Que ne le disiez-vous plus tôt ? Qui ne voit cela? Why did you not say so sooner? 2. After condition expressed by inversion : N'eût été la pluie. Had it not been for the rain. a. Sometimes also in conditions regularly expressed with si: Si je ne me trompe. Qui, si ce n'est vous? 3. In dependent sentences expressed or implied: Je n'ai pas (j'ai peu) d'amis qui ne Il n'y a rien qu'il ne sache. If I am not mistaken. after negation, either fully I have no (I have few) friends who There is nothing he does not know. a. More obscure cases of implied negation are prendre garde que= 'take care that not,' etc., and such expressions as il tient=' it depends on,' used interrogatively : Prenez garde qu'il ne tombe. À quoi tient-il qu'on ne fasse cela? Take care he does not fall. Take care he does not go out. What is the cause of that not being done? 4. Sometimes with savoir, bouger, and with pouvoir, oser, cesser + an infinitive, expressed or implied: Je ne sais (pas). Ne bougez (pas) de là. a. Always ne alone in je ne I do not know. Do not stir from there. I cannot answer. He would not dare to say so. 5. In a few set expressions, such as: N'importe; n'avoir garde. N'avoir que faire de. Il n'est pire eau que l'eau qui dort (proverb). It does not matter; not to care. To have no use (whatever) for. 419. Pleonastic ne. In a que clause ne is often pleonastic, as compared with English; thus, ne stands : 1. After empêcher= 'prevent,' éviter = 'avoid,' à moins que = 'unless,' or que so used: Empêchez qu'il ne sorte. J'évite qu'on ne me voie. À moins que je ne sois retenu. Prevent him from going out. Unless I be detained. a. This ne is often omitted after empêcher and éviter, after empêcher mostly when negative or interrogative. b. Ne may also stand after avant que : Avant qu'il (ne) parte. Before he goes away. 2. After expressions of fearing, such as craindre, redouter, etc., avoir peur, etc., de peur que, etc., when not negative, or when negation is not implied by interrogation expecting negative answer, or by condition: Je crains qu'il ne vienne. Craignez-vous qu'il ne vienne? I fear he will come. Do you fear he will come? But: Je ne crains pas qu'il vienne. Sans craindre qu'il vienne. Craignez-vous qu'il vienne?—Non. Si je craignais qu'il vînt. a. What it is, or is not, feared will not happen has the full negation ne...pas in the que clause: Je crains qu'il ne vienne pas. b. Interrogation or condition and ne stands : Necraignez-vous pas qu'il ne vienne? I fear he will not come. Do you not fear he will come? come. 3. With a finite verb in the second member of a comparison of inequality, when the first member is not negative, or does not imply negation as above: Il est plus riche qu'il ne l'était. He is richer than he was. Is he richer than he was? But Il n'est pas plus riche qu'il l'était; est-il plus riche qu'il l'était?— : Non. a. A negative interrogation implies affirmation, and ne stands : N'est-il pas plus riche qu'il Is he not richer than he was? ne l'était ? NOTE.-Autre, autrement, plutôt, plus tôt, similarly take ne: 'Il est tout autre que je ne pensais.' 4. Usually after expressions of doubt, denial, such as douter, nier, disconvenir, etc., often désespérer, when negative, or when negation is implied as above: Je ne doute pas qu'il ne vienne. I do not doubt that he will come. But: Je doute qu'il vienne; doutez-vous qu'il vienne? (-question for information). 5. After il s'en faut negatively, interrogatively, or with peu, guère, etc. : Il ne s'en fallut pas (de) beaucoup He came very near being killed. qu'il ne fût tué. Combien s'en faut-il que la somme n'y soit? How much is lacking of the sum total? Peu s'en est fallu que je ne vinsse. I came very near coming. 6. With compound tenses after il y a, voilà, depuis: Il y a (voilà) trois jours que je ne l'ai vu. Il avait grandi depuis que je ne l'avais vu. Depuis que je ne vous ai vu. It is three days since I saw him (I Since I saw you. a. In a simple tense (§§ 257, 2, 258, 4) negatively, ne...pas, etc., must be used: Voilà un an qu'il ne buvait plus. He had drunk no more for a year. USE OF CERTAIN ADVERBS. 420. Distinctions. The following are especially liable to be confounded in use: 1. Oui, Si. 'Yes' in affirmation or assent is oui; 'yes' is usually si in contradiction, in correction, in dissent : L'avez-vous dit?-Oui, monsieur. Il ne s'en va pas. Si, monsieur, il Il ne s'en va pas ?-Mais si. Je n'irai pas.-Si, si venez. Did you say it?—Yes, sir. He is not going.-Yes, (sir), he is He is not going?—Yes, certainly. I shall not go.-Yes, yes, come. NOTE.-The use of si, as also of the intensive si fait, etc., though very common, is classed as familiar by the Académie; it is often avoided by pardon, etc., or other expressions: 'Il ne va pas.-Pardon, monsieur (il va).' a. Oui, si, and non, are often preceded by que, really with ellipsis of a whole que clause, and are then variously translated by 'yes,' ‘so,' 'no,' 'not,' etc., or by a clause : 2. Autant, Tant. As much (many)'= autant; 'so much (many)'= tant: Je gagne autant que vous. I earn as much as you. Il but tant qu'il en mourut. He drank so much that he died from it. J'ai tant d'amis; j'en ai autant I have so many friends; I have as que vous. many as you. 3. Plus, Davantage. Plus is used in all senses of 'more,' 'most' (see below); davantage (strengthened sometimes by bien='much,' encore = 'still')= 'more,' is regularly used only absolutely, and usually stands at the end of its clause : N'en parle pas davantage. N'en parle plus. Ne restez pas davantage. Say no more about it. Do not remain any longer. Cela me plaît encore davantage That pleases me still more. (plus). Je suis riche; il l'est bien davan- I am rich; he is much more so. tage (plus). But only: J'en ai plus que lui; il est plus habile; plus de dix francs; c'est ce qui le flatte le plus, etc. NOTE.-Davantage is occasionally followed by que in archaic style. 4. Ne... que, Seulement. Seulement must be used, (1) when no verb is present, (2) when 'only' refers to the subject, (3) or to the verb, (4) or to a que clause, and (5) it may be used to strengthen a ne . . . que; otherwise 'only': = ne ... que or seulement : Seulement les braves. Seulement mon frère le sait. Ecoutez seulement. Il dit seulement qu'il irait. Il n'a seulement qu'à venir. Only the brave. Only my brother knows it. He only said he would go. But Nous ne serons que trois (or trois seulement); je ne veux que voir son père (or je veux seulement voir son père), etc. a. 'Only,' referring to the subject, may be turned also by il n'y a que, ce n'est que; ‘only,' referring to the verb, may be turned by the help of faire : |