articles (le, la, les)

Definite articles do not change in negative constructions.

3-2. When the Verb Is être

When the verb être (“to be”) is used, the article that follows does not change.

4. Why Articles Change or Remain Unchanged

4-1. Why Do Indefinite and Partitive Articles Change to de?

In affirmative sentences, indefinite articles (un, une, des) and partitive articles (du, de la, de l’) express an unspecified item or an unspecified amount.

In negative sentences, however, the meaning shifts to “none” or “not any,” and the article is replaced with de or d’. Thus, de / d’ functions as a marker of “zero quantity.”

4-2. Why Definite Articles and être Do Not Change

Article changes occur when negating existence. In contrast, when negating attributes or general concepts, the article remains unchanged.

Here, the sentence denies appreciation of chocolate as a whole, not the existence of chocolate itself.

Similarly, with the verb être:

This denies the attribute or nature of something, rather than its existence. Hence the article un remains.

5. Summary

泉（Izumi）

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