Formal Negation - Ne... point

There are three negative structures particular to formal French. While they are not unheard of in spoken French, they are most commonly found in writing, especially literature.

1.  ne... point

Point is the literary or formal equivalent of pas, thus ne... point is simply the structure used to negate a statement in formal French. Like other formal expressions, you can also use ne... point for humoristic effect.

   Je ne sais point.
   I don't know.

   N'oublions point les sacrifices de nos ancêtres.
   Let us not forget the sacrifices of our ancestors.

   Ventre affamé n'a point d'oreilles. (proverb)
   Words are wasted on a starving man.

   Va, je ne te hais point.
   Go, I don't hate you. (Corneille, Le Cid, Act III, Scene 4)


The other two formal negative structures consist of ne without pas or any other negative word. They are the ne explétif and the ne littéraire.

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