🇫🇷 How to Use French Negation and Prepositions “de” and “à”｜Beginner Guide by Shota in Canada

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Hello! I’m Shota, living in Canada.

Today, I’ll explain two key parts of French grammar that often confuse learners: how to form negations and how to use the prepositions “de” and “à.”

These elements appear all the time in conversation and writing, so mastering them will really help your French sound more natural!

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🚫 Basic Negation Structure

In French, a negative sentence is usually formed by placing ne (or n’) and pas around the verb.

💬 Je mange. (I eat) → Je ne mange pas. (I don’t eat)

• ne becomes n’ before a vowel:
  Il aime → Il n’ aime pas

🧊 Indefinite Articles Change in Negation

Indefinite articles (un, une, des) change to de in negative sentences:

• J’ai un chien. (I have a dog)
• Je n’ai pas de chien. (I don’t have a dog)

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📍 Using the Preposition “de”

de means “of,” “from,” or “some,” depending on the context. It appears in many sentence types:

• Possession: la maison de Paul (Paul’s house)
• Origin: Je viens de Tokyo. (I come from Tokyo)
• Material: une tasse de thé (a cup of tea)
• Quantity: beaucoup de pain (a lot of bread)
• Negation: Je n’ai pas de stylos. (I don’t have pens)

⚠️ Note: de + le = du, de + les = des

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📍 Using the Preposition “à”

à usually means “to,” “at,” or “in.” It is used for places, times, and giving things to someone:

• Place: Je vais à l’école. (I go to school)
• Time: Le cours commence à 9h. (Class starts at 9am)
• Ownership: C’est le livre à Marie. (It’s Marie’s book)
• Recipient: Je parle à mon ami. (I talk to my friend)

⚠️ Note: à + le = au, à + les = aux

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📝 Mini Quiz｜Choose the correct answer

1. Il n’___ pas de voiture.
   a) a / b) est / c) va
2. Je parle ___ mon frère.
   a) de / b) à / c) en
3. C’est le livre ___ Paul.
   a) à / b) de / c) chez
4. Je viens ___ Paris.
   a) à / b) en / c) de

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🎯 Summary

• Negation uses: ne + verb + pas
• Indefinite articles become de in negation
• de shows possession, origin, amount, etc.
• à indicates place, time, or recipient

In the next article, I’ll cover “how to ask questions” and “pronoun word order.”

À bientôt！

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✅ Mini Quiz Answers

1. a) a
2. b) à
3. b) de
4. c) de