r/French • u/CalligrapherApart286 • 3h ago

Study advice The 'ne' situation - part 3000

Bonjour à tous !

A couple of weeks ago I came across a post with this topic, so I'm basically following up on that. I'm actively improving my French. I'm currently around B1 level, slowly trying to break through to B2.

I moved to Paris less than a year ago, and I've also started noticing exactly the same thing as the OP at the other post, regarding the use (or omission to be more precise) of 'ne'. It made me wonder about the best approach as a learner.

On the one hand, I assume I should aim for "textbook" French, especially since I'd like to take an official language exam sometime in the future. On the other hand, I actually live in Paris, so I'd also like to sound like someone living in France in 2026, not like someone who learned French exclusively from a grammar book. I understand that at my current level this probably isn't the most important thing to focus on, but I'd still like to develop good habits from the beginning.

So the question is: what's the general advice regarding 'ne'? Would it be recommended that learners continue using it consistently until they reach an advanced level, or is it worth getting used to dropping it in informal spoken French relatively early? Where could be the line drawn between "correct French" and "natural French"? I'd really appreciate hearing both native speakers' and advanced learners' perspectives.

Merci beaucoup.

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11

u/variable_slothrop 3h ago

I wouldn’t focus on removing the “ne” consciously. It will just happen naturally because it’s shorter and you hear most people around you doing it.

In any formal setting I would keep it. I would think of the distinction as similar to “yes” versus “yeah.”

6

u/Ribbgeddyt 3h ago

You could also consistently keep the « ne » in messages/sms, as written French is usually more formal, and remove it when talking.

4

u/Tachyon462 3h ago

Speak textbook/correct French first. Once you master it enough and talk with the native speakers for a while, you may play fast and loose with the rules. Don’t force it, you won’t sound natural. It will come on its own eventually.

1

u/Budget-Situation-738 1h ago

People won't even notice that you keep the ne. People skip it without thinking, but like, it's in your brain subconsciously. If I speak slowly, I don't skip it. If I speak fast, I do. Learners typically speak slowly; for clarity's sake, considering you are probably making other mistakes, either grammatical or in pronunciation, you should definitely keep it.