je ne suis pas français
je ne suis pas français is the French way to say "I am not French".
This phrase is used to make a statement denying that your nationality is French.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of je (I), the negation ne…pas (not), and suis, which is the first-person singular of the verb être (to be).
Which one should you use?
While the default form is je ne suis pas français, a common variation used in casual speech is je suis pas français, where the negation particle ne is omitted.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
In casual, spoken French, it is common to drop the ne and say je suis pas français.
How does it change in a sentence?
If the speaker is female, the adjective français must change to the feminine form française to become je ne suis pas française.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Using je suis pas français is considered grammatically incomplete in formal contexts.
Did you know?
- The word pas literally means 'a step'. In older versions of French, people used other nouns like 'a drop' or 'a crumb' to emphasize a negative statement.
Examples in context
- Je ne suis pas français.I am not French.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase je ne suis pas français.Tatoeba #8737278 by Julien_PDC, translation #3221022 by CN
- Je ne suis pas français(e). Je viens du Canada.I am not French. I am from Canada.
- Ahah, merci ! Mais je ne suis pas français(e), je suis belge.Haha, thank you! But I am not French, I am Belgian.
- Je ne suis pas français, je suis belge.I am not French, I am Belgian.
- Désolé, je ne suis pas français.Sorry, I am not French.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Chloé are meeting for the first time at a party.
- HugoSalut, tu es français ?Hi, are you French?
- ChloéNon, je ne suis pas français.No, I am not French.
- HugoD'accord, d'où viens-tu ?Okay, where are you from?
- ChloéJe viens du Canada.I come from Canada.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries français, je, ne, pas, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
