Aimes-tu le thé ?
English: Do you like tea?
- Language
- French
- Level
- A0
- Unit
- Mots outils et verbes essentiels
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
French does not use a direct equivalent of 'do' as a helper for negatives and questions. Instead, negatives use ne ... pas, and questions use inversion or est-ce que.
When to use it
Use ne ... pas for negatives, and est-ce que or inversion for basic questions.
Key forms
- ne ... pas
- Est-ce que ... ?
- Inversion: Parles-tu ?
Examples
Elle ne travaille pas ici.
English: She does not work here.
Ils ne jouent pas aujourd'hui.
English: They do not play today.
Parle-t-il anglais ?
English: Does he speak English?
Tips
- After ne ... pas, use the base verb form.
- Use inversion or est-ce que for questions.
- At this stage, focus on recognizing patterns, not naming rules.
Exceptions and edge cases
- The verb être uses the same negative and question patterns: Est-elle prête ? Elle n'est pas prête.