Negation - Ne...Personne (Nobody)

Most negation uses the ne...pas sandwich. Think of ne...pas as the default setting. Personne replaces the pas in that sandwich. You cannot use both together. That would be like wearing two hats. It just looks weird to native speakers. Personne is more specific than pas. It only refers to people. It functions as a pronoun. This means it takes the place of a noun. It can be the object of your sentence. It can even be the subject. It is very flexible and useful. It is like a grammar traffic light. It tells the listener exactly who is missing.

1. 1Find your subject like Je or Tu.
2. 2Add the negative particle ne after the subject.
3. 3Add your conjugated verb.
4. 4Finish with personne at the end.
5. 5Example: Je ne connais personne (I know nobody).
6. 6Wait! There is a second way to do this.
7. 7Personne can be the subject of the sentence.
8. 8Start the sentence with Personne.
9. 9Add the particle ne immediately after.
10. 10Add your conjugated verb.
11. 11Example: Personne ne m'écoute (Nobody is listening to me).
12. 12Notice the verb is always singular. Treat personne like il or elle. It is simpler than it looks!

Use it when the count of people is zero. Use it to answer the question "Who?". "Who is in the car?" "Nobody is in the car." Use it in professional settings. "No one signed the contract today." Use it in social settings. "I don't know anyone at this party." It works for "anybody" in negative English sentences. "I don't see anybody here." It is perfect for mystery novels. "Nobody saw the thief leave." Use it when you feel lonely. "Nobody called me on my birthday." It is a very emotional and practical word.

Do not use it for objects. If you lost your keys, use rien. Personne is strictly for humans. Do not use it with pas. Je ne vois pas personne is a mistake. It sounds like "I don't see not nobody." Your French friends might giggle at that. Do not use it for "none of them." That requires a different word called aucun. Keep it simple for now. Only use it for "no one" in general. Do not use it to mean "a person." Without the ne, it is just a normal noun. Context is everything in French grammar.

The biggest trap is the Passé Composé. Usually, pas goes after the auxiliary verb. Je n'ai pas mangé. But personne is a bit of a rebel. It goes after the past participle. Je n'ai vu personne. Many people say Je n'ai personne vu. That is a grammar traffic jam. Another mistake is forgetting the ne. In writing, ne is mandatory. In speaking, people often drop it. But you should learn the rule first. Think of ne as the anchor. Without it, the sentence might float away. Also, remember that personne is always singular. Don't try to make the verb plural.

Ne...pas is the general "not". Ne...rien is for "nothing". Ne...personne is for "nobody". Ne...jamais is for "never". Personne is unique because it moves around. Rien and pas stay near the auxiliary verb. Personne likes to travel to the end. Think of personne as a social butterfly. It wants to be where the people were. It occupies the space of the missing person. Rien is for things you can touch. Personne is for hearts and souls. Understanding this difference is a huge win. You are making great progress already!