Skip to content
VirtusAcademy

Negatives: ne...plus, ne...que, ne...ni, ne...pas encore

HigherHigher tier onlyAQA

Revise Higher tier negatives for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Higher tier exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). At Higher tier, ne...plus, ne...que, ne...ni (ni...) and ne...pas encore are all required.

Free downloads

These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

This is a Higher tier only topic, so there's no Foundation paper — only the Higher worksheet and mark scheme below.

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

Four further negatives complete the set, and each has a distinctive meaning. This is a Higher-only topic.

Ne...plus means no longer or not any more: je ne fume plus. Ne...que means only, and is not strictly a negative at all — je n'ai que dix euros means I have only ten euros. Ne...ni...ni means neither...nor: je n'aime ni le thé ni le café. Ne...pas encore means not yet.

Ne...que behaves differently from the others in one important way: it does not collapse the partitive. Je ne bois que du café keeps du, because the sentence is restrictive rather than negative. Every other negative in this group takes de.

Revision notes

The four negatives

Ne...plus — no longer, not any more. Ne...que — only.

Ne...ni...ni — neither...nor. Ne...pas encore — not yet. Each replaces pas, except ne...pas encore which extends it.

Ne...que is not a true negative

Je n'ai que dix euros means I have only ten euros — a positive statement about a small amount.

Because it restricts rather than negates, it does NOT collapse the partitive: je ne bois que du café keeps du. Every other negative would give de.

Position of que

Que goes immediately before the thing being restricted, not straight after the verb.

Je ne mange que des légumes le soir — only vegetables. Je ne mange des légumes que le soir — only in the evening. Moving que changes the meaning entirely.

Key points

  • Ne...plus means no longer.
  • Ne...que means only.
  • Ne...ni...ni means neither nor.
  • Ne...pas encore means not yet.
  • Ne...que does not collapse the partitive.
  • Que goes before the thing restricted.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I no longer smoke. [2 marks]

Working

Je ne fume plususe ne...plus around the verb
Plus replaces pas rather than joining itexplain the structure

Example 2

Translate: I only drink coffee. [2 marks]

Working

Je ne bois que du caféuse ne...que with que before the restricted item
Du is kept because ne...que restricts rather than negatesexplain the partitive

Example 3

Translate: I like neither tea nor coffee. [2 marks]

Working

Je n'aime ni le thé ni le caféuse ne with ni before each item
Ni is repeated before each of the two thingsexplain the repetition

Common mistakes

  • Collapsing the partitive after ne...que.

    It keeps du, de la or des.

  • Placing que straight after the verb.

    It goes before the item being restricted.

  • Using ni only once.

    It is repeated before each item.

  • Adding pas to ne...plus.

    Plus replaces pas.

Exam tips

  • Remember ne...que keeps the partitive.
  • Place que carefully — it changes the meaning.
  • Repeat ni before each item.
  • Remember this is a Higher-only topic.

Key terms

Ne...plus
No longer or not any more.
Ne...que
Only, restricting rather than negating.
Ne...ni...ni
Neither nor, with ni repeated.
Restrictive
Limiting rather than negating, as ne...que does.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.