Two Verbs
French: AQA GCSE (2025 Exams), topic 6.9.3
Using Negatives When There Are Two Verbs
When there are two verbs in a sentence, for example in the perfect tense, the 'ne...pas' or other negatives will go around the first verb.
Tenses that use 'avoir' or 'être'
- For tenses that use 'avoir' or 'être' then a past participle, the negative goes around the conjugated part of 'avoir' or 'être'.
- Je n'ai pas mangé - I did not eat.
- Je n'étais pas allé - I did not go.
Two verbs
- When there are two verbs, the negative clause goes around the first verb.
- Je n'aime pas faire de la natation - I do not like to swim.
- Je ne veux pas aller à l'école - I do not want to go to school.
Test yourself on Two Verbs
How do you say 'I had not eaten' in French?
What would 'j'ai mangé les champignons' be in the negative?