jamais
/ʒa.mɛ/
The English word 'never' is translated into French as jamais.
jamais is an adverb meaning 'at no time'. In informal situations, you can use the emphatic phrase Jamais de la vie to mean 'never in life'.
Meaning: at no time (adv)
How does it change in a sentence?
In standard French, jamais is used as part of a two-part negation ne … jamais. When using jamais with a verb starting with a vowel in the passé composé, such as n'a jamais, the ne becomes n’.
How do you pronounce it?
jamais is pronounced /ʒa.mɛ/. It has 2 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget to include the ne before the verb when using jamais in a sentence. Additionally, you cannot use pas and jamais together to mean 'never'. jamais replaces pas in the negation structure.
Did you know?
- In certain literary contexts, jamais can actually mean 'ever' instead of 'never' when used in an interrogative or exclamatory sense.
- While jamais means 'never', the phrase à jamais is a more poetic or formal way to say 'forever'.
- The word jamais is a cognate with the Spanish jamás and the Italian giammai, as they all share a common ancestor from Latin.
Examples in context
- Ne mens jamais !Never tell a lie!Tatoeba #3252555 by sacredceltic, translation #26657 by CN
- Plus jamais ça !Never again!Tatoeba #8090725 by Micsmithel, translation #3627001 by karloelkebekio
- Il ne rit jamais.He never laughs.Tatoeba #2161561 by sacredceltic, translation #2158841 by Hybrid
- Je ne vais jamais au cinéma.I never go to the cinema.
- Il ne le fait jamais.He never does it.
- Je n'essaierai jamais le saut en parachute. Jamais de la vie!I will never try skydiving. Never in my life!
- Je ne retournerai jamais dans ce restaurant. Jamais de la vie!I will never go back to that restaurant. Never in my life!
- Je ne mange jamais de viande.I never eat meat.
- Je ne vais absolument jamais à cette discothèque.I absolutely never go to that nightclub.
- Personne ne l'a jamais vu dans cette tenue.Nobody has ever seen him in that outfit.
- 4391 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Gabriel are talking about their travel preferences.
- ChloéEst-ce que tu veux aller au Japon ?Do you want to go to Japan?
- GabrielOui, je n'ai jamais visité ce pays.Yes, I have never visited that country.
- ChloéMoi aussi, j'espère y aller un jour.Me too, I hope to go there one day.
- GabrielC'est un voyage qu'on ne regrette jamais.It is a trip that one never regrets.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “never” translations and entries jamais, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries jamais, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
