Negation With pas
Put pas after the verb to say no.
How It Works
Occitan negates a verb with one word, pas, placed right after the verb. Take the positive sentence and add it.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Soi content. | Soi pas content. |
| Parlam francés. | Parlam pas francés. |
| Maria es aicí. | Maria es pas aicí. |
English needs "do not" for this; Occitan has no helping verb. The order is the same when the subject is a name: Maria es pas contenta. It is the same in a question: Perqué manjas pas?
French speakers: Occitan has no ne before the verb. In Occitan ne is another word that means "of it". Other negative words such as jamai and res come later.
Examples (4)
- Parli pas francés.
I do not speak French.
Pas follows the verb parli.
- Sèm pas a l'ostal.
We are not at home.
Pas follows sèm.
- Maria es pas contenta.
Maria is not happy.
Pas follows es; contenta still agrees.
- Joan manja pas aicí.
Joan does not eat here.
Pas follows manja.
Common Mistakes
Putting a French ne before the verb.
Ne parli pas francés.Parli pas francés.In Occitan ne is a different word, meaning of it. The negative is pas alone.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Pas goes right after the verb, so a first verb comes before it.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- ja, encaraAlready and StillLevel 2
- jamaiNeverLevel 2
- tanben, tanpaucAlso and NeitherLevel 2
- Negative CommandsLevel 3
- ni ... niNeither ... norLevel 3
- pas queOnlyLevel 3
- Negative Compound PastLevel 3
- Pronouns and NegationLevel 3
And 2 more in the full list.