non/nɔ̃/
adverb / noun / conjunction / interjection · A1 · Frequency 74
adverb
Meanings
no
Used as a negative adverb to express negation in answers or statements.
Examples
Non, je préfère rester chez moi ce soir.
No, I would rather stay home tonight.
Après réflexion, elle a finalement répondu non à la proposition.
After thinking it over, she ultimately said no to the proposal.
Le vote a donné non à la modification du règlement.
The vote rejected the amendment to the regulations.
Collocations
- dire nonto say no
Common mistakes
Je ne veux non plus de café.
Je ne veux pas non plus de café.
When expressing “neither” or “not either,” non plus normally occurs within a complete negation; the lemma non cannot replace pas by itself.
Related words
nounmasculine
Meanings
a no, a negative response
Used as a noun meaning a negative response, common in formal or literary contexts.
Examples
Sa proposition a reçu un non immédiat de la part du comité.
His proposal received an immediate no from the committee.
Après quelques secondes de silence, elle a finalement répondu par un non ferme.
After a few seconds of silence, she finally answered with a firm no.
Le directeur espérait un accord, mais il a essuyé un non catégorique.
The director was hoping for an agreement, but he received a categorical no.
Collocations
- essuyer un non catégoriquereceive a categorical no
Common mistakes
Je ne sais non.
Je ne sais pas.
“non” cannot be used directly as a negation adverb; the correct form is “pas”.
Related words
synonymnégationdenial (act of denying)
conjunction
Meanings
not (negation)
Used as an adverb to express negation, common in both spoken and written language.
no (negative answer)
Used as a negative answer, usually alone or as a short reply.
Examples
Il a quitté son emploi, non qu'il déteste ses collègues, mais parce qu'il voulait changer de domaine.
He left his job, not because he hated his colleagues, but because he wanted to change fields.
Nous avons choisi le train, non qu'il soit moins cher, mais parce qu'il est plus pratique.
We chose the train, not because it was cheaper, but because it was more convenient.
Elle a accepté cette solution, non qu'elle soit parfaite, mais parce qu'elle était réalisable immédiatement.
She accepted this solution, not because it was perfect, but because it could be implemented immediately.
Collocations
- non pasnot
- dire nonto say no
- répondre nonto answer no
Common mistakes
Je ne sais pas, non pas.
Je ne sais pas, non.
When used as a negative answer, “non” is usually used alone without “pas”.
Related words
interjection
Meanings
No!
Used as an interjection in both spoken and written language to express negation.
No (negation adverb)
Used as an adverb to express negation, commonly within negative sentence structures.
Examples
Non, merci, je n'ai pas besoin d'aide.
No, thank you, I do not need help.
Non, ce document ne correspond pas à la version demandée.
No, this document does not match the requested version.
Non, je préfère attendre avant de prendre une décision.
No, I would rather wait before making a decision.
Collocations
- Non, je ne suis pas d'accord.No, I do not agree.
- Non, ce n'est pas vrai.No, that is not true.
- Non ! Arrêtez !No! Stop!
Common mistakes
non pas
non
Mistakenly using “non pas” as a standalone negation word, whereas “non pas” is a structure to emphasize negation and cannot replace “non” alone.
non ne
ne...non
Incorrectly combining “non” with “ne” as “non ne”; the correct negation structures are “ne...pas” or “ne...rien”, etc.