CEFR A2
What you will learn
- State which activity stopped and which goes on with ne… plus and encore.
- Use ne… plus only when there is an earlier history that stops.
- Correct a start taken for granted with pas encore and keep both outcomes open.
Before you start
- Present tense of être, avoir and frequent -er verbs; subject pronouns and ne… pas. At A2, basic passé composé and imparfait.
The idea
Denying an action now does not itself tell you whether it happened earlier or will happen later.
Ne… pas denies the action in the stated time or situation. Ne… plus adds a change: the activity or state existed earlier and has now stopped. Knowing someone does not read today does not establish that they no longer read; their earlier behaviour is unknown.
Pas encore says the expected event has not happened yet: le cours n’a pas encore commencé. It does not guarantee a future start. Jamais denies occurrences within the relevant period; without an explicit period, its scope may exceed the evidence.
Check present state, history and expectation separately. Encore can mark continuation; plus marks cessation. Keep ne/n’ in these written sentences. In the passé composé, pas encore and jamais surround the auxiliary: elle n’a pas encore joué, elle n’a jamais joué cette semaine.
Cases and forms
| Situation | French form | Reference or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Fait nié maintenant | Elle ne joue pas aujourd’hui. | passé non précisé |
| Activité arrêtée | Elle ne joue plus au tennis. | activité antérieure puis arrêt |
| Attente non réalisée | Elle n’a pas encore joué. | événement attendu, non réalisé |
| Période sans occurrence | Cette semaine, elle n’a jamais joué. | aucune occurrence dans cette semaine |
How it sounds
- Le cours n’a pas encore commencé.The expected start has not occurred. Plus would imply an earlier state that ceased; unscoped jamais would broaden the claim. The sentence does not promise a future start.
Apply decision 1Apply decision 1
[P1.O1] La semaine dernière, Eva jouait au basket et chantait au club. [P2.O1] Lundi, elle a arrêté le basket. Elle chante toujours au club. [P3.O1] Son ami pense qu’elle a tout arrêté. Answer Eva’s friend in French, in two sentences: what has changed and what has not.
[P1.O1] Le mois dernier, Tom nageait et jouait du piano. [P2.O1] Début juin, il a arrêté la natation. Il joue toujours du piano. [P3.O1] Sa sœur pense qu’il a tout arrêté. Answer Tom’s sister in French, in two sentences: what has changed and what has not.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: Your answer in French: Eva ne joue plus au basket. Mais elle chante encore au club.
Model answer: Eva ne joue plus au basket. Mais elle chante encore au club.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- What stopped takes ne… plus (not ne… pas).
- What continues takes encore or toujours; do not negate it.
Only one activity stopped; the other goes on. Ne… plus marks the stop and encore the continuity, correcting the friend’s everything.
Answer: Your answer in French: Tom ne nage plus. Mais il joue encore du piano.
Model answer: Tom ne nage plus. Mais il joue encore du piano.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- What stopped takes ne… plus (not ne… pas).
- What continues takes encore or toujours; do not negate it.
Only one activity stopped; the other goes on. Ne… plus marks the stop and encore the continuity.
Apply decision 2Apply decision 2
[P1.O1] Amir courait tous les samedis au club ; en mars, il a arrêté. [P2.O1] Bilal est nouveau au club depuis lundi ; ce samedi, il ne court pas. [P3.O1] Le coach écrit : « Amir et Bilal ne courent plus. » Repair the coach’s message in French: one sentence per boy, stating only what the case allows.
[P1.O1] Zoé dansait le samedi à l’école de danse ; en avril, elle a arrêté. [P2.O1] Mila est arrivée dans la ville la semaine dernière ; ce samedi, elle ne danse pas. [P3.O1] Le professeur écrit : « Zoé et Mila ne dansent plus. » Repair the teacher’s message in French: one sentence per girl, stating only what the case allows.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: Your answer in French: Amir ne court plus. Bilal ne court pas ce samedi.
Model answer: Amir ne court plus. Bilal ne court pas ce samedi.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- Amir has an earlier activity that stopped: ne… plus is right.
- For Bilal only this Saturday is known: ne… pas, with no claim of stopping.
Ne… plus needs an earlier history that stops. Amir has one; Bilal has just joined the club, so only this Saturday is negated.
Answer: Your answer in French: Zoé ne danse plus. Mila ne danse pas ce samedi.
Model answer: Zoé ne danse plus. Mila ne danse pas ce samedi.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- Zoé has an earlier activity that stopped: ne… plus is right.
- For Mila only this Saturday is known: ne… pas, with no claim of stopping.
Ne… plus needs an earlier history that stops. Zoé has one; Mila has just arrived, so only this Saturday is negated.
Apply decision 3Apply decision 3
[P1.O1] Le colis de Hugo devait arriver lundi ; on est mardi. [P2.O1] Le site du magasin dit : « Problème avec l’adresse. Nous attendons la réponse du client. » [P3.O1] Sa sœur lui écrit : « Ton colis est arrivé ? Super ! » Write Hugo’s reply to his sister in French and explain in French which two things can still happen to the parcel.
[P1.O1] Le train de Paul devait arriver à dix-huit heures ; il est dix-huit heures trente. [P2.O1] L’écran de la gare dit : « Train arrêté : problème technique. Information à dix-neuf heures. » [P3.O1] Léna attend Paul à la gare. Leur mère lui écrit : « Paul est arrivé ? Super ! » Write Léna’s reply to her mother in French and explain in French which two things can still happen with Paul’s train.
Answer available without interaction
Answer: Your answer in French: Non, mon colis n’est pas encore arrivé.; Your explanation in French: Le magasin attend une réponse sur l’adresse : le colis peut arriver plus tard, ou ne pas arriver chez Hugo.
Model answer: Non, mon colis n’est pas encore arrivé.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- The expected event has not happened yet: ne… pas encore + passé composé; arriver takes être (n’est pas encore arrivé).
- Do not use plus or jamais: the parcel did not arrive and then leave, and no closed period is involved.
Model answer: Le magasin attend une réponse sur l’adresse : le colis peut arriver plus tard, ou ne pas arriver chez Hugo.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Name the two open outcomes: arriving later or not arriving.
The expected delivery has not happened and depends on a pending answer: pas encore does not guarantee the parcel will arrive; it may also never reach Hugo’s home.
Answer: Your answer in French: Non, Paul n’est pas encore arrivé.; Your explanation in French: Le train est arrêté et l’information arrive à dix-neuf heures : Paul peut arriver plus tard, ou ne pas arriver ce soir.
Model answer: Non, Paul n’est pas encore arrivé.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- The expected event has not happened yet: ne… pas encore + passé composé; with arriver the auxiliary is être (n’est pas encore arrivé).
- Do not use plus or jamais: Paul did not arrive and then leave, and no closed period is involved.
Model answer: Le train est arrêté et l’information arrive à dix-neuf heures : Paul peut arriver plus tard, ou ne pas arriver ce soir.
Criteria for reviewing your answer:
- Name the two open outcomes: arriving later or not arriving tonight.
The expected arrival has not happened and the information comes at seven: pas encore does not guarantee Paul will arrive; he may arrive later or not tonight.
When it doesn't hold
What breaks the rule, said out loud. Hiding it is what makes you feel cheated in the exam.
- Jamais with no period can claim too much: limit it to the period you know.Le carnet couvre ce mois : « Malik n’a jamais pris le bus. » → « Ce mois-ci, Malik n’a jamais pris le bus. »
What your own language pushes you to say
Wrong Il ne lit pas aujourd’hui ; donc il ne lit plus.
Right Il ne lit pas aujourd’hui ; on ne sait pas s’il lisait avant.
Ne… plus assumes an earlier activity that stopped. If you only know about today, negate with ne… pas and do not invent the history.
Combine the decisions
[P1.O1] La chorale répète chaque jour. Sur les feuilles de présence de la semaine, de lundi à dimanche, le nom de Lou n’apparaît pas. [P2.O1] Mia chantait dans la chorale depuis deux ans ; mercredi, elle l’a quittée. [P3.O1] Lundi, Yan a passé une audition pour la chorale ; dimanche soir, il attend encore la réponse. Write one sentence about each person for the choir’s weekly report; in each case choose the negative form that fits what you know.
Answer available without interaction
- Preserve who acts and the case facts; add no information.
- Lou: ne… jamais limited to the week (cette semaine), not ne… plus: nothing shows she went before. With venir the auxiliary is être (n’est jamais venue).
- Mia: an earlier activity that stopped, ne… plus. Yan: what he expects has not come yet, ne… pas encore, without stating what the answer will be.
Answer: Cette semaine, Lou n’est jamais venue aux répétitions. Mia ne chante plus dans la chorale. Yan n’a pas encore reçu la réponse.
Lou’s name is missing from every day’s sheet: no occurrence in that period, so jamais, limited to cette semaine. Mia used to sing and left the choir: ne… plus. Yan is waiting for an answer that has not come: pas encore, without promising what it will be.
Curriculum alignment and sources
- Everyday message interaction and production at A2.2; editorial selection and sublevel. · Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Companion Volume
- Cross-check with French-specific inventories; no universal school-year equivalence. · Reference Level Descriptions · French
Continue along this corridor
Practise this: Adverbs and where they goTwo-part negation: ne… pas wraps around the verb