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.
- Je ne sais point.
I don't know.
Va, je ne te hais point.
Go, I don't hate you. (Corneille, Le Cid, Act III, Scene 4)
2. ne explétif
The ne explétif is used after certain verbs and conjunctions but has no negative value in and of itself. It is used in situations where the main clause has a negative meaning (either negative-bad or negative-negated).
- Elle a peur qu'il ne soit malade.
She's afraid that he is sick.
Il est parti avant que nous n'ayons décidé.
He left before we decided.
3. ne littéraire
The ne littéraire is the phenonomen in literary writing (and, to a much lesser extent, spoken French) whereby certain verbs and constructions need ne but not pas in order to be negative.
- Je n'ose le regarder.
I don't dare watch it.
Elle ne peut venir avec nous.
She can't come with us.
Related Lessons
- ne... pas and other negative adverbs
- pas without ne: informal negation
- non-verbal negation: pas
- more lessons on French negation
